Brazil

A continued rally in Brazilian bonds is giving DCM bankers in São Paulo some hope that issuance from the country may be on its way — although it will not be a flurry and volatility looks set to remain high for some time.

Raizen Energia, the Brazilian sugar and energy producer, will buy back nearly $200m of debt after bondholders gave a solid response to a tender offer.

The timing of Brazil’s return to bond markets last week was looking better by the day this week as the controversy surrounding the appointment and then suspension of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Dilma Rousseff’s cabinet brought volatility back to the curve.

Another blow to credibility in Brazil sent the sovereign’s bonds tumbling on Tuesday after former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva looked set to accept a ministerial position in Brazil’s government just a week after prosecutors requested his arrest as part of a corruption investigation.

Brazil’s emphatic return to international bond markets on Thursday was likely designed to encourage its non-sovereign issuers to the market, said Lat Am bond bankers, although some questioned whether these deals would materialise.

Votorantim Cimentos, the cement making arm of Brazilian conglomerate Votorantim SA, will buy back just €120m of its euro denominated bonds after most bondholders rejected the terms of a proposed tender offer. The company was hoping to buy back €350m.

The arrest of former Brazilian president Lula da Silva gave new urgency to a strong rally in Brazilian bonds on Friday after the market appeared to take the detention as a sign that president Dilma Rousseff was closer to impeachment.

Brazilian cement company Votorantim Cimentos is looking to buy back up to €350m ($380m) of debt, using the proceeds of a cash injection from its holding company to become the latest issuer to take advantage of the poor performance of Brazilian bonds.

Hypermarcas, the Brazilian pharmaceutical company, will not extend the early bird deadline on the tender offer for its 6.5% senior notes due 2021 after bondholders responded positively to the buy-back offer.

Brazilian bonds rallied on Wednesday afternoon after the country's treasury secretary told local press that the sovereign was considering buying back foreign bonds in what DCM bankers said was likely to have been a deliberate response to a ratings cut from Moody’s in the morning.

A strong performance in Brazil’s bond curve on Wednesday underlined how unsurprised bond investors were to see Latin America’s largest sovereign receive yet another rating downgrade.

Dollar bonds from Latin America remained elusive this week as global market turmoil kept borrowers on the sidelines.