Latin America

Gran Tierra Energy, the Canada-listed oil and gas company that mostly operates in Colombia, ventured into bond markets for the second time on Monday to sell $300m of debt at a pick-up to its existing notes.

Chile attracted more international investors than ever before into a local currency deal this week as it braved a volatile market to raise $1.5bn-equivalent of new money and a further $420m through an exchange of old bonds.

DCM bankers said they were sitting on mandates for Latin American bond issuers as another week of volatility in global markets kept the region’s primary markets quiet.

Chile raised around $1.5bn-equivalent of new peso debt on Wednesday in its fourth Euroclearable local currency deal.

Investors appear to be split over whether or not Turkey will follow through with its proposed purchase of a Russian S-400 missile system, in the face of likely sanctions from the US if it does.

Colombian airline Avianca is taking longer than expected to refinance a $550m senior unsecured bond coming due in less than a year, triggering ratings agency S&P into cutting the borrower's credit rating, driving up the yield on the note.

Mexican state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) was the highlight of a difficult start to the week for Latin American bonds. But though news of a new $8bn loan allowed it to outperform the market, analysts warned its troubles were far from over.

Gran Tierra Energy, the Canada-listed oil and gas company that mostly operates in Colombia, held investor meetings and calls on Friday as it plots its second-ever international bond deal.

Latin American bond bankers believe primary market activity will pick up next week after a volatile week led some banks to postpone previously scheduled mandate announcements.

Venezuelan government-owned oil giant Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is likely to make a $71m interest payment on its 2020 notes, the only external bond on which the country has not yet defaulted.

Paraguay tapped bond investors on Thursday to finance its portion of the transcontinental road, raising $732.3m of amortising notes with an average life of 8.9 years and using a zero coupon structure to reflect project payment flows.

A securitization that repackages Paraguayan government infrastructure financing is expected to be priced on Thursday after the bookrunner set initial price thoughts the day before.