The American tech mogul Peter Thiel made his first investment in Vaca Muerta by purchasing a stake of nearly 1% in Vista Energy, the largest oil exporter in Argentina.
The operation, valued at approximately USD 76 million, deepens the businessman’s ties with the country and occurs in a context of opening the energy sector to capital.
According to Bloomberg, the hedge fund Thiel Macro LLC reported that at the close of the second quarter it held nearly 1.2 million shares of Vista. This information was disclosed through a regulatory filing made in the United States.
The document submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also showed the weight that the Argentine oil company acquired within the portfolio declared by the fund. At that time, Vista constituted the second largest position of Thiel Macro LLC, only behind Amazon.com Inc.
Another noteworthy detail of the operation is that Vista was the only non-American company included among the firms declared in the fund's portfolio.
A new bet by Thiel on Argentina
The investment in Vista adds to other recent moves by Thiel that show a growing interest in Argentina. The businessman bought a mansion in Buenos Aires, spent time in the country this year, and enrolled his daughters in schools in the City of Buenos Aires.
