Goldman Sachs & Venezuelan Bonds
Goldman bought around $3B worth of “hunger bonds,” which led to protests outside of the Manhattan headquarters about a week ago.
Venezuelan reserves have dropped from $30B to $10B (a 15 year low) to fund repayment. Goldman did not interact directly with the Venezuela government – the bonds were purchased through a broker at 31 cents on the dollar. If the bonds default, Venezuelan assets will be seized to repay bondholders.
The bonds were available at a huge discount, so I can see why Goldman bought them. However, a default will lead to asset repo, assets that currently belong to the Venezuelan people.
There is no doubt that corruption and economic mismanagement have contributed to the problems in Venezuela, but how much has the outstanding foreign debt contributed to the suffering of the Venezuelan people?
What do you higher primates think? Immoral? Are corruption and mismanagement subject to more blame rather than foreign debt?
You really cannot blame debt investors for all the shit going on, Chavez put Venezuela on this track of self destruction a long time ago. Theres just no more oil income to hide that fact anymore.
The US' sanctions against Venezuela did this. Not Chavez.
is this trolling..?
The people of Venezuela don't believe your bullshit.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/100000005148207/fury-fuels…
The CIA has been promoting the right wing protests in Venezuela and have been engaging in subterfuge there for decades.
You know you're an idiot right?
You know you don't know what you're talking about right?
The US backed the initial coup against Chavez in 2002 and has used sanctions to cripple the socialists ever since. The CIA is actively backing the DUR and the right wing protests are paid agitators.
This is right out of the US playbook. They do this with every unfriendly government in the Americas.
The sanctions were in place way before the collapse. Therefore, according to the principles of basic logic, they did not cause the collapse. The collapse is the result of a fragile, undiversified socialist economy that was too heavily dependent on a single commodity - oil. Oddly enough, the US actually is largely responsible for the decline in the price of oil via fracking (something you likely oppose as well).
In response to the collapse, Maduro has decided to monetize debt which, as it always does, has led to inflation. In response to inflation, Maduro has set strict price controls which, as they always do, has led to mass shortages. In response to mass shortages, Maduro has imprisoned bakers. Maduro has followed the idiotic socialist playbook to a T. Of course, not all share in the misery equitably. Chavez's daughter is still the wealthiest individual in the nation.
So while the people of Venezuela literally starve to death, the useful leftist idiots in the U.S. do what they always do - blame the U.S. for all of the world's ills, apologize for socialist dictators and tyrants and completely conceal the horrific and inevitable results of the policies they so adore. After all, it was Bernie just a few years ago praising the Bolivar Republic (just as he praised the USSR in the 70s).
“These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina, where incomes are actually more equal today than they are in the land of Horatio Alger.” - Good ol' comrade Sanders
Also, why did you link Venezuelan propaganda tv? You know that he's imprisoned all of the actual journalists, right?
https://www.theworldweekly.com/index.php/reader/view/magazine/2017-03-2…
Isn't everyone protesting, because they don't have fucking food? The babies born in Venezuela are put in cardboard boxes man.. it is really fucked up there. I'm not sure this is some "right wing" conspiracy to protest...
I am in disbelief to your level of ignorance. As a Venezuelan I can tell you that Chavez fucked up Venezuela 100%.
Foreign debt is used to control a country. The U.S. knows how to control.
ftfy
Nope, they'll belong to creditors. That's how legal systems work.
Funds like Aurelius and Elliott/NML have been doing this for years.
I remember reading about when Singer (Elliott Management CIO) did this in Peru. He literally owned so much of their debt that he was able to hold the dictator, Alberto Fujimori, by confiscating his jet. He then let him leave in exchange for the money he owed him from the treasury, so the guy could get his jet back and escape charges of humans rights abuses and other corruption suits...
Singer also did something like this during the auto bailouts, he took control of Delphi automotive, which was the biggest supplier the two biggest bailout recipients (GM and Chrysler), essentially extorting (legally) the U.S. government and earning ~$12B in the process... He has been in some crazy situations haha.
