MIAMI, Florida On Tuesday, a federal judge approved Puerto Rico’s exit from bankruptcy under the largest public-sector debt restructuring plan in US history, nearly five years after the financially beleaguered territory claimed it couldn’t pay its creditors.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a series of earthquakes, and the coronavirus epidemic have only exacerbated Puerto Rico’s economic woes since it declared bankruptcy.
The restructuring proposal will cut the government of Puerto Rico’s debt, which totals $33 billion, by nearly 80%, to $7.4 billion. In addition, the agreement will save the government approximately $50 billion in debt payments.
Puerto Rico will also begin repaying creditors, albeit at a reduced rate, something it has not done in years. In 2015, the government announced that it would be unable to repay its debts.
Is it true that Puerto Rico bonds pay interest?
11 As a result, people of all 50 states and other US territories were able to invest in Puerto Rican bonds without having to pay interest on the money they earned. Investment dollars began pouring into Puerto Rican government bonds, which was unsurprising. For decades, this did not present severe concerns.
Are munis currently a good investment?
The Final Word. Municipal or corporate bonds are a wonderful option for investors looking to build a steady stream of income, especially during retirement. Highly-rated bonds are, by definition, extremely safe investments when compared to practically any other option, particularly stocks.
How are bonds in Puerto Rico taxed?
Federal, state, and local taxes are not levied on bonds issued by the government of Puerto Rico and its subdivisions (so called “triple tax exemption”). Unlike other triple tax-exempt bonds, however, Puerto Rican bonds maintain their exemption independent of the bond holder’s location. This has made Puerto Rican bonds very appealing to municipal investors, who may benefit from owning a bond issued by a state or municipality other than their own. This benefit seeks to overcome the limitation imposed by municipal bonds with triple tax exemptions, which only apply to bond holders who live in the state or municipal subdivision that issues them.
This, among other factors, prompted Puerto Rico to issue bonds totaling US$71 billion, or roughly 68 percent of the island’s gross domestic product (GDP). Puerto Rico’s government debt crisis was precipitated by these acts, as well as a sequence of negative cash flows and a downturn.
What is the current debt of Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico’s gross national income fell by 14 percent between 2007 and 2017, and 46 percent of the population lived below the federal poverty level in 2015, compared to the national average of 15 percent in the United States. The national debt of Puerto Rico is now at $74 billion, but unlike mainland municipalities, it is not protected by Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and hence cannot file for bankruptcy.
Is it a good time to go to Puerto Rico right now?
The optimum time to visit Puerto Rico is between mid-April and mid-June, just after the hectic winter season and before the rainy summer season. The weather in the spring is likewise very comfortable, with temperatures scarcely escaping the mid-80s on most days. Winter brings the island’s greatest weather, which is partially why it’s the busiest and most expensive season to visit, but with proper planning, you may get a good deal during those months as well. You may also plan a fun and inexpensive trip during the fall, when hotels can be found for as little as $80 per night. Keep in mind that visiting in the fall exposes you to the affects of Atlantic hurricane season.
When did the bonds of Puerto Rico default?
Puerto Rico first defaulted on its general obligation bonds in July 2016, when it failed to pay creditors about $1 billion, and it hasn’t made any payments since.
“It is a very positive development for Puerto Rico that a cross section of large bondholders has worked with the Oversight Board to develop a consensual restructuring agreement that will expedite the Commonwealth’s exit from bankruptcy, respect the lawful priority of valid public debt, and help restore capital markets access,” said Susheel Kirpalani, an attorney from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan who represents bondholders in the Lawful Constitutional Deficit Resolution.
According to public disclosures, hedge funds GoldenTree Asset Management, Monarch Alternative Capital, Whitebox Advisors, and Taconic Capital possess nearly $1.4 billion in constitutionally backed debt.
According to a person familiar with the settlement agreement, the proposal, which took about three months to negotiate, is expected to be lodged with the court within 30 days, with bondholders anticipating final approval by early 2020.
The Puerto Rican government issued a statement rejecting the agreement, citing the administration’s strong opposition to pension changes, which are included in the updated budgetary plan on which the restructuring agreement is based.
In a statement, Christian Sobrino Vega, the CEO and president of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority, said, “Not one word of the PSA (Plan Support Agreement) is considered acceptable to AAFAF.” The Spanish acronym for the agency’s name is AAFAF.
“And we can firmly state that no legislation, executive action, or other administrative approval required from the Puerto Rico government will be taken to implement an agreement that directly or indirectly supports a Plan of Adjustment that decreases payments to our retirees,” Sobrino Vega said.
After being appointed in 2017 to monitor the $73 billion reorganization, which is the largest in the history of the US municipal bond market, the island’s oversight board has made some progress in 2019.
