Category: UK & Europe

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The Global Jobs Challenge – Michael Spence – Project Syndicate

What does it mean – for individuals, businesses, and governments – that structural adjustment is falling further and further behind the global forces that are causing pressure for structural change? Above all, it means that expectations are broadly inconsistent with reality, and need to adjust, in some cases downward. But distributional effects need to be taken seriously and addressed. The burden of weak or non-existent recoveries should not be borne by the unemployed, including the young. In the interest of social cohesion, market outcomes need to be modified to create a more even distribution of incomes and benefits, both now and in inter-temporal terms. After all, underinvestment now implies diminished opportunity in the future.

via The Global Jobs Challenge – Michael Spence – Project Syndicate.

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Europe

Germany’s DAX index is testing resistance at 6000. Penetration of the descending trendline on 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicates no more than a secondary reaction (bear market rally). Breakout above 6000 would offer a target of 6500, while respect of resistance would re-visit primary support at 5000.

DAX Index

* Target calculation: 5000 – ( 6000 – 5000 ) = 4000

The FTSE 100 is headed for a test of 5600 after breaking resistance at 5400. Rising 13-week Twiggs MoneyFlow indicates a strong bear market rally rather than a reversal.

FTSE 100 Index

* Target calculation: 4800 – ( 5600 – 4800 ) = 4000

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Causes of the Crisis: Basel II

Why do they [European financial institutions] hold so much Greek government debt? Because under Basel II, implemented (outside the United States) in 2007, Greek government bonds, rated A-, had the same 20 percent risk weight as AA/AAA asset-backed securities in the United States. That is, until S&P downgraded Greek debt from A- to BBB+. That raised the risk weight to 50 percent, suddenly requiring 60 percent more capital from banks holding Greek bonds.

This appears to be the reason that the possibility of Greek default has led to fears of another banking crisis.

via Causes of the Crisis: February 2010.

The 20 percent risk weight required banks to only hold $2 of bank capital against a $100 security — at the 8 percent Basel rate for adequately capitalized banks — allowing 50 to 1 leverage compared to 12.5 to 1 on normal bank loans.

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Germany, France Hail Debt Progress – WSJ.com

According to a European Union official familiar with the situation, Germany and France are weighing two models but leaning towards using the fund to insure bonds from euro-zone countries.

….Germany and France are (also) fine-tuning a proposal for European banks to bring their core Tier 1 capital ratios, a key measure of financial strength, to 9%, within six to nine months, said the EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Europe’s two largest economies agree that the region’s banks should seek to raise funds in the open market and will suggest giving the banks up to nine months to fulfil the new capital requirements, the official said.

via Germany, France Hail Debt Progress – WSJ.com.

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Roubini: Moving From the Post-Bubble, Post-Bust Economy to Growth | Credit Writedowns

It is not only the U.S. economy that is in peril right now. …Europe is struggling to prevent the sovereign debt problems of its peripheral Euro-zone economies from spiraling into a full-fledged banking crisis… Meanwhile, China and other large emerging economies… are beginning to experience slowdowns…Nor is renewed recession the only threat we now face. Even if a return to negative growth rates is somehow avoided, there will remain a real and present danger that Europe and the United States alike fall into an indefinitely lengthy period of negligible growth, high unemployment and deflation, much as Japan has experienced over the past 20 years following its own stock-and-real estate bubble and burst of the early 1990s.

via Roubini: Moving From the Post-Bubble, Post-Bust Economy to Growth | Credit Writedowns.

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Even a Slovak ‘Yes’ will make no difference – Telegraph Blogs

Mr Sulik (Slovakia’s speaker of parliament) is right. The EU-IMF rescue loans have not helped Greece pull out of its downward spiral. They have pushed the country further into bankruptcy. Greek public debt will rise from around 120pc of GDP to 160pc under the rescue programme, and the IMF is pencilling in figures above 180pc.

The rescue loans have rotated into the hands of creditor banks, life insurers, pension funds, and even a few hedge funds. ECB bond purchases have allowed to investors to dump their holdings at reduced loss, shifting the risk to EMU taxpayers. It is a racket for financial elites. A pickpocketing of taxpayers, including poor Slovak taxpayers.

“I’d rather be a pariah in Brussels than have to feel ashamed before my children,” he said.

via Even a Slovak ‘Yes’ will make no difference – Telegraph Blogs.

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Euro rallies on hope of bank rescue

The euro is headed for a test of $1.40 against the greenback, on the hope that European banks will be re-capitalized after taking a haircut on the PIIGS bonds. There still appears to be some confusion — I suspect deliberate — as to who will pay, with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble suggesting that banks first attempt to raise money from investors. Given the current state of financial markets, private investment will be scarce and European taxpayers are likely to end up with sizable stakes in a number of banks. Expect resistance at $1.40 to be followed by another test of support at $1.30*.

EURUSD

* Target calculation: 1.40 – ( 1.50 – 1.40 ) = 1.30

The pound is similarly headed for resistance at $1.60. Respect would signal another test of $1.53.

GBPUSD

* Target calculation: 1.53 – ( 1.60 – 1.53 ) = 1.46

Canada’s Loonie and the Aussie dollar both benefited from a surge in commodity prices. Expect the CADUSD to find resistance at parity, followed by another test of support at $0.94.

CADUSD

* Target calculation: 1.00 – ( 1.06 – 1.00 ) = 0.94

The Aussie will find resistance between $1.02 and the descending trendline. Respect is likely and would indicate another test of $0.94.

AUDUSD

* Target calculation: 1.02 – ( 1.10 – 1.02 ) = 0.94

The Aussie has formed a broad double bottom against its Kiwi counterpart. AUDNZD breakout above $1.28 would signal a primary advance to $1.32*.

AUDNZD

* Target calculation: 1.28 + ( 1.28 – 1.24 ) = 1.32

Support is holding firm on the dollar-yen cross — with assistance no doubt from the BOJ. Expect a narrow range between 76 and 78.

USDJPY

The South African rand is testing support at R7.70 against the greenback, after penetrating its rising trendline. Probably because of all the visitors returning early from the Rugby World Cup. 🙂 Apparently they have invited the referee to run a series of clinics in South Africa on his novel interpretation of the forward-pass rule. I suggest that he decline — it could get violent. Failure of support would offer a target of R7.00*

USDZAR

* Target calculation: 7.70 – ( 8.40 – 7.70 ) = 7.00

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Euro-Zone Industrial Production Rises – WSJ.com

Industrial production across the 17 countries that share the euro increased at an unexpectedly strong pace in August and for the second straight month.The increase is partly a result of big output increases in Ireland and Portugal, two countries that received bailouts from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.The European Union’s official statistics agency Eurostat said Wednesday industrial production rose by 1.2% from a month earlier and was up 5.3% from a year earlier.

via Euro-Zone Industrial Production Rises – WSJ.com.

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Too-big-to-fail is here to stay

Lehman Brothers’ collapse in 2008 was intended to intended to teach financial markets that they could not rely on an implicit government guarantee for too-big-to-fail (TBTF) banks. What bondholders learned was the opposite: never again would an institution of that size be allowed to collapse because of the de-stabilizing effect on the entire financial system.

Rescue of Dexia by French, Belgium and Luxembourg governments is the latest example. Bond-holders received 100 cents in the dollar/euro. Markets are just too fragile to consider giving bondholders a haircut. Denmark earlier had to back down from forcing haircuts on bondholders when Danish banks found themselves shut out of funding markets. [WSJ]

Frequent calls for TBTF institutions to be broken up have proved ineffective. Instead the problem has grown even larger with post 2008 rescue/take-overs of Countrywide and Merrill Lynch (BofA), Bear Stearns and WaMu (JPM), Lehman (Barclays), and Wachovia (Wells Fargo) reinforcing Willem Buiters’ survival of the fattest observation.

Proposals to reduce systemic risk through adoption of the Volcker Rule, which would prevent banks form trading for their own account, are proving difficult to implement. The 298-page first draft offers few clear definitions of restricted activities, instead calling for suggestions or feedback.[Bloomberg] Drafters should consider turning the rule around, offering a list of approved activities that banks can pursue, rather than attempting to define what they cannot. I have great respect for banks’ ability to find loopholes in any restrictive list.

The Rule on its own, however, cannot protect taxpayers from future bailouts. It does not prevent banks from over-lending if there is another bubble. There is only one solution: increase capital ratios — and apply similar ratios to securitized assets. Increases would have to be gradual, as some banks could respond by shrinking assets rather than raising capital — which would have a deflationary effect on the economy. Changes would also have to be sensitive to the economic cycle. The easiest way may be to set a long-term target (e.g. 20% Tier 1 + 2 capital by 2030) and leave implementation to the central bank as part of its monetary policy.

Together with the Volcker Rule, increased capital ratios are our best defense against a recurrence of the GFC.

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FTSE 100 buyers scarce

The FTSE 100 index encountered resistance at 5400. Low volume indicates that buyers were scarce and another test of support at 5000 is likely. We are in a primary down-trend and failure of support would signal a decline to 4400*.

FTSE 100 Index

* Target calculation: 5000 – ( 5600 – 5000 ) = 4400

The DAX index is starting to rally on the weekly chart, with 13-week Twiggs Money Flow indicating medium-term buying pressure. Expect a test of 6000, but again we are in a primary down-trend and another test of 5000 is likely. Failure of support would signal a decline to 4000*.

German DAX Index

* Target calculation: 5000 – ( 6000 – 5000 ) = 4000

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