LatAm Bonds

Crédit Agricole is opening representative offices in Colombia and Chile, the lender said on Monday, as its looks to improve strengthen client relationships in the countries.

Carlos Vargas, most recently a managing director in Mizhuo’s Latin American debt capital markets team, has joined Oppenheimer & Co also as a managing director covering Lat Am DCM, GlobalCapital understands.

Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia (PCR), the Argentine energy company, will hit the road on Wednesday ahead of a planned debut international bond sale, with compatriot and peer company Capex expected to provide the closest comparison.

Argentina’s new issue pipeline is showing further signs of picking up, with the Province of Córdoba understood to be weighing up the possibility of a return to markets, according to bond players.

Latin America’s only new issue of the week was down in the grey market on Thursday, despite investors singing the praises of the credit as bankers said the region’s bond markets were struggling to gain momentum in the face of bulging pipeline.

Three Argentine companies are preparing off-shore bond issues and others continue to approve bond shelves as a near three month break in new issue activity from the country could soon come to an end.

Peruvian retail group InRetail is set to send a subsidiary to bond markets for the second time in a month as its pharmacy arm InRetail Pharma plots a $550m debut issuance.

Argentine gas pipeline company Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS) has pencilled in April 24 for its international bond market return as it looks to refinance its existing dollar bonds.

Seven Latin American companies announced borrowing plans this week, looking to issue before fourth quarter numbers go stale even as market conditions are far from ideal.

No Argentine issuers have tapped international bond markets since January, but companies from the country keep approving issuance plans.

Light, the Rio de Janeiro electricity company, will begin investor meetings on Wednesday ahead of a potential debut international bond sale.

Transportadora de Gas Internacional (TGI), the Colombian natural gas transportation company, has mandated banks ahead of a proposed $750m senior unsecured issue aimed at refinancing existing bonds.