BRATISLAVA December 16 (WEBNOVINY) — Slovakia will try to borrow money on the financial market to cover the state debt again in mid-January next year. Based on the schedule of issues and auctions of government securities for next year published by the Finance Ministry’s Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL), the first next year’s auction should be held on January 23.
ARDAL is planning to open at least three new lines of bonds next year. The agency should offer bonds maturing in up to three years in the value of EUR 1.5 billion to investors. Besides that, investors should see a ten-year bond line in a benchmark issue worth EUR 3 billion and bonds maturing in five or more years valued at EUR 1.5 – 3 billion. ARDAL added that these new bond lines will be opened “with regard to the situation on financial markets and demand.”
The state is likely to proceed with borrowing by issuing T-bills next year. ARDAL plans to float two one-year T-bills issues in 2012. The first issue should be held on January 18 and the other one on July 11, each in the volume of EUR 2 billion. ARDAL is ready to float treasury bills with shorter maturity during the year if needed.
Slovakia managed to sell bonds for a mere EUR 28 million in the past two auctions in November. Finance Ministry’s Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL) had to cancel the first issue held in mid-November. ARDAL sold bonds valued at EUR 28 million at an average interest rate of 3.4642 percent p.a. in the auction in late November. Slovakia decided to scrap an auction of government bonds planned in the first December week. The auction of government bonds maturing in October 2025 originally scheduled for December 12 was replaced by the auction of 98-day treasury bills planned a week later, on December 19.
The current weak demand for Slovakia’s government bonds does not jeopardize debt service coverage yet. Finance Minister Ivan Miklos says that the first serious test will come in late January, when the country will have to repay a two-year bond issue worth almost EUR 900 million. Last year, ARDAL raised EUR 7.094 billion in bond sales to cover the state debt and to provide liquidity. This represented a significant increase from the EUR 4.208 billion obtained in 2009. The increase was caused by a higher need to refinance the state budget deficit. Last year’s issues also included EUR 3.5 billion syndicated sale of two issues of benchmark bonds from April and October. The agency sold T-bills worth EUR 2.421 billion last year, too, up from EUR 1.259 billion a year ago.
SITA