After 13 hours of debate, Argentina's senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a deal with creditors in the US, putting an end to a sovereign bonds' dispute that had lasted 15 years. The deal was reached in late February, and the Lower House passed it earlier this month. The senate began debating on Wednesday morning and on early Thursday passed the measure by 54 votes to 16.
Elliott Management Corp., a New York-based hedge fund that invested in distressed Argentine government bonds well over a decade ago, will have made a $2.4 billion profit on its wager once this week's settlement is finalized, the Wall Street Journal said.
The United States gave another sign of support for Argentina’s economic policies as US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew spoke on the phone with Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay, striking an optimistic tone regarding the settlement offer made to the holdout funds in New York.
US District Judge Thomas Griesa of New York on Wednesday urged Argentina to resume talks to settle bondholder litigation flowing from its $100 billion default in 2002. The judge made the remarks as creditors suing over defaulted bonds urged him to expand to nearly $8 billion the amount Argentina must pay them to service its restructured debts.
Investors holding euro-denominated Argentine bonds, including billionaire George Soros, called on trustee Bank of New York Mellon yesterday (BONY) to turn over its duties to state-owned Banco Nación so they can get paid the 225 million euros currently frozen by United States District Judge Thomas Griesa’s orders.
New York district judge Thomas Griesa has said he will consider all Argentine government assets in the United States, except for diplomatic and military ones, as commercial assets which hedge fund NML Capital could try to seize.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said on Monday that she would only take decisions that benefitted the overall health and stability of the Argentine state, as she called on the country to defend the achievements of the last 10 years.
Holdout investors involved in litigation with Argentina over sovereign debt said on Monday they have not met with the government to negotiate a settlement on defaulted debt, and accused Buenos Aires of refusing to enter talks as a 30-day countdown to default begins.
The Argentina litigation with holdout hedge funds will have an additional ingredient this Monday when the Organization of American States, OAS, Permanent Council holds an extraordinary session, on a special request from Argentina, to consider a consultation meeting of foreign ministers to address the issue of sovereign debt restructuring.
The United Nations trade and development agency UNCTAD said on Wednesday in a rare release that the recent U.S. court ruling on Argentina's debt erodes sovereign immunity and does not comply with the country's own U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.