Puerto Rico bonds rallied yesterday after the commonwealth’s federal oversight board published an updated fiscal plan that apparently acknowledged a greater ability to repay its debt than had been previously estimated, Bloomberg News reported. The latest projections suggest the island would have surpluses after contractual debt service through fiscal 2023, after accounting for a program of planned reforms, whereas previous plans had projected deficits. Without the reforms, the island is still projected to run deficits from fiscal 2021 onward, as federal disaster aid runs out. Puerto Rico general-obligation debt with an 8 percent coupon and maturing in 2035 traded at an average of 59.3 cents on the dollar yesterday, up more than 8 percent from its average of 54.6 cents on the dollar on Oct. 18. Still, Puerto Rico has challenges ahead. The new plan calls for the commonwealth to trim financial support to municipalities and the University of Puerto Rico. It also says the island’s government should cut the number of agencies to no more than 35 from the current 114. "Overall, this is just a plan that lays out a scenario if Puerto Rico were to implement significant reforms and cost cutting measures," said Dora Lee, vice president at Belle Haven Investments, which oversees $7.5 billion in municipal debt. "So far the Puerto Rico government has not shown a willingness to do that."
