Monday, August 9, 2010

Greek Bonds Remain Off-Limits for Many Investors

by Richard Barley

Wall Street Journal
August 9, 2010

What does Greece have to do to get a little credit from investors? Greek bonds, while off their lows, showed virtually no reaction to recent praise dished out by the International Monetary Fund. A combination of illiquidity, technical factors and binary valuation arguments are stifling the market.

This is despite seemingly juicy returns on offer. The 30-year Greek bond hit a low on June 23 at 47% of face value, according to Tradeweb, offering a chunky 10.4% yield. The small rise since then, to 56% of face value, translates to an 18.5% capital gain. Even bonds maturing in three or four years yield 10% to 11%.

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