Saturday, September 15, 2012

15/9/2012: Brazil soaks bank bondholders


H/T to Ed - here's Brazil shutting down one medium-sized insolvent bank (link) and triggering the largets corporate bonds default in Latin America since 2002.

According to the report, ATMs still are functioning in Brazil. 

And a lovely quote from the Irish Government advising HSBC (alas via their Brazil division):

“It is quite healthy to have this kind of reminder every once in awhile that doesn’t pose a systemic threat,” said Pedro Bastos, chief executive officer of HSBC Global Asset Management in Brazil, in a phone interview from Sao Paulo. “It’s an important reminder that risk and return need to be in line with the investor’s profile.”

And lest we think Brazil's CB is not 'reckless' enough (in Irish counterparts parlance), Brazilian authorities are investigating fraud allegations - something that Irish authorities are not too keen on doing.

Obviously, there will be likely costs associated with the decision, namely, funding costs for the country medium sized banks might rise (they will most certainly rise in the short term, but it is the medium term that anyone should be concerned with as Central Banks can provide the bridge for the shorter term funding).

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