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who is supervising the unprecedented bankruptcy-like proceedings, authorized a plan in February to restructure approximately $17 billion in sales tax-backed bonds, dubbed COFINA for its Spanish name. Senior bondholders received 93 percent of their money back, while junior bondholders received 53 percent.
In addition, the court granted a debt restructure for the Government Development Bank worth roughly $4 billion.
A tentative arrangement for around $8 billion in debt issued by the island’s troubled electric power authority has also been reached. The monitoring board also announced a tentative agreement on Wednesday to restructure more than $50 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
Is Puerto Rico a poor country?
The World Bank classifies Puerto Rico’s economy as a high-income country, while the World Economic Forum ranks it as Latin America’s most competitive economy. Manufacturing, particularly pharmaceuticals, textiles, petrochemicals, and electronics, are the main drivers of Puerto Rico’s economy, followed by the service industry, particularly finance, insurance, real estate, and tourism. Puerto Rico’s geography and political status are both determining factors in its economic prosperity, owing to its small size as an island; its lack of natural resources used to produce raw materials, and thus its reliance on imports; and its relationship with the US federal government, which controls its foreign policies while imposing trade restrictions, particularly in the shipping industry.
On a macroeconomic level, Puerto Rico has been in a state of economic depression for 16 years, beginning in 2006 after a series of negative cash flows and the expiration of the US Internal Revenue Code’s section 936, which applied to Puerto Rico. This section was critical for the island’s economy because it established tax exemptions for U.S. corporations that settled in Puerto Rico and allowed its subsidiaries operating on the island to send earnings to the parent corporation at any time without having to pay federal tax on corporate income. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, has remarkably managed to keep inflation low during the last decade. Academically, the majority of Puerto Rico’s economic woes stem from federal regulations that have expired, been repealed, or no longer apply to the island; its inability to become self-sufficient and self-sustaining throughout history; its highly politicized public policy, which tends to change whenever a political party gains power; and its highly inefficient local government, which has amassed a public debt equal to 66 percent of its gross domestic product.
Puerto Rico has a lower poverty rate than the poorest state in the US, with 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line. When compared to the rest of Latin America, Puerto Rico has the highest GDP per capita. The Commonwealth has a tremendous bond debt that it can’t service, totaling $70 billion in early 2017, or $12,000 per capita, at a time when its unemployment rate (8.0 percent in October 2018) is more than double that of the mainland. During a decade-long recession, the debt had been rising. To avoid a bankruptcy-like procedure under PROMESA, Puerto Rico must establish restructuring agreements with creditors. More specifically, since 2016, Puerto Rico has been in an unusual situation: its economy has been overseen by a federal board that is handling finances and assisting in regaining access to capital markets.
The commonwealth has a modern infrastructure, a significant public sector, and an institutional framework governed by the regulations of US federal agencies, the majority of which are present and operating on the island. The United States, Ireland, and Japan are its key commercial partners, with the majority of its products coming from East Asia, primarily China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 2016, new trading partners were added, with import trade with Puerto Rico beginning in Singapore, Switzerland, and South Korea. Puerto Rico’s global reliance on oil for transportation and electrical generation, as well as its reliance on food imports and raw materials, renders the island fragile and highly reactive to global economic and climate changes.
Is Puerto Rico a tax haven?
Puerto Rico is a U.S. unincorporated territory, and Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States; nevertheless, Puerto Rico is not a state, but rather a U.S. insular area. As a result, while all citizens of Puerto Rico pay federal taxes, many are exempt from paying federal income taxes. Customs taxes, federal commodity taxes, and federal payroll taxes are all examples of federal taxes in the United States (Social Security, Medicare, and Unemployment taxes).
Employees and businesses in Puerto Rico are not required to pay federal income taxes. Only federal government employees in Puerto Rico, residents who are members of the United States military, those with income sources outside of Puerto Rico, individuals or corporations who do business with the federal government, and Puerto Rico-based corporations intending to send funds to the United States are required by federal law to pay federal income tax.
What will happen to bonds in 2022?
- Bond markets had a terrible year in 2021, but historically, bond markets have rarely had two years of negative returns in a row.
- In 2022, the Federal Reserve is expected to start rising interest rates, which might lead to higher bond yields and lower bond prices.
- Most bond portfolios will be unaffected by the Fed’s activities, but the precise scope and timing of rate hikes are unknown.
- Professional investment managers have the research resources and investment knowledge needed to find opportunities and manage the risks associated with higher-yielding securities if you’re looking for higher yields.
The year 2021 will not be remembered as a breakthrough year for bonds. Following several years of good returns, the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index, as well as several mutual funds and ETFs that own high-quality corporate bonds, are expected to generate negative returns this year. However, history shows that bond markets rarely have multiple weak years in a succession, and there are reasons for bond investors to be optimistic that things will get better in 2022.