Philippines may halve global debt sale in 2015 to $750 million
The Philippines may offer about $750 million in global bonds in 2015, half the overseas debt it sold this year as the nation continues to favour domestic borrowing, Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said according to Bloomberg.
Of the $16 billion borrowing planned for next year, 86 per cent will probably be raised from the local market and the remaining 14 per cent from overseas debt, de Leon said. The overseas debt will include official development loans.
The Philippines sold $1.5 billion of 10-year dollar- denominated bonds in January, returning to the global debt market after a one-year absence in 2013 when it took advantage of record-low interest rates and flush liquidity to help curb robust inflows. Money supply has expanded more than 30 per cent since July and the government had its biggest budget surplus in 20 years in April, signalling less funding pressure.
“There is ample domestic liquidity that can continue to absorb the borrowings of the government,” said Rey Montalbo, head of the Treasury group of First Metro Investment Corp. in Manila. “Local interest rates will remain relatively low. Any tightening by the central bank will probably be gradual and calibrated.”
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised the rate it pays on special deposit accounts to 2.25 per cent on June 19, from 2 per cent, after increasing the reserve requirement ratio of local banks by a total of two percentage points at its March and May meetings, to 20 per cent. While the benchmark overnight borrowing rate was kept at a record low 3.5 per cent, Governor Amando Tetangco said June 20 that the central bank has a “tightening bias.”
The government’s economic team is discussing next year’s funding plan as part of the 2015 budget that President Benigno Aquino will ask lawmakers to approve after his annual address to Congress in July. The team, known as the development budget coordination committee, met on June 20 and maintained growth and fiscal targets for this year and next, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
The government set a borrowing plan of 730 billion pesos for 2014, of which 620 billion pesos would be from the local market, according to Department of Finance data released in December. That compares with 735 billion pesos in 2013. The external funding plan for this year is $2.5 billion, including development loans, de Leon said at that time.
The nation posted a budget surplus of 80.9 billion pesos in April, the most since at least June 1994 when Bloomberg started compiling the data. Revenue collection in April rose 18 per cent and spending fell 6 per cent, the government reported June 4.
The Bureau of the Treasury may reduce next quarter’s borrowing from the domestic market from the 135 billion pesos programmed for this quarter, Deputy Treasurer Sharon Almanza told reporters June 20. The third-quarter auction plan will be released before month-end.
“We’re sitting on a mountain of cash,” de Leon said June 17, citing the government’s cash and debt management, enabling it to spend less on interest payments.
The Philippines won investment grade ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings last year. On May 8, S&P raised the nation’s assessment to BBB from BBB-, citing Aquino’s efforts to improve the economy and governance.
The government kept its economic growth target of 6.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent this year and 7 per cent to 8 per cent next year, Balisacan said June 20. The DBCC used an exchange rate assumption for the peso of 42 to 45 per dollar until 2016, he said.
The $250 billion economy expanded 5.7 per cent in the three months through March, the slowest pace in nine quarters. The peso has risen 1.3 per cent this year.
The Philippines may offer about $750 million in global bonds in 2015, half the overseas debt it sold this year as the nation continues to favour domestic borrowing, Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said according to Bloomberg. Of the $16 billion borrowing planned for next year, 86 per cent will probably be raised from the local market and the remaining 14 per cent from overseas debt, de Leon said. The overseas debt will include official development loans. The Philippines sold $1.5 billion of 10-year dollar- denominated bonds in January, returning to the global debt market after a one-year absence in 2013...
The Philippines may offer about $750 million in global bonds in 2015, half the overseas debt it sold this year as the nation continues to favour domestic borrowing, Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said according to Bloomberg.
Of the $16 billion borrowing planned for next year, 86 per cent will probably be raised from the local market and the remaining 14 per cent from overseas debt, de Leon said. The overseas debt will include official development loans.
The Philippines sold $1.5 billion of 10-year dollar- denominated bonds in January, returning to the global debt market after a one-year absence in 2013 when it took advantage of record-low interest rates and flush liquidity to help curb robust inflows. Money supply has expanded more than 30 per cent since July and the government had its biggest budget surplus in 20 years in April, signalling less funding pressure.
“There is ample domestic liquidity that can continue to absorb the borrowings of the government,” said Rey Montalbo, head of the Treasury group of First Metro Investment Corp. in Manila. “Local interest rates will remain relatively low. Any tightening by the central bank will probably be gradual and calibrated.”
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised the rate it pays on special deposit accounts to 2.25 per cent on June 19, from 2 per cent, after increasing the reserve requirement ratio of local banks by a total of two percentage points at its March and May meetings, to 20 per cent. While the benchmark overnight borrowing rate was kept at a record low 3.5 per cent, Governor Amando Tetangco said June 20 that the central bank has a “tightening bias.”
The government’s economic team is discussing next year’s funding plan as part of the 2015 budget that President Benigno Aquino will ask lawmakers to approve after his annual address to Congress in July. The team, known as the development budget coordination committee, met on June 20 and maintained growth and fiscal targets for this year and next, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
The government set a borrowing plan of 730 billion pesos for 2014, of which 620 billion pesos would be from the local market, according to Department of Finance data released in December. That compares with 735 billion pesos in 2013. The external funding plan for this year is $2.5 billion, including development loans, de Leon said at that time.
The nation posted a budget surplus of 80.9 billion pesos in April, the most since at least June 1994 when Bloomberg started compiling the data. Revenue collection in April rose 18 per cent and spending fell 6 per cent, the government reported June 4.
The Bureau of the Treasury may reduce next quarter’s borrowing from the domestic market from the 135 billion pesos programmed for this quarter, Deputy Treasurer Sharon Almanza told reporters June 20. The third-quarter auction plan will be released before month-end.
“We’re sitting on a mountain of cash,” de Leon said June 17, citing the government’s cash and debt management, enabling it to spend less on interest payments.
The Philippines won investment grade ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings last year. On May 8, S&P raised the nation’s assessment to BBB from BBB-, citing Aquino’s efforts to improve the economy and governance.
The government kept its economic growth target of 6.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent this year and 7 per cent to 8 per cent next year, Balisacan said June 20. The DBCC used an exchange rate assumption for the peso of 42 to 45 per dollar until 2016, he said.
The $250 billion economy expanded 5.7 per cent in the three months through March, the slowest pace in nine quarters. The peso has risen 1.3 per cent this year.
