Latin America

Argentina’s dollar bonds bounced as much as five points this week as investors were finally tempted to nibble at the distressed levels on offer. But analysts warned that the capital controls imposed by authorities would provide only short-term relief.

Alpek, the petrochemicals business of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Alfa, will look to the bond market to refinance short-term bank debt maturities.

Latin American DCM bankers welcomed Tuesday’s blow-out bond issue from Mexico baking company Grupo Bimbo, saying that they believed it would trigger other borrowers to accelerate funding plans.

Clarity on the costs that Brazilian mining giant Vale will face as a result of a tragic accident at one of its dams in January has led Moody’s to remove the negative outlook from the company’s Ba1 rating.

Moody’s said on Friday that it was placing “little weight” on the suggestion that a debt restructuring in Argentina would be voluntary. Sunday’s announcement of currency controls from the central bank showed how bad the situation had become.

Bond market participants said that Argentina’s decision to postpone the payments of some short-term Treasury bills and “re-profile” the rest of its debt was unlikely to provide a sustainable solution to the country’s financial woes.

Adrian Neuhauser, the new chief financial officer of Avianca, said on Thursday that he thought a “very high percentage” of bondholders would participate in a bond exchange that could unlock up to $250m of financing from United Airlines and shareholder Kingsland Holdings.

Three Latin American borrowers are meeting investors in advance of likely bond deals as primary market activity in the region looks set to pick up after a quiet August.

BBVA’s Mexican arm will look to sell Basel III-compliant tier two debt to fund a buy-back of old style subordinated bonds after launching a tender offer on Wednesday.

After three further days of turmoil for Argentine bonds this week, finance minister Hernán Lacunza said after Wednesday’s market close that the government would ask bondholders to voluntarily extend debt maturities in an effort to dissipate concerns over a possible default.

Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) could raise over $1bn-equivalent of dollar and nuevo sol denominated bonds in international markets as it looks to fund a buy-back of senior debt.

Colombian airline Avianca has extended the early-bird period of a vital exchange offer after United Airlines and Kingsland Holdings said they needed a bigger take-up from bondholders in order to provide at least $250m of shareholder funding.