Economy

Greece agrees to sell $2.5 billion of 10-year bonds

Government last sold 10-year bonds in March 2010

Greek stocks and bonds have rallied this year, with the Athens Stock Exchange up more than 15 per cent and the yield on benchmark 10-year government bonds at 3.7 per cent.

Tue Mar 5 2019 - 14:39

Greece drew strong demand on Tuesday for its first 10-year bond issue since plunging into a debt crisis nine years ago, in a clear vote of confidence from markets in its economic revival days after securing a two-notch ratings upgrade.

It raised €2.5 billion from a sale that drew offers worth €11.8 billion, it said in a regulatory filing. The yield was set at 3.9 per cent, a slim premium judged by the secondary yields of outstanding Greek bonds and down from initial guidance of 4.125 per cent. The coupon was 3.875 per cent.

Greece emerged from its third international bailout six months ago, after nearly a decade of economic austerity and reforms implemented under tight supervision by its foreign creditors.

“This issue is a testimony to how far they have come,” said Rabbani Wahhab, senior fixed income fund manager at London and Capital, urging Greece to stay the path of reforms and fiscal prudence.

READ MORE

The country aims to raise up to €7 billion in total from debt markets this year.

It had already pocketed €2.5 billion from a five-year bond in January, and was encouraged to tap the market again over a longer maturity after Moody’s upgraded its rating on Greece by two notches last week, sending yields on existing debt to a 12-year low.

Because the new five-year bond sold in January and Greek debt has performed well along the whole curve, the 10-year bond deal could be priced at a fairly low yield whilst still providing a reasonable new issue concession, said Christina Cho, a syndicate banker who manages public sector debt sales for BNP Paribas in London.

“There are more high-quality accounts demanding the new Greek bond outside of Greece and that does demonstrate a return to form,” she told Reuters.

“What we see is more demand from buy-and-hold investors.”

The yield on the Greek benchmark maturing in January 2028 stood at 3.69 per cent on Tuesday afternoon.

Greece can stay afloat without recourse to markets up to 2021 thanks to a €27 billion cash buffer it has built with unused loans and money raised from markets. But it still needs to show it can refinance itself from bond markets alone, without external support.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose term ends in October, called the bond issue a great success. – Reuters

LATEST STORIES