LatAm Bonds

Ecopetrol, the Colombian state oil company, said on Wednesday that it would redeem a $1.5bn bond maturing in 2019 with cash and confirmed that next year’s $3.5bn-$4bn investment programme would be self-financed. Colombia continues to provide slim pickings for bond markets.

Bondholders of Brazilian mining group Vale have taken the chance to decrease their exposure to the rapidly deleveraging company with relish, as investors holding over $3.8bn of paper attempted to participate in a tender offer capped at $1bn.

Odebrecht Engenharia & Construçäo finally admitted defeat in its attempt to avoid default on Monday, as it acknowledged it would not be making a $11.5m coupon payment due on its $519m of 4.375% bonds due 2025, paving the way for a restructuring.

Bonds issued by central American sovereign Costa Rica rallied as much as four points on Monday after the country's constitutional court gave investors a positive surprise, approving fiscal reform that should improve market confidence in the borrower.

Colombo-Canadian oil company Frontera Energy managed to persuade 91.16% of its creditors to approve an amendment in its bond indenture that will allow it to make larger payments to shareholders.

Central American development bank Cabei (Central American Bank of Economic Integration) sold $100m of dollar bonds to Japanese insurance companies earlier this month to complete its financing needs for 2018, the lender said.

In a shortened week in the US there was still time for heavy volatility in Lat Am bond markets, with sharp moves in Mexico particularly concerning for DCM bankers.

Some Latin American DCM bankers think the year is over for new issuance, and several are indeed wishing it already were. Though much of what put the brakes on in Lat Am this year will continue to affect the market in 2019, bond bankers should find reasons to believe January will be better.

Investors in Latin American bonds are giving thanks this week, as Wednesday brought some small respite on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s US holiday. Some of the region’s more battered paper rallied slightly — though the consensus is still that issuance is finished for the year.

Bankers insist that the market, though deserted, is still open for at least a couple more weeks, but with the new issue premiums investors are demanding, it is difficult to persuade issuers to print.

Société Générale has agreed to pay $1.34bn in fines and an enhanced monitoring programme for violating US sanctions against Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Myanmar and North Korea, according to notices issued by US agencies on Monday.

Colombian oil company Frontera Energy is increasing the reward bondholders will earn if they give it permission to make more payments to shareholders.