Question

In December 2001, Argentina announced it would not honor its sovereign (government-issued) debt. Many investors were left holding Argentinean bonds priced at a fraction of their previous value. A few years later, Argentina announced it would pay back 25% of the face value of its debt. Comment on the effects of information asymmetries on government bond markets. Do you think investors are currently willing to buy bonds issued by the government of Argentina?

Short answer

No, investors are not interested in purchasing bonds issued by Country A's government.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

Asymmetric informationis information that is not identical. Therefore, if the information provided to others differs from the actual information, a contradiction arises.

Explanation

No, investors are not willing to buy bonds issued by Government A. The problem of asymmetric information causes the problem of adverse selection and moral hazard. Differences in information and knowledge between the two cause major problems in the financial structure.

The knowledge about whether the government would provide payout or not would lie with the government and not with the investors. This asymmetry in information would discourage investors to make investment.