Summary: Opening the door toRussia’s OFZ market
The process of making local RUB denominated government bonds (OFZ) suitable for trading and settlement on Euroclear has reached its final stage. Barring hiccups, foreigners should be able to trade OFZ on the system by early next year. We update our previous analysis (
RussiaLocal Markets: Liberalisation brings opportunity, 27 February 2012) on the impact this could have on foreign inflows, OFZ yields and the currency.
Attractive yields of around 7% and low public debt (9% of GDP) make OFZs appealing, in particular as global fund allocations continue to shift intoEM debt. Atthe same time,Russia’s monetary policy is becoming more supportive for local rates markets, as it focuses on inflation targets, allowing for more RUB flexibility and using interest rates as the main policy instrument.
We see big potential for the OFZ market to catch up from its currently small foreign ownership base and still underweight positions by EM bond investors. We estimate USD25-40bn of foreign flows into the OFZ market over the next two years, which would raise the share of foreign ownership in Russia’s market closer to the average for foreign holdings in local EM bond markets.
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