Portugal Eyes Private Placement in Plotting Return to Market

Portugal, shut out of bond markets for more than a year as it relies on aid to stay solvent, is scouting private placements after a debt exchange yesterday, the head of the nation’s debt agency said.

“We will always be attentive to opportunities for doing private placements and, depending on the rate, we will not hesitate to take advantage of good opportunities,” Joao Moreira Rato, chairman of the Lisbon-based debt agency, said in an e-mailed response to questions. “At this moment we’re starting our plan of roadshows through the various geographic areas in which we have potential investors.”