Brazil

Bondholders of Brazilian mining group Vale have taken the chance to decrease their exposure to the rapidly deleveraging company with relish, as investors holding over $3.8bn of paper attempted to participate in a tender offer capped at $1bn.

Odebrecht Engenharia & Construçäo finally admitted defeat in its attempt to avoid default on Monday, as it acknowledged it would not be making a $11.5m coupon payment due on its $519m of 4.375% bonds due 2025, paving the way for a restructuring.

Some Latin American DCM bankers think the year is over for new issuance, and several are indeed wishing it already were. Though much of what put the brakes on in Lat Am this year will continue to affect the market in 2019, bond bankers should find reasons to believe January will be better.

Latin American DCM bankers say that continued debt buy-backs by Brazilian companies are creating strong technicals that should put the market in good stead for next year.

Brazilian mining giant Vale has launched its third public tender offer for outstanding international bonds, seeking to continue to cut its debt by buying back $1bn of notes.

Pulp and paper producer Suzano Papel e Celulose raised $500m of 30 year debt on Tuesday, two months after first mooting the idea, putting it closer to completing the financing of its takeover of fellow Brazilian company Fibria.

A pair of rare euro bonds from sovereign emerging markets borrowers hit the market this week, much to the approval of investors who said the deals provided “good value”.

Pulp and paper producer Suzano Papel e Celulose raised $500m of 30 year debt on Tuesday two months after first mooting the idea, putting it closer to completing the financing of its takeover of fellow Brazilian company Fibria.

A rally in Brazilian dollar bonds slowed but did not reverse this week after right-wing Jair Bolsonaro eased to victory in last Sunday’s presidential election.

Brazilian meatpacker Minerva will make a second attempt this year to buy back its outstanding perpetual bonds after announcing a tender offer on Thursday.

Brazilian bonds were only slightly up on Monday morning after right-wing Jair Bolsonaro’s victory in Sunday’s presidential election was deemed to be mostly priced in. And analysts looking beyond the promise of market-friendly policies said that the president-elect’s polarising views could make much-needed fiscal reforms difficult.

Emerging market bond investors are pessimistic about the chances of more Latin American deals appearing this week as market conditions grow more difficult.