El Salvador bonds rally after government call with investors

  • 5/6/2021
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NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - El Salvador’s sovereign debt rallied on Wednesday after the country’s top economy officials assuaged foreign investor fears in a conference call. Bond prices cratered on Monday after President Nayib Bukele’s coalition ousted all five judges who sit in the constitutional chamber of the nation’s Supreme Court and dismissed its top prosecutor last weekend. On Wednesday, Economy Minister Maria Luisa Hayem, Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya and Ibrajim Bukele, the president’s brother who has been a bridge between the president and the business community, spoke with investors. The officials explained the constitutional grounds for the weekend’s oustings. “Judging by the five-point move in the bonds after the call it seems the economic team did a good job in squashing a lot of investors’ fears,” said Roger Horn, senior emerging market strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities America, who hosted the call. President Bukele’s office and the finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The country’s foreign bonds rose as much as 5.5 cents, with the 2029 and 2032 issues both up nearly 5 cents each. The 2052 note jumped 4 cents to trade at 109. The three are roughly 4 cents below last week’s closing prices. El Salvador is in the middle of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a program of over $1 billion that was put in doubt after U.S. government officials on Monday sharply criticized the weekend oustings. The country’s foreign debt sold off partly on concerns that without an IMF deal the country’s financial health would deteriorate. El Salvador has $7.7 billion in marketable debt outstanding, according to Refinitiv data. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos in New York; additional reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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