Workers dismantle Athens Ferris wheel at the central Syntagma Square on December 29, 2016 (AFP / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI)
Athens: Greece is expected to return to the bond markets in 2018, but having secured its third bailout programme Athens may test the waters by issuing a new bond as early as Monday.
Greek newspapers have been speculating that a bond market test could come in “a matter of days”.
“Monday is probably the day even though nothing can be taken for granted,” Avgi, the ruling Syriza party newspaper said yesterday.
The conservative Kathimerini newspaper reported that Athens appears willing to “take advantage of the current positive conjecture in the markets”. It said that markets are in a mood for taking risks right now and there are high levels of liquidity. It seems to be a toss-up whether Athens will take the plunge or not.
“It is being discussed... Preparations are made for both scenarios and whatever happens we will be ready,” a source with knowledge of the government’s plans said. Greece has no immediate need to draw money from the bond markets. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will keep feeding the debt-ridden country with low rate loans until the end of the bailout programme in July 2018. This funding gives Athens the chance to test without major risks its credibility in the capital markets after a tumultuous period of Grexit scares, hard decisions and painful reforms. And last week eurozone finance ministers approved the latest €8.5bn disbursement, just in time for Athens to meet major debt repayments and avert a default.
The Greek economy nearly collapsed in 2010 under a mountain of debt and it had to be bailed out by its eurozone partners three times to prevent it bringing down the single currency bloc.
According to European Commission figures the tide is turning for Greece. It ran a budget deficit of 15.1 percent in 2009, which had been turned into a surplus of 0.7 percent last year, and it is expected to post further progress this year as more savings are found.
The European Union, in a further boost for Athens, recommended Wednesday that Greece has made enough progress in balancing its budget to be removed from the EU “deficit blacklist”.
