Italian government debt slid in value, pushing up the country's borrowing costs, while the euro hit a seven-week low as Europe's debt crisis once again dominated world markets.
Debt slid at first and then grew, as Mead acquired new companies to add to Tenneco's specialty packaging and auto parts businesses.
But issuance of debt securities slid during the quarter.
In a market torn between growing talk of war and the prospect of fresh government debt, a slide in stocks tipped the balance in favor of bonds.
Longer-term rates on Portuguese debt did slide a little this week after a tentative agreement on a bailout, but they remain at levels that show widespread doubts about the country's ability to pay.
The choice was whether to cast Pakistan's lot with the United States in the war that was coming, or remain an isolated and economically beleaguered state, crushed by foreign debt and sliding toward the same Islamic extremism that had brought the Taliban to power in neighboring Afghanistan.
The 99-year-old Woolworths chain collapsed last November as a result of mounting debts and sliding sales.
Venezuela risks defaulting on its debts and sliding into hyperinflation as its economy teeters on the brink of collapse.
Take advantage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) which allows borrowers of qualified federal loans to pay back their debt on a sliding scale based on their income using Income Based Repayment (IBR).
Such talk certainly makes it harder for America's two political parties to co-operate in tackling urgent questions such as their nation's gargantuan debt, or its slide in the world education rankings.
