Greece: heading for a credit event?
Markets have a happy face on today, as they have for much of this year, as investors look forward to the promise of a second bail-out for Greece.
But it all hinges on agreement in debt talks between private sector creditors and the Greek government over the size of the haircut those creditors will have to wear on their Greek bond holdings.
Flood of emerging Eurobonds
The floodgates have opened for emerging market sovereign Eurobond issuers, who have been scrambling to take advantage of the new warm feeling towards riskier assets.
Latest to woo investors is Nigeria, which is on a two-day roadshow finishing today in Zurich, according to Thomson Reuters news and information service IFR.
Brazilians hit London town
Several Brazilian officials turned up bright and early at Thomson Reuters’ offices in London this morning, despite the snow and tricky local infrastructure (malfunctioning Tube trains), for an investment roundtable. (Here’ the Reuters Insider broadcast of the event)
The officials, including undersecretary for public debt Paulo Valle, have been in London all week talking to bankers and investors. Some of the issues raised today included the continued imposition of the IOF tax on foreign purchases of domestic bonds, corporate governance and debt levels.
Biting into offshore renminbi bonds
McDonalds, Volkswagen, Tesco — they are just a few of the Western companies which have issued offshore bonds denominated in China’s currency, the renminbi, in the past year or so.
The “dim sum” bond market has expanded rapidly in a short space of time, helped by the desire of international companies to get access to funds in an otherwise restricted currency. And why wouldn’t you — China is the world’s second largest economy, its currency is on an appreciation trend — even if slower than the U.S. would like — and growth prospects are still close to double digits, while plenty of Western economies are trying to fight off those minus numbers in their economic data.
Geopolitics, debt refinancing leave funds wary of Gulf
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Tensions over Iran, unrest
in Syria and concern about refinancing of upcoming Dubai debt
are making international investors wary of Gulf and other Middle
Eastern markets this year, just as developed markets enjoy fresh
gains.
Storming oil prices and healthy balance sheets among
energy-producing Gulf economies kept these markets on a
relatively even keel last year, as international investors saw
the region as an alternative to the debt-laden euro zone and
United States.
About-turn for Ukraine and Belarus debt
Emerging debt investors are a fickle bunch, even when it comes to neighbouring economies like those of the former Soviet Union.
They are starting to feast their eyes once more on Belarus, which less than a year ago looked close to default, while Ukraine, a favourite of 2010, is going out of fashion.
Analysis: Demand for emerging corporate debt could sour
LONDON (Reuters) – More emerging market companies are likely to default as the world economy slows and Western banks rein in lending, a risk that is unnerving investors who were snapping up their debt just a year ago.
Emerging market corporate bonds were the top pick for yield-hungry funds in early 2011, encouraged by firms’ strong balance sheets and relatively buoyant growth in domestic demand for consumer goods and financial services within emerging economies.
Default risks could sour demand for corporate debt
LONDON (Reuters) – More emerging market companies are likely to default as the world economy slows and Western banks rein in lending, a risk that is unnerving investors who were snapping up their debt just a year ago.
Emerging market corporate bonds were the top pick for yield-hungry funds in early 2011, encouraged by firms’ strong balance sheets and relatively buoyant growth in domestic demand for consumer goods and financial services within emerging economies.
BTA pursues debt restructuring after vote defeat
ALMATY/LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Kazakh bank BTA
will try to persuade angry creditors to accept a
second debt restructuring after failing on Thursday to win
shareholder approval for the proposal it says is imperative for
survival.
BTA, majority owned by Kazakh sovereign wealth fund
Samruk-Kazyna, said it failed to secure the two-thirds majority
required from a shareholders’ vote to pass a resolution for its
second debt restructuring since 2010.
Iran looms larger on Gulf radar screens
Tensions over Iran may be helping to push up oil prices as traders worry about a widespread embargo on the country’s crude oil but markets in neighbouring Gulf energy-rich economies are not benefiting.
One year after the Arab Spring started in Tunisia, investors remain sensitive to political risk in the Middle East.







