Investors to Get N160bn Interest Payment in 2 Weeks

Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds’ investors are expected to reap N160 billion as interest (coupon) payment in two consecutive weeks even as the Debt Management Office (DMO) auctions N145 billion worth of bonds on behalf of the federal government.

Checks revealed that FGN bond investors last week received N142 billion as coupon payment from the federal the government investment instrument and will this week receive another N18.2 billion, hence coupon payment of N160.2 billion in two weeks. Further analysis showed that the N160.2 billion represents 68 percent of the N234 billion investors received as coupon payment in the second quarter (Q2’2020), and 33 percent of the N488.9 billion received in the first quarter (Q1’2020) according to the DMO.

Data from the debt agency showed that investors in FGN bonds received N723 billion as coupon payment in the first half of the year (H1’2020).

The DMO also showed that FGN bond coupon payment constituted 78.5 percent of the N921.9 billion spent by the FG on domestic debt service in H1’2020.

Meanwhile the DMO will this week offer N145 billion worth of FGN bonds to investors during its September monthly auction to be conducted on Wednesday. According to the agency, the bond auction comprises N25 billion worth of 10 years bonds, N40 billion of 15-year bonds, N40 billion worth of 25-year bonds and N40 billion worth of 30 years bonds.

At the last auction conducted in August, the DMO sold N116.65 billion worth of bonds. This was in spite of the N242.23 billion worth of bonds demanded by investors, representing 86 percent oversubscription when compared to the N130 billion worth of bonds auctioned by the DMO.

Also in a bid to further lower FG’s borrowing cost, the DMO slightly reduced the stop rate on the 15-year, 25-year and 30-year bonds by 15 basis points (bpts), five bpts and five bpts respectively to 9.35 percent, 9.75 percent and 9.9 percent in August from 9.5 percent, 9.8 percent and 9.95 percent in July, while the stop rate on the 10-year bond was raised by seven bpts to 6.7 percent from six percent in July.