When the fast-growing sukuk market ground to a halt in 2008, the future looked grim. But as the Islamic capital markets turn, will a deluge of issues come with it? Farmida Bi reports
The sukuk market was substantially affected by the global economic downturn with sukuk issuances at the end of 2008 being less than half those at the end of 2007, according to a report issued by Standard & Poor’s. The drought in sukuk issuances, which took hold in the fourth quarter of 2008 now appears to be ending. The rapid growth of the sukuk market from 2004-07 was brought to an abrupt halt at the end of 2008, and undermined the theory that the Islamic capital markets had decoupled from the conventional capital markets.
