Argentine newly issued international bonds are once more on the slide as investors price in rising risks over the country’s economic recovery and much-needed market reforms following tightened capital controls last week.
Buenos Aires province bonds added to recent losses on Tuesday after the provincial government asked holders for an extension on a more than US$ 250 million payment due later this month, dragging Argentina’s debt lower as well.
The Argentine Peso plummeted to a new low on Monday despite government attempts to curb losses in recent weeks by hiking interest rates and shedding billions in foreign reserves. The Peso fell sharply on opening Monday and closed down 6.2%, trading at 25.52 against the dollar, having lost close to 33% so far this year.
Argentina’s international currency reserves rose above the landmark US$40 billion for the first time in three and a half years last Friday, as a huge inflow of dollars from government-issued debt and some exports over the last few days caused some dramatic increases this week. The milestone, according to Central Bank chief Federico Sturzenegger, was “a sign of growing investor confidence in the country.”
President Mauricio Macri said Monday that he will repatriate $1.3 million in savings from the Bahamas and use the money to buy Argentine treasury bonds because he is confident the struggling economy will recover and thrive.
Following the CNV securities regulator’s decision to suspend Citibank Argentina from its custody business in the country, Clearstream said in a press release it stopped settlement on all Argentine bonds, and will re-open for non-exchange bonds if it gets clarification.
Argentine Economy Minister Axel Kicillof has revealed the government sent a letter to Citigroup asking how the bank will react, after New York district judge Thomas Griesa decided not to kill an injunction that blocked Citi from processing interest payments on 2.3 billion dollars of Argentina bonds, under Argentine law.
New York district judge Thomas Griesa has declined a request from the Citigroup bank to allow the entity to process the payment of Argentine bonds under local law while an appeal against the magistrate's negative ruling is being prepared.
Joseph Cotterill, the Financial Times journalist who was quoted by Argentine President Cristina Fernández during her Congress address as proof the country has recovered financially, responded critically to the Head of State.
Argentina lost a ruling at Germany’s top civil court over interest payments on bonds it sold to investors in the European country that don’t have terms that allow for restructuring by a majority vote of creditors, according to a report from Bloomberg at Karlsruhe.