Pakistan to issue another $1 billion Eurobond this week
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will raise at least $1 billion from international debt markets in the next two days, choosing the easier but more expensive path of capital markets financing rather than implementing tough but necessary energy sector reforms and accessing the much cheaper financing available from international aid agencies.
There is nothing wrong with issuing bonds. China bought over a Trillion dollar's worth of US treasury bonds and that trillion, helped out the US economy in recovering faster.
In a country where the electricity doesn't get produced to the level needed, the CPEC is being built and the businesses are running at much lower capacity, and silly fools are protesting inside and outside Pakistan (Brooklyn drama a few days ago), what do you expect? The FDI will remain low. You guys need to play as a nation not a broken pieces of one puzzle that can't stand together for a day!!! The perception and image is everything and you guys don't think that by 500-1000 people going on their own, holding Pakistani flags is wrong in a foreign country and it ruins the image that many people recently worked so hard to build, JUST to get investments (NASDAQ and Dr. Lodhi's speech).
But the FDI will change rapidly once the electric generation starts.
The writer has NO freaking clue what he's talking about. This is JUST like everything else on this forum from anti Pakistani government's standpoint, paid or bribed serving IK and his buddies the best. To "sound" highly educated and an expert, the author used terms like "Energy Sector Reforms" and associated it to getting "capital". How the hell do you do that???
And WHICH Energy sector reforms? Pakistan had a well thought out plan to get cheaper and immediately available Gas from Iran. But Iran is under sanctions and its taking a LONG time to lift those sanctions. How's that Pakistani government's fault? They then went to Qatar as a backup and that's working but not to a degree that Iran's pipeline would've worked and helped.
Not to mention, whatever happened to the Generals and everyone else who ruled Pakistan for like 6 decades....they didn't realize that with growing population, this would be an issue? Why blame the current government for three years for everything, including the Earthquakes and Tsunami's caused by an active God???
We should ALL read the stuff before we post to make sure what we post, was written correctly and with expertise. Otherwise, you continue to waste everyone's time by adding "spices" to political favoritism!! None of this garbage helps the ordinary people of Pakistan!!!
Could someone also tell me how paying 8.25% back on a bond is more expensive than putting in multi-billion dollar investments (power plants), which then would take years to complete, and then produce electricity, and then break even and then, start giving a profit!!!! And who would finance such expensive deals from the West worth billions?
The bonds are the best option and the 8.25% interest on bonds, isn't much. Average return in Pakistan at this time is 20%+ - 35%. So the government STILL makes a ton of profit even after paying the interest back. That's VERY smart actually. Good work Pakistan
. Something important to note, is that there has been so much trust put in by the American and other investors that they are accepting Pakistani paper (Bond) and are buying it through HARD CASH!!! That ONLY happens when you KNOW a country is solid and your money is safe with good returns.
Tell Russia or Iran to issue bonds to Europe and the US. I'd love to see who pays for it
. You guys should be thankful for the work being done by the elected government, WHILE dealing with ALL problems of 70 years!!! This is NO easy work and no one EVER in Pakistan's ruling elite has done 25% of what the current government is doing.
What is your view on yield of these bonds Sir?
As often stated by you Pakistan is a potential Top 10/15 economy that implies it should have no trouble getting these issues subscribed at much lower yields of 6/7% which is appropriate to it's sovereign rating.
Read my post right above. Yes it is PERFECTLY healthy to issue bonds. The Chinese bought the US treasury bonds worth over a Trillion dollars. We (the US) bought bonds (and still do) from all over the world and sell notes (which is considered a bond with different terms). And 7% or 8.5% means nothing. Its all subjective. A country where average return is around and sometimes over 30% (Pakistan's economy and market), paying back 8.5% is a joke. The Pakistan government can take the billion, invest it themselves, get a 35 or 30% return, and pay back 8.75% and not only get a billion cash by selling these, still make over 20% profit on this billion and return the 8.5%. I think that's HELLa smart way.
What everyone need to see is the fact that Pakistan has won international confidence so much that a Billion worth of bonds are ALL sold in just a couple of days. Like I said in my other post, ask Iran, Russia or even China to issue bonds right now and see what happens