Total debt market issuance in Canada was up by 10% in 2013, and equity market issuance rose almost 20%, according to new data from Thomson Reuters.

The firm reports that overall debt issuance (excluding self-funded deals) totalled $177.1 billion last year, a 10.3% increase compared to 2012. Fourth quarter issuance was up 16.7% from the third quarter.

Government and agency debt continues to make up almost half of the total, accounting for 48% of overall issuance in 2013. And, the firm says that December was the strongest month on record for Canadian government issuance, with $18.1 billion issued in the month.

The financial sector was the second biggest source of new debt, accounting for 34% of issuance; with the energy & power sector running a distant third at a 6% market share. Among corporate issuers, Canadian banks collectively raised just under $50 billion in 2013, the firm notes.

In the debt underwriting league tables, RBC Capital Markets once again led the way. It placed first in both overall Canadian debt tables, and for domestic corporate debt specifically. TD Securities ranked first in the Canadian government full credit rankings and corporate Maple debt, and CIBC World Markets took first in the Canadian government “true economics” rankings, Thomson Reuters says. JP Morgan was first in the Canadian cross-border rankings, it adds.

On the equity side, issuance was up almost 19% year over year, with Canadian equity & equity-related issuance (excluding self-led issuance) totalling $34.2 billion from 340 issues for the full year 2013, the firm reports. The fourth quarter was particularly strong, with proceeds up 70.8% from the third quarter.

The energy & power sector led equity issuance, raising $9.5 billion in the year, for a 28% market share. The materials sector came next with a 17% share, and real estate ranked third with a 15% share.

Thomson Reuters reports that RBC was also the top underwriter of the year for equities, ranking number one in the league tables for Canadian equity & equity-related issuance, Canadian common stock & trusts, Canadian initial public offerings, secondary offerings, and preferred securities. CIBC ranked first in retail structured products, it notes.

Canadian secondary offerings totalled $27.7 billion for the year, in 271 deals; representing a 19.6% increase in issuance volume. However, retail structured product issuance was down almost 40%, and preferred issuance was off by 35%, year over year.