LatAm Bonds

Mexican power generator FEL Energy is the most recent Latin American credit to announce bond issuance plans but bankers covering the region expect several drive-by trades this week before the US Thanksgiving holiday cuts the window short next week.

Suriname has accepted bondholder pleas to participate in discussions with the International Monetary Fund as it looks to persuade creditors to grant five months of payment relief ahead of a full-blown debt restructuring.

The Inter-American Development Bank’s board of directors on Friday appointed the executive team that will serve under recently installed president Mauricio Claver-Carone, with former finance ministers of Paraguay and Ecuador taking key roles.

Marcelo Delmar, a veteran of Latin American bond markets, has joined Morgan Stanley’s debt capital markets team in New York, GlobalCapital understands.

Panamanian toll road operator Empresa Nacional de Autopistas (Ena) notched up what one observer called a “slamdunk” debut deal on Thursday and swiftly traded higher in the grey market. But the lack of primary activity from Latin American heavyweight borrowers was puzzling some bankers.

Latin American bond bankers said that Mexican telecoms company Total Play Comunicaciones’ debut bond issue on Monday — the second Mexican high yield deal since the onset of Covid-19 — was an encouraging sign for other issuers from the country.

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 Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei) said it became the first multilateral lender to sell a Covid-19 “vaccine bond” after raising $50m of five-year money to support immunisation initiatives when Covid-19 vaccine becomes available.

Though the bond market reaction to the impeachment of Peru’s popular president was not as severe as it would have been in most Latin American countries, investors said that political volatility would continue to challenge the sovereign’s credit profile and that the situation presented risks for next year’s elections.

Brazilian steel producer Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) took advantage of a vacant Latin American primary market to add $300m to its 2028s on Tuesday, as bankers say several of the region’s big names are still preparing to take advantage of strong conditions after the US elections.

Latin American bond bankers said that B2/BB- rated Mexican telecoms company Total Play Comunicaciones was the ideal name to take advantage of a swell of risk appetite on Monday as the company sold its first ever international bond in a market that favoured higher yielding credits amid the sell-off in US Treasuries. But Lat Am sovereigns could be back as soon as Tuesday as bankers expect a wave of issuance from the region.

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.