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This paper documents how economies in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region have integrated financially with the rest of the world since the 1990s. First, the region is increasingly more connected with itself and with other economies. Although economies in the North capture the bulk of the region's investments, EAP's connectivity with the South has grown relatively faster. Second, the largest economies in the region (China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore) account for most of EAP's cross-border investments. Third, compared with the other South regions, EAP displays a higher level of intraregional and outward investments, reflecting the region's role as a net capital exporter. The differences with South regions are persistent over time. Although EAP lags behind as a destination of foreign investments, inflows to developing EAP economies are comparable to those to other South regions. Fourth, EAP's financial integration is related to its international trade patterns.

Cross-Border Capital Flows --- Foreign Direct Investment --- International Financial Integration --- Portfolio Investments --- Syndicated Loans --- Trade Flows

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This paper studies the extent to which access to domestic and international bond markets and syndicated loan markets and switches across them impact corporate debt maturity. Using world issuance activity during 1991-2014, the paper shows that different markets provide financing at different terms and that the importance of each market varies over time. Thus, the type of debt issued and its composition affect corporate maturity. During the global financial crisis of 2008-09, firms issued more bonds and, in developing countries, also more domestic loans. Because these markets are of longer maturity, the substitution across them allowed the largest firms that switched markets to maintain their average borrowing maturity, even when the maturity within each market declined for switchers and non-switchers. This evidence suggests that firms use different debt markets as complements and substitutes, and that compositional effects across firms and markets have a material impact on firm-specific and aggregate maturity.

Capital Raising --- Corporate Bonds --- Domestic and International Debt Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- International Economics & Trade