US Corporate Debt to Reach Record-Breaking $2 Trillion in 5 Years - Moody’s

Debt for US speculative-grade and investment-grade corporations coming due in the next five years will reach a record $2 trillion, Moody’s Investors Service said in a press release Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US investment-grade non-financial companies have approximately $944 billion in bonds due in 2017-2021, with 31 percent of debt in the telecommunications, technology and media sector.

"Five-year speculative-grade refunding needs have reached a new high, breaking the $1 trillion mark," Moody’s Senior Analyst Tiina Siilaberg said in the release.

She explained that US speculative-grade non-financial companies have a total of $1.063 trillion in debt maturing between 2017 and 2021 and nearly 90 percent of it, or $933 billion, will be due between 2019-2012.

Siilaberg said the majority of US investment-grade companies should be able to manage their refunding risk over the next five years.

The US energy sector could face challenges and accounts for about $117 billion of the debt maturing by 2021.