CABEI will look to increase the percentage of funds which come from LatAm capital markets from the current 10%-17% to 25%-30% over the next 4 years. “LatAm markets have become more of a priority as they know us better and are able to appreciate our credit profile, which is something we expect to translate into being able to issue at more attractive spreads,” Jose Felix Magana, treasurer of CABEI tells LatinFinance on the sidelines of the IMF annual meeting. Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are markets CABEI would look to return to in order to issue bonds. It will also issue CP in new markets, such as Venezuela, Peru and Chile, adds Magana. CABEI needs to raise $750m in and will consider issuing bonds with maturities of 10 years or between 3 and 5 years. The first LatAm market it would look to issue in is Colombia, where it would look to issue between $150m and $250m worth of bonds, though he says maturity and timing is yet to be decided. Magana adds that either late this year or early next year CABEI is looking to issue up to 4bn Thai baht, as swap levels in Thailand and other Asian markets are attractive, Magana says. CABEI could also issue paper for between $150m and $250m in Europe, he adds.
Category: Regions
PDSVA to Offer New Bonds, Swap
PDVSA says it will sell $3bn of 2017 bonds in the local market, with further details about the offer due October 18. As with previous government offerings, investors will be allowed to buy the dollar-denominated bonds with VEB. The offer is directed at individuals and businesses with the “sector productivo nacional” designation. The state-backed oil company also plans to offer holders of its 2011 bonds an opportunity to exchange them for 2013 bonds, with further details to be announced in coming days. PDVSA does not name banks, through Citi is rumored to be on the transaction.
Sare Sets Target Date
Mexico’s Sare Holding plans to price an equity follow-on October 28, according to regulatory documents. The homebuilder seeks to raise up to MXP805m through a sale of up to 317m primary units. Shareholders still must approve the sale October 20. BBVA and Santander are managing the transaction. Sare aims to increase production and improve efficiency following a debt restructuring, using proceeds to provide working capital for completing projects. Sare shares closed Tuesday at MXP2.83.
Total and Gazprom Partner in Bolivia
French oil company Total has signed a farm-out agreement in which it will transfer a 20% interest in Bolivia’s Ipati and Aquio licenses to Russia’s Gazprom. As a result, Total, the operator, will hold a 60% stake, Argentina’s Tecpetrol 20% and Gazprom the other 20%. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Total has been active in Bolivia since 1996 and produced 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2009.
Scotia Sinks, Compartamos Swims
Scotiabank Tuesday raised MXP2.67bn in Mexico, short of the MXP3.5bn it was aiming to issue and wide to expectations. The bank issued a $2.312bn 5-year at TIIE plus 40bp and a MXP358m 7-year at TIIE plus 49bp. Price talk for the AAA rated bonds had been in the 35bp area for both tranches according to an investor. Another investor adds that several banks have already issued this year, and so the buyside has sufficient AAA rated and bank paper. The bonds were issued to refinance MXP2bn that was due in September, MXP700m maturing in November and MXP800m due in December, according to investors. Meanwhile, Banco Compartamos was oversubscribed, as investors considered the spread and the AA rating attractive. The microfinancing bank that lends only to women issued a 2015 bond at 130bp, with the book 1.6x oversubscribed and closed in under an hour, according to a banker at sole lead BBVA Bancomer. Guidance had been 125bp-135bp, refined from an earlier 130bp-140bp over TIIE. The bonds are 50% amortizing in the 4th year and 50% amortizing in the 5th year. Compartamos was sold to banks, private banks and asset managers. It is the longest tenor issued by the bank, with previous bond issues only going up to 3 years, adds the banker. Proceeds will be used to extend its lending portfolio.
Bidders Prequalify for Peru Oil Blocks
Offers from 8 companies have prequalified to compete for 14 oil and natural gas blocks in Peru, says state oil contracting agency Perupetro. The investment needed to develop the blocks is estimated at $700m over the next 7 years, Perupetro says. The bidders are Argentina’s Tecpetrol, Colombia’s Ecopetrol, a consortium of Repsol, Ecopetrol and YPF, a consortium of YPF and Petrouruguay, UK-based Pitkin Petroleum and Sinochem unit Emerald Energy.
Televisa Returns With 10-Year Jumbo
Televisa Tuesday issued a much anticipated MXP10bn local 10-year that had been expected September 9 but was cancelled at the last minute. The book was 1.3x oversubscribed and the bonds priced in line with guidance of Mbonos plus 135bp, says a banker at one of the leads. The main buyers were institutional investors, including Afores, private banks, investment funds and insurance companies. A month ago, investors said they were expecting the issue to price at about 120bp. At that time it was said that the bond issuance was cancelled because of volatility in local markets, and there was talk of Televisa seeking a dollar tap instead. However, some have since speculated that the offer was pulled because the issuer would have had to disclose an investment made in Univision. Televisa said October 5 it is investing $1.2bn in Univision, the US Spanish language broadcaster, in a deal that implies an equity valuation for the target of around $2.3bn. The market rewarded the buyer, sending Televisa stock up 13.75% on the day. HSBC and Santander managed the bond sale, rated AAA on a national scale. Proceeds will be used to strengthen the company’s financial position.
Venezuela Continues Nationalization Spree
The government of Hugo Chavez says it has nationalized oil lubricants firm Industrias Venoco, its subsidiaries and fertilizer company Fertinitro. The nationalization of the companies is being done to “reduce the prices of lubricants” as “PDVSA produces lubricant bases and then these private companies buy them and resell them at 4-5 times the original price.” Venoco officials could not be reached for comment. US-based Koch, which holds a 35% stake in Fertinitro, says it has not been told about the nationalization. Italy’s Snamprogetti holds a 20% in Fertinitro and Venezuelan state-run petrochemical company Pequiven holds 35%.
IMF Stymies Bolivia Bond Comeback
The IMF will be doing a study of the financial system in Bolivia next March or April, meaning the country’s planned bond issue will not take place until 2012, finance minister Luis Arce tells LatinFinance. Bolivia had been planning to do its first bond issue in 70 years mid-2011. Arce adds that CAF is helping to co-ordinate the transaction, but bookrunners, size and spread have not yet been discussed. “We want do the bond issuance to position Bolivia in international capital markets and demonstrate the country’s macroeconomic strength,” says Arce. “Interest rates are low and the economy is well managed. After 15 years working to overcome the debt crisis, we have not defaulted on payments, and have reduced our external debt from $4bn in 2006 to $2bn, so now is a good opportunity to issue a bond,” adds Arce. The finance minister says a bond issue would lead the way for corporates to also be able to tap the market. “The economy is growing but the financial system isn’t so we expect this to help develop the capital markets as Bolivia only really has money markets, not capital markets,” adds Arce. Proceeds will go towards strategic government projects. Over the next 7 years, Bolivia plans a $32bn investment program, and Arce says it already has 40% of the funding. It is looking for $17bn to come from overseas investment. Projects include generation and export of energy to Brazil and Argentina, a fertilizer plant and infrastructure. The latter includes a motorway to the northern region of the country to access natural resources. Funding for its projects will come from a mixture of public, private and PPP investment.
Cemex Agrees to Acquire Ready Mix
Cemex has agreed to acquire Ready Mix USA’s interest in two joint ventures between the companies. Cemex, the Mexican building materials company, will spend around USD360m on the transaction and consolidate USD17m worth of debt held by the joint ventures. The deal is expected to be completed in September 2011. The assets operated by the JVs include cement plants in Alabama and Georgia, and 10 sand and gravel pits, 149 concrete plants and 20 block plants located in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The companies do not return calls seeking comment.