Argentina

A group of bondholders holding more than half of the Argentine province of Córdoba’s international bonds took just one day to yet again reject the issuer’s attempt to amend terms on $1.67bn of bonds. As the countdown to default begins, creditors called for discussions “rooted in the realities of the province’s financial position and outlook”.

Argentina’s second largest provincial issuer, Córdoba, improved its consent solicitation to bondholders on Thursday, increasing proposed coupon payments. The offer comes as Argentine provincial debt talks gain momentum, but Córdoba is still some way off its bondholder group’s latest proposal — though the creditor committee has not yet reacted to the improved offer.

The Argentine Province of Río Negro on Tuesday launched a consent solicitation that has already earned the support of more than half of bondholders after it improved an initial restructuring offer. But analysts warned that Argentina’s deteriorating economy was forcing provinces to be less aggressive in renegotiating their obligations.

The Province of Neuquén has become the fourth Argentine regional or local government to wrap up a debt restructuring this year. But with most provincial issuers struggling to reach agreements with creditors, several provinces’ bondholders have joined forces to bolster their negotiating position. This may help bondholders force the provinces to offer deals that are better than those the national government wants both sides to make.

Marcelo Delmar, a veteran of Latin American bond markets, has joined Morgan Stanley’s debt capital markets team in New York, GlobalCapital understands.

Argentina’s second largest city, Córdoba, said on Wednesday that holders of 83.79% of its bonds had agreed to its consent solicitation — enough to trigger the collective action clause and enable the issuer to restructure the entire $150m note.

The Province of Buenos Aires extended the deadline on its restructuring proposal for the ninth time on Monday — again without modifying the terms. But with bondholders saying they are considering “all options” after hiring legal advisors last week, the provincial government says it is willing to improve its offer and called on creditors to resurrect negotiations.

Bond investors are again clashing with an Argentine government issuer over restructuring terms, with the Province of Córdoba’s consent solicitation turned down on Sunday evening just two days after launch. However, Córdoba’s creditors published a counterproposal that is considerably more friendly to the province than a previous proposal.

Argentine power company Gennaia is at risk of defaulting on its domestic dollar bonds as a result of capital controls issued by the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA), Fitch said on Tuesday as it slashed the rating on the issuer’s international notes.

As the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires approaches six months in default, a creditor group holding nearly half of the issuer’s international bonds has hired a major international law firm and says it is “prepared to evaluate all available options”.

Just one day before a likely hard default on its $150m of 7.875% 2024s, Argentina's City of Córdoba on Wednesday asked bondholders to modify the payment terms according to a plan that already has the backing of Chilean asset management firm Moneda.

Eye-watering bond yields on Argentina’s recently restructured sovereign bonds indicate that investors have little faith in its economic plans. That will make it hard for issuers and investors to see eye-to-eye in the wave of provincial debt restructuring talks that has followed the sovereign's deal with bondholders.