Citi bondholders breathe sigh of relief
By Aline van Duyn in New York
Published: February 27 2009 18:08 | Last updated: February 27 2009 18:08
Owners of bonds in Citigroup were relieved that the US governmentâs move to become the single biggest shareholder of the bank appeared to leave their holdings intact.
Prices on bonds remained elevated due to continued uncertainty about the success of the plan to recapitalise Citigroup, but the prospect of bondholders having to take sharp losses as part of a restructuring seemed lower.
âEverything looks better for bondholders because the new capital for Citigroup has come in below them [in the capital structure],â said Jason Brady, portfolio manager at Thornburg Asset Management. He said senior debt prices had not improved much on Firday because investors wanted further reassurance that the plan would not change again.
Even as holders of bonds appeared more secure, the situation for other investors remained uncertain.
The crisis around Citigroup has highlighted the risks associated with preferred shares, an asset class that has been pounded and where determining value has become âa crapshootâ, said Greg Peters, strategist at Morgan Stanley.
A type of âhybridâ security, preferred shares combine some of the risks and potential enhanced returns of equity but also some of the safety features of debt such as regular interest payments.
This year, Citigroupâs preferred shares have traded between 72 cents on the dollar and 10 cents on the dollar, highlighting the immense uncertainty around their value and how investors would fare in the event of any government intervention to prevent the bankâs collapse.
The terms offered by the US government on Friday could boost the value of preferred shares to as much as 50 cents on the dollar, according to some dealers. Before the government announcement, they were trading about 20 cents on the dollar, and on Friday rose to around 38 cents.
But investors are reluctant to buy due to the enormous uncertainty about whether the Citi plans will be applied to other banks, dealers said.