Buenos Aires, January 9 (NA) – The government today paid the maturity to private bondholders for about US$ 4.200 billion, a payment already discounted by financial markets. It used its own dollars, a repo with six international banks, and funds from the privatization of dams in the south. According to the agreement's details, of the total US$ 4.218 billion, US$ 692 billion are in the public sector, so they do not imply a net dollar outflow, as they are intra-public sector payments and refinanciable. As for the net to private holders of US$ 3.526 billion, the Treasury used US$ 2.300 billion from the privatization of the dams [in Comahue], so US$ 1.200 or 1.300 billion from the repo were used. The Central Bank (BCRA) had announced last Wednesday that a repo with international banks for US$ 3,000 billion had been closed, for a little over a year and with an annual rate of 7.4%, in an operation that will add liquidity temporarily. The participating entities of the REPO were BBVA, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of China and Santander, at an annual rate of 7.4%. The auction received offers for US$ 4.400 billion, nearly 50% above the amount sought. Meanwhile, the Central Bank is advancing with its dollar accumulation program and has already accumulated some USD 200 million.
