 "Analysts say investors could steer clear of stocks in the sectors that have high debt and high impact on revenues because of the Covid-19 pandemic")
Global debt surged to a record $258 trillion in the first quarter of 2020 as economies around the world shut down to contain the coronavirus pandemic, and debt levels are continuing to rise, the Institute for International Finance said on Thursday in a report.
The IIF, which represents global banks and financial institutions, said the first-quarter debt-to-GDP ratio jumped by over 10 percentage points, the largest quarterly surge on record, to reach a record 331 per cent.
While the rise in debt levels was well below average quarterly gains seen from 2015 to 2019, the pace of global debt build-up
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