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Argentine bonds are rising after the Province of Buenos Aires backed down Tuesday on threats not to make a $250 million bond payment unless bondholders agreed to postpone for three months until May.
The flip-flop may weaken the negotiating position of all Argentine authorities as the federal government prepares to restructure more than $100 billion of debt, analysts said.
Province of Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof rattled bondholders in mid-January when he demanded they accept the payment delay without compensation. Mr. Kicillof obtained support from some investors in recent days by offering to pay 30% of the debt within a grace period. But a large bondholder, Fidelity Investments, rejected the deal and the province ultimately opted to pay the amount in full, people familiar with the matter said.
Argentina's widely traded $2.6 billion sovereign bond due 2117 traded around 47 cents on the dollar Wednesday, up about 6.5% from levels Monday before the province reversed course, according to data from MarketAxess. A $1.25 billion Province of Buenos Aires bond due 2024 jumped 13% Tuesday afternoon to 43 cents on the dollar.
The next step for Mr. Kicillof "is to open restructuring talks on the overall $11 billion debt but we're not sure he made his bargaining position any easier," said SMBC Nikko Securities Strategist Roger Horn in a report.
The Province of Buenos Aires repeatedly tried to reach a deal with Fidelity, but the asset manager refused, an official for the province said. A spokesman for Fidelity declined to comment.
In corporate debt markets, audio-communications-equipment maker Plantronics Inc.'s bonds continued to fall after the company reported Tuesday a fiscal third-quarter loss of $78.5 million. Plantronic's bond due 2023 fell to 90 cents on the dollar Wednesday from about 92 Tuesday and about 97 before the earnings report, according to data from MarketAxess.
"As we ramp the new product portfolio and address our sales and channel distribution issues, we are committed to return to sustained profitable revenue growth," Plantronics President Joe Burton said in a statement. WSJ
The flip-flop may weaken the negotiating position of all Argentine authorities as the federal government prepares to restructure more than $100 billion of debt, analysts said.
Province of Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof rattled bondholders in mid-January when he demanded they accept the payment delay without compensation. Mr. Kicillof obtained support from some investors in recent days by offering to pay 30% of the debt within a grace period. But a large bondholder, Fidelity Investments, rejected the deal and the province ultimately opted to pay the amount in full, people familiar with the matter said.
Argentina's widely traded $2.6 billion sovereign bond due 2117 traded around 47 cents on the dollar Wednesday, up about 6.5% from levels Monday before the province reversed course, according to data from MarketAxess. A $1.25 billion Province of Buenos Aires bond due 2024 jumped 13% Tuesday afternoon to 43 cents on the dollar.
The next step for Mr. Kicillof "is to open restructuring talks on the overall $11 billion debt but we're not sure he made his bargaining position any easier," said SMBC Nikko Securities Strategist Roger Horn in a report.
The Province of Buenos Aires repeatedly tried to reach a deal with Fidelity, but the asset manager refused, an official for the province said. A spokesman for Fidelity declined to comment.
In corporate debt markets, audio-communications-equipment maker Plantronics Inc.'s bonds continued to fall after the company reported Tuesday a fiscal third-quarter loss of $78.5 million. Plantronic's bond due 2023 fell to 90 cents on the dollar Wednesday from about 92 Tuesday and about 97 before the earnings report, according to data from MarketAxess.
"As we ramp the new product portfolio and address our sales and channel distribution issues, we are committed to return to sustained profitable revenue growth," Plantronics President Joe Burton said in a statement. WSJ
