MUMBAI: Franklin Templeton will wind up $4.1 billion of Indian debt funds after a liquidity crisis compelled the firm to freeze investor withdrawals, underscoring persistent stress in credit markets as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the global economy.
The firm’s surprise announcement late Thursday marked the biggest-ever forced closure of Indian funds and fueled worries of a renewed wave of withdrawals from similar products. Indian corporate bonds slumped on the news, while banks and fund managers paced declines in the country’s stock market.