PdVSA Talks Bond Sale

Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) plans to sell $4.5bn in new bonds this week in a private placement, according to public remarks made by Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez cited in wire and local press reports. The debt sale would be the first out of Venezuela this year, and would help the company to meet its commitments through the end of the year. The official did not give details about maturities or pricing. PdVSA has not issued bonds since a $3bn sale in May of 2012, and the Venezuela sovereign has been out of the market since 2011, according to Dealogic data.