Vulture Funds Circle Argentina, Waiting for Moment to Buy

  • Overseas bonds extend drop in the wake of new capital controls
  • Distressed investors may swoop in when prices reach 30 cents

Pedestrians walk past the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Photographer: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg
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The sell-off in Argentina bonds is so severe that it may soon attract distressed-debt investors betting that there’s money to be made in a restructuring.

With overseas notes trading at about 38 cents on the dollar, the vulture funds are probably still a ways from swooping in. Shops including Morgan Stanley and Merian Global Investors expect buyers with a strong appetite for risk will emerge at about 30 cents.