mmegi

Yields stabilise as gov’t raises P1.3bn debt

Capital central: The Bank of Botswana holds monthly auctions of state-backed bonds and treasury bills to raise funding for government from the local capital market PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Capital central: The Bank of Botswana holds monthly auctions of state-backed bonds and treasury bills to raise funding for government from the local capital market PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Government’s costs of borrowing locally appeared to stabilise at its most recent round of fund-raising from the capital market where a further P1.3 billion was raised.

At the November 25 auction, three of the four notes offered by the Bank of Botswana (BoB) to bidders recorded increases in their stop yields of just five basis points or less. However, the yield on the six-month treasury bill rose by 37 basis points.

The BoB, as government’s banker, conducts monthly auctions of short-term treasury bills as well as medium and bonds to primary dealers who are exclusively banks. At the auctions, the dealers compete to lend to the government by offering the yields they are seeking, with the BoB deciding the 'stop-out' yield or the maximum level of interest it is willing to pay the dealers on the particular securities on offer.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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