South America

Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB), the electricity and gas distributor majority-owned by the District of Bogotá, Colombia, is looking to hit bond markets to raise around $400m as government-linked issuers dominate the Latin America primary markets.

Colombian airline Avianca filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Sunday, the same day that $66m of senior unsecured bonds matured and just five months after wrapping a distressed debt exchange that some thought had brought the airline back from the brink.

Latin American development bank Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) tapped US dollar markets for the first time this year on Thursday, raising $800m of three year money that it will use to partially fund a $2.5bn emergency credit line designed to support shareholder countries in dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

South American development lender Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) offered price talk on Wednesday as it looks become the latest of a select highly rated group of Latin American issuers to tap bond markets.

Chile priced the tightest EM sovereign bond in the Covid-19 era on Tuesday, selling a dollar deal flat or inside its curve and tight to where neighbouring rival Peru had issued last month.

Even as sovereign restructuring and debt relief top the agenda for emerging markets bond buyers, investors are showing faith in the top names in the asset class. Tuesday was Chile’s turn; the sovereign breezed its way through two currencies, notching a negative new issue premium in dollars and becoming the first non-European sovereign to issue in euros since the Covid-19 crisis began.

Argentine government bonds have sold off yet again as neither creditors nor the government appear willing to blink in a stalemate that is likely to lead the sovereign to default on May 22, when the grace period expires on $500m of bond payments.

The operator of Santiago de Chile’s metro system, Metro, found ample demand for a new dual tranche issue on Monday as investors continue to show appetite for highly rated government-related issuers even at tight new issue concessions. The borrower's state support means it is a in a strong position to do Latin America's first buy-back of the pandemic.

The Republic of Peru has approved a further $4bn of debt issuance to finance coronavirus spending just two weeks after tapping bond markets for $3bn.

Empresa de Transporte de Pasajeros Metro (Metro) could become the second Chilean government-linked issuer to offer bonds in the international market in less than a week, as investors say that the corporate market is likely to remain the preserve of the best-rated issuers.

With Covid-19 measures expected to add $4bn to Chile’s debt issuance this year, the sovereign is still to define the source of another $4.5bn of funding, according to the country’s head of international finance.

While emerging market bond investors are spending their days in the Covid-19 crisis battling with poor liquidity, cash calls from end investors, and even the odd new issue, debt relief has remained a threat, albeit only a vague one. But at policy level the topic is of growing importance, and what began as a matter for official institution creditors took a step closer to embroiling the private sector this week. Ross Lancaster, Phil Thornton and Oliver West report.