Latin America

After Chileans chose the delegates who will draft a new constitution, bond market participants appeared to be taken aback by the centre-right government’s poor performance. Chilean assets across the board slumped, with local rates hit harder than hard currency bonds.

Latin America DCM bankers are gearing up for a calmer period in primary bond markets as first quarter earnings blackout periods near, after two companies jumped on an improving tone at the end of last week to sell rare Friday deals.

Banco Santander Chile has promoted from within to replace its departing head of corporate and investment banking (CIB).

Uruguay, considered the most promising credit story among Latin America's investment grade sovereigns, raised $1.74bn-equivalent in pesos and dollars on Thursday, becoming the first sovereign from the region to issue local currency abroad in 2021 — as it was in 2020.

Investors in Latin America are growing increasingly concerned that social unrest in Colombia, where tax reform plans are in tatters and more than 40 people have been killed, is a sign of things to come, with sovereigns facing severe pressure as they attempt to improve credit profiles that have been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Yet sovereign bond markets are seeing only modest, short-lived sell-offs, given the enormous liquidity still in bond markets.

The Province of Buenos Aires extended the participation of its restructuring offer for the 16th time this week, but bondholders denied the province's claim that they had requested the extension.

Mexican food company Grupo Bimbo proceeded with a 30 year bond issue on Wednesday despite a US inflation reading that sent Treasury yields to their widest levels in a month. A strong bid from US investment grade buyers ensured a bumper order book, but some observers were surprised that the issuer had not delayed its deal in the face of a tricky market.

Inversiones Atlántida (Invatlan), the Central American financial services group that owns the largest bank in Honduras, is looking to raise $300m of senior secured bonds, it told fixed income investors this week.

Uruguay began investor calls on Monday ahead of a proposed dollar and global local currency bond issue. The marketing effort came as the government continues to take steps towards issuing what would be the first sustainability-linked bond from any sovereign — though this week’s expected deal will not have ESG characteristics.

AI Candelaria, the holding company through which private investors own a stake in Colombian oil pipeline Ocensa, returned to bond markets on Monday with a larger than expected $600m deal as Ocensa’s resilience during the coronavirus pandemic outweighed concerns about social unrest and a potential credit rating downgrade in Colombia.

The government of Suriname issued a stinging riposte to its bondholders on Friday, accusing the creditor committee of issuing a “misleading and factually incorrect statement” about the sovereign’s debt restructuring.

Four Latin America and Caribbean companies sold new issues in the dollar market at very tight looking levels on Thursday, as investors continue to feel pressure to put to cash to work amid extremely high liquidity.