Corporate America Locks In Higher Yields on Assets Amid Iran War

Corporate treasurers piled into longer-term debt investments in late March and early April at the fastest pace in at least four years as the war in the Middle East dragged on, boosting uncertainty about where interest rates are headed.

From the start of the war in Iran through the middle of April, cash holdings declined by an average of two percentage points among 350 companies tracked by Clearwater Analytics. They’re moving into assets that are a bit longer-dated, including Treasuries and corporate debt with maturities of six months or more.