Tag: euro-zone

Posted on

Revenge of the Sovereign Nation – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

The spokesman of French president Nicolas Sarkozy…. said the [Greek] move was “irrational and dangerous”. Rainer Brüderle, Bundestag leader of the Free Democrats, said the Greeks appear to be “wriggling out” of a solemn commitment. They face outright bankruptcy, he blustered.

Well yes, but at least the Greeks are stripping away the self-serving claims of the creditor states that their “rescue” loan packages are to “save Greece”. They are nothing of the sort. Greece has been subjected to the greatest fiscal squeeze ever attempted in a modern industrial state, without any offsetting monetary stimulus or devaluation.

via Revenge of the Sovereign Nation – Telegraph Blogs.

Posted on

Economist Editor: 2012 is going to be pretty sluggish

Economist Editor: 2012 is going to be pretty sluggish — with risk of “self-induced” stagnation

[gigya src=”http://d.yimg.com/nl/techticker/site/player.swf” width=”576″ height=”324″ quality=”high” wmode=”transparent” allowFullScreen=”true” flashVars=”browseCarouselUI=hide&repeat=true&vid=27114562&”]

Posted on

Papandreou’s Hold on Power Weakens – WSJ.com

ATHENS—-Embattled Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has called an emergency cabinet meeting later Tuesday amid an open revolt in his Socialist party that could topple his government.

“Papandreou is trying to control a growing revolt in the party after the defections and calls for him to resign. The future of the government may be decided at the cabinet meeting,” a senior party official told Dow Jones Newswires…….

The referendum is seen as a high-stakes gamble aimed at quelling a public backlash against controversial austerity policies but at the risk of derailing plans aimed at solving the euro zone’s debt crisis.

via Papandreou’s Hold on Power Weakens – WSJ.com.

Posted on

Europe falls on Greek referendum

Dow Jones Europe Index has fallen hard since Greece announced it will hold a referendum on the austerity measures it has to take in return for the EU/IMF bailout proposal. Bearish divergence on 21-day Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term selling pressure. Breach of medium-term support at 230 would signal another test of primary support at 210. And failure of 210 would signal a decline to the 2009 low of 150*.

Dow Jones Europe Index

* Target calculation: 210 – ( 270 – 210 ) = 150

Posted on

Euro Bailout Halflife: 48 Hours | ZeroHedge

….every asset class that was designed to benefit from the Euro Summit (rates, sovereign debt, & Italian banