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The amount issued in North American investment grade debt was more than quadruple the amount of that issued in high yield this week, with investment grade debt totaling $35.25 billion and high yield debt totaling $7.97 billion. Broadcom Corporation (NasdaqGS:AVGO) led investment grade deals with four new issues of senior unsecured notes totaling $13.55 billion to replace an old credit facility. This represented 38.4% of total investment grade debt issued this week. General Motors (NYSE:GM) led high yield deals with three new issues of senior unsecured notes totaling $2.5 billion, about 31.4% of total high yield debt issued this week.

European high yield debt held a slight edge over investment grade names, even as the pan-European Stoxx 600 equities index stayed mired in the shallow red.

Shrinking historical “Yield to Worst” change shows that investor’s appetite for risk appears to be growing in the retail industry. This steady trend conforms with the post election rally that has taken place. The retail industry has been bolstered by a nice bump from a holiday season rush. While brick-and-mortar stores appear to be under acute pressure, many big retailers adapted and have established a strong online presence.

NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) announced today that it has completed the conversion of four powerplants from coal to natural gas as the primary fuel. This comes as an important milestone for the energy company's fleet optimization strategy, as it tries to meet current enviromental standards and NRG's wider decarbonation efforts.

Following the announcement, NRG finds it's debt among the ADI top intraday high yield gainers in the Electric, Gas, & Sanitary Services Sector.

Below is a weekly snapshot of the 'Total Returns By Industry' report (High Yield Bonds).