Argentina

Argentina’s second largest city, Córdoba, said on Wednesday that holders of 83.79% of its bonds had agreed to its consent solicitation — enough to trigger the collective action clause and enable the issuer to restructure the entire $150m note.

The Province of Buenos Aires extended the deadline on its restructuring proposal for the ninth time on Monday — again without modifying the terms. But with bondholders saying they are considering “all options” after hiring legal advisors last week, the provincial government says it is willing to improve its offer and called on creditors to resurrect negotiations.

Bond investors are again clashing with an Argentine government issuer over restructuring terms, with the Province of Córdoba’s consent solicitation turned down on Sunday evening just two days after launch. However, Córdoba’s creditors published a counterproposal that is considerably more friendly to the province than a previous proposal.

Argentine power company Gennaia is at risk of defaulting on its domestic dollar bonds as a result of capital controls issued by the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA), Fitch said on Tuesday as it slashed the rating on the issuer’s international notes.

As the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires approaches six months in default, a creditor group holding nearly half of the issuer’s international bonds has hired a major international law firm and says it is “prepared to evaluate all available options”.

Just one day before a likely hard default on its $150m of 7.875% 2024s, Argentina's City of Córdoba on Wednesday asked bondholders to modify the payment terms according to a plan that already has the backing of Chilean asset management firm Moneda.

Eye-watering bond yields on Argentina’s recently restructured sovereign bonds indicate that investors have little faith in its economic plans. That will make it hard for issuers and investors to see eye-to-eye in the wave of provincial debt restructuring talks that has followed the sovereign's deal with bondholders.

A group of Neuquén’s bondholders swiftly rejected an improved debt restructuring offer this week, saying any reduction in interest payments on the Argentine province’s senior secured bonds cannot be justified.

Banco Hipotecario, the Argentine bank focussed on mortgage and consumer loans, will swap nearly 47% of its dollar bonds maturing on November 30 for new 2025s and cash. Fitch says it understands the central bank — which in September announced restrictions on hard currency debt refinancing — has approved the deal and that Hipotecario will be able to access a sufficient amount of dollars to carry out the swap.

The Province of Mendoza has become the first Argentine province to complete a restructuring of its international bonds this year after a proposal, amended twice, achieved enough backing to trigger the collective action clause (CAC).

The Province of Mendoza has become the first Argentine province to complete a restructuring of its international bonds this year after a proposal, amended twice, achieved enough backing to trigger the collective action clause (CAC).

Argentina’s recently restructured international bond curve looks further than ever from the 10% yield target that the finance minister had set. New currency controls aimed at halting the decline in international reserves have had a catastrophic impact on both corporate and sovereign bond markets, and are likely to spell major trouble in the long term, analysts say.