The price of political risk

International investors are turning to South Korean bonds in droves. But with spreads now tighter than they have ever been, is the market pricing in the risks of investing in the country? One serious threat is the political risk posed by its northern neighbour. Phil Moore reports

asiarisk-nov06-10-gif

The reaction to Korean steel producer Posco's bond launched in early August typifies the buoyancy of the country's credit market. The $300 million 10-year Reg S transaction - led by ABN Amro, HSBC and UBS - generated demand of $750 million, despite pricing tightening to 40 basis points over mid-swaps (the cost of swapping between variable and fixed-rate payments for the most highly rated companies), equating to 96bp over 2016 US Treasury bond spreads.

That was an impressive outcome for an A2/A-

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@risk.net or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.risk.net/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@risk.net to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Risk.net? View our subscription options

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Risk.net account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here