S&P Says 2004 ABS Issuance Outlook is a Mixed Bag: Cards to Increase, Subprime Cools, Auto Flat Asset-backed securities issuance volume in the first half of 2004 was ahead of last year, but analysts at Standard & Poor’s predict that issuance may shift significantly in the second half. “In general, the outlook for consumer ABS is brighter in 2004,” said Joe Sheridan, managing director at S&P’s structured finance ratings group. “With the aid of an