PARIS, France - Saudi Arabia sold on Tuesday $5 billion in Islamic and conventional bonds for which demand topped $26.5 billion as it held its first international bond sale in almost a year.
The top oil exporter's first bond sale since November came amid turbulent markets and heightened tensions with Washington over an OPEC+ oil production cut, as Riyadh gears up to host its annual investment conference next week.
The kingdom sold $2.5 billion in six-year sukuk at 105 basis points (bps) over U.S. Treasuries (UST) and $2.5 billion in 10-year bonds at 150 bps over UST, a bank document shoed.
That was tightened from initial guidance of around 135 basis points (bps) over U.S. Treasuries (UST) for sukuk and around 180 bps over UST for the 10-year tranche.
''There has been very little Gulf sovereign insurance this year and the market sees it as a pretty safe bet when there is a lot of uncertainty elsewhere in the EM space'', said Justin Alexander, director of Khalij Economics and Gulf analyst for Global Source Partners.
'Saudis is a fairly logical substitute for Russia and its weight in indices such as the JPMGBI (JPMorgan Government Bond Index) has been growing''.
Dina Kronfol, Franklin Templeton's chief investment officer for global sukuk and MENA fixed income, said after initial guidance that demand should be strong with issuance in the Gulf down some 60% so far this year and concessions visible in initial price targets.
'This should be enough to overcome fragile sentiment in global markets'', Kronfol had said.
Bond issuance in the Gulf have plummeted this year as the region reaps the rewards of high oil prices, with all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries expected to post surpluses, for some for the first time in years.
Issuers have also been wary of tapping the markets in a year that has been marked by volatility and as interest rates continue to rise amid an aggressive tightening cycle by the U.S. Federal Reserve to tame decades-high inflation.
BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs and HSBC are global coordinators and joint bookrunners on the debt sale, while Aljazira Capital, Citi, JPMorgan and Standard Chartered are passive joint lead managers and bookrunners.
Saudi Arabia's finance ministry on Tuesday also invited holders of its $3 billion bonds due in 2023, $4.5 billion notes due in April 2025, $2.5 billion bonds due in October 2025 and $5.5 billion notes maturing in 2026 to tender them for cash.
The amount accepted in the tender offer will be announced following the pricing of the new bonds and sukuk, expected later on Tuesday.
Monday is the deadline for bondholders to participate in the tender offer and indicative results are expected next Tuesday.
Demand for the news bonds was likely supported by investors tendering their existing notes for cash buying into the new ones, market sources said.
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, raised $3 billion with green bonds in its debt markets debut earlier this month.
Saudi Arabia raised $3.25 billion in bonds in November via sukuk and bonds, after issuing bonds worth 1.5 billion euros in February and $5 billion in January last year.
