CARACAS (Dow Jones)--Venezuela's minister of finance on Wednesday dismissed speculation of an imminent debt sale by state-run commodities holding group CVG.
A bond issue by the CVG, or Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana, "is not planned, for now," Ali Rodriguez told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in the capital city.
The comments come after officials last month said President Hugo Chavez had approved such a sale by CVG, which unleashed talk that a possible dollar-denominated bond sale would be forthcoming.
Another government-run entity, oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela, or PdVSA, just completed its own dollar-denominated debt sale, successfully placing more than $3 billion with investors.
Meantime, Rodriguez also told reporters he expects Venezuela's basket of crude oil and refined products to average $60 a barrel next year. As of Friday, the average price was $72.82, while the 2009 average stands at $54.55, down from $86.49 in 2008.

-By Darcy Crowe, Dow Jones Newswires; (58) 414 249 6821; darcy.crowe@dowjones.com
(Dan Molinski contributed to this report.)