These Funds Bet on Catalonia Politics...and Won
- Debt in region riven by independence movement beats market
- Pimco’s strategy echoes firm’s Quebec bond purchases in 2014
Ousted Catalan Leader Puigdemont Freed in Brussels
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For proof that taking on political risk is a winning formula in Europe this year, look no further than Pimco’s wager on Spanish unity.
The California fund manager has amassed the largest position of Catalonia’s $6 billion of junk-rated debt, undeterred by a raucous independence movement and a snap election next month that may produce another victory for separatist candidates. Betting the region will mend its divisions has produced only market-beating returns since Oct. 10, when ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont backed away from his bid for independence.