Bolivia could keep open the Brazilian market for Bolivian natural gas for the next 3 or four years. The contract with Brazil should finish at the end of this year. The Hydrocarbons Minister, Victor Hugo Zamora, said that they expect to signed an addendum to the contract in the next 70 days that will define the shipments to the gas still not taken by Brazil (around 12 months) and also it guarantees an income of around $5 billion for Bolivia.
The Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB) launched a Christmas Bond, available from December 16, 2019 to January 31, 2020. This financial instrument offers an interest rate of 4.5% per annum over a period of 119 days (four months).
Bolivia’s President, Jeanine Añez, named economist Guillermo Aponte Reyes as interim president of Bolivia’s Central Bank (BCB) and also nominated four interim directors: Luis Armando Pinell Siles, Walter Morales Carrasco, Jose Gabriel Espinoza Yañez and Roger Alejandro Vargas Rivero. Aponte Pensions Superintendent during the second government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.
Standard & Poor’s put Bolivia’s rating to BB- and revised its outlook to negative. Citing “risks to external and debt positions”, S&P said there was at least a one in three chance of a downgrade in the next six to 18 months, amid political uncertainty, poor GDP growth prospects and further erosion of fiscal metrics.