GS actually refused to issue any bonds on behalf of the Venezuelan Government, directly, which would have "aided in financing a dictatorship". However, they did end up doing this deal, but the bonds were already owned by other creditors. Someone else already "financed" the government through the issuance, and GS bought these bonds on the secondary market from an investment perspective since they were bought below market value. One can still have their opinion on whether or not this is ethical, but the media blew it up saying they directly financed the government, which is off base.
Not to mention this happens to the people of company's, states, etc. all over the world. The people of Puerto Rico, a U.S. Territory, have been suffering because of the payments to creditors and the total uprooting of their economic stability. The people if Illinois are facing their own state defaulting since it has the worst deficit of any state. This story just hit the news on a massive scale because its GS and its Venezuela.
hear hear - well said; media loves taking the shit out on GS
BTW the bond were bought to the BCV ( Venezuela Central Bank ) through a shady bank in England (Dinosaur) at 10 cents below the price it should be. they gave money to the venezuelean goverment at the end, not some other creditors.
Regardless of what happened, the media has already forgot about it and it's in the rear view mirror as Comey is getting grilled on the Hill. Unfortunately the world doesn't wait.
I didn't see this being mentioned but GS upper management was not even aware that the Venezuela Bonds were purchased and I'm assuming this is probably true. Despite the Venezuelan government's attempt to prioritize payments I view this as having a much higher risk than Argentina.
Argentina and what Paul Singer did made some sense as Argentina is a stable democracy under an absolute nut of a PM whereas Venezuela is led by a shady, corrupt, and grossly incompetent government. Why firms even do business with them is beyond me.
Righttttt just like upper-mgmt had no idea about Paulson's deal.
Goldman Sachs - I don't give a fuck
They are doing Paul Singer's thing against Argentina. Predatory capitalism, playing exactly in Marxist narrative that the system preys on the poor.
Perfectly legal and Goldman has every right to buy these at a cheap cheap discount. The only problem that I have with this, and its a major problem that I have is that Goldman WILL get their money back, they wouldnt be buying it if they couldn't. Theyre the best of the best. So what happens, the much depleted assets of Venezuela will be used to pay Goldman back. Goldman essentially knows that when they bought these bonds, future venezuelan children will have their education budgets cut, the elderly will have less healthcare, less food for everyone, etc. All while Goldman makes a huge profit and their higher ups wash their hands and say "hey we just bought these bonds. We didnt cause the problem. Not out fault."
Goldman would be exactly right in that characterization. Education budgets will be cut and the elderly will have less healthcare because the corrupt Venezuelan government ran their country with zero understanding of economics and thought their extreme socialist bullshit would actually work. Goldman buying bonds has zero to do with that.
crazy situation to be in by GS
First of all this is perfectly normal. It might not look "nice" but hey, who cares? GS bought those on behalf of clients, and they will (should) act with their interests in mind. Obviously they bought those bonds for cents on the dollar, I mean just take a look to the country. No need to feel sorry for this, it's distressed sovereign debt 101. In this region of the world, it's not the first time and it won't be the last. Hedge funds (the left prefers "vultures", "buitres", "saqueadores" or the like) will sense blood on the water, and pounce. And if the strongman in power defaults, they will seize everything they can (Argentina had the presidential jet and a Navy frigate impounded). In Venezuela's case, this a bit easier since cruse shipments and refineries can be located and seized without a lot of effort.
And it's always the same. The lunatic of the moment implement disastrous economic plans, issues a lot of debt, spends any proceeds in an idiotic way and then starts to complain when it's time to pay. Venezuela is a total disaster, and it's not because of evil creditors, it's because their lunatic "government". You had a strongman (Chavez) who believed the CIA used a "cancer ray gun" on him, and was succeeded by another strongman (Maduro) who claims that Chavez reincarnated in a bird, and talked to him.
While such pipe dreams are transmitted in daily state tv shows, the population starves because you can't even find flour, milk, toilet paper or medicines. Hell, they were hijacking dump trucks to find food in the trash.
I am not a bit surprised to find people in my region blaming the disasters we bring upon ourselves on "the CIA" and "the evil bankers", however it amazes me to see people in US and Western Europe who parrot this nonsense.
This should be classified as odious debt by the international community and Goldman should be banned from seizing the assets. Sadly this will not happen and the cosmopolitan bourgeoisie will continue looting the world economy.
'Odious Debt'
My God, this is pure Cristina Kirchner babble
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