BELIZE BOND TRADING TAKES NOSEDIVE, TO .30 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR WITH A WEEK TO GO, WHEN INTEREST PAYMENT DUE. BONDS ARE STILL DROPPING.
WSJ:
By Georgia Wells
The Belize government won't be making payments on its 2029 bond, the
country's prime minister said in a statement Tuesday, setting up a
potential default if the country isn't able to restructure its debt.
The 2029 bond represents approximately 50% of BELIZE total public
debt, and the government says the payment, due Aug. 20, is too high.
"We simply cannot afford this coupon payment given the financing
shortfalls and other challenges we face," said Dean Barrow, prime
minister and finance minister of Belize. "Our hope, however, is that we
can move quickly toward a sensible restructuring of the instrument."
If the government fails to pay the bondholders within 30 days of Aug.
20 it will default on its debt. However, the government is expected to
renegotiate the structuring of bonds in the future.
"I guess the Belize government wanted to start from a position of
strength," said Boris Segura, analyst with Nomura Securities. "It's
going to be a tough negotiation."
Bondholders and the Belize government have been negotiating since the
country said it found its monthly dues too high. Last week, the Central
Bank of Belize proposed a restructuring of the bond that would discount
its value and reduce its coupon rate, according to a note on the bank's
website.
Ultimately the government is supposed to come up with a deal that 75%
of bondholders agree to before they can proceed with the restructuring.
But the government has the money to pay the coupon, and instead has decided not to pay it, analysts say.
Prior to saying it wouldn't make the payment, the government had
insisted it wanted to process to be orderly and market friendly.
Write to Georgia Wells at georgia.wells@dowjones.com
30 DAY GRACE PERIOD FOR MORE NEGOTIATIONS, BEFORE DEFAULT!
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1 comment:
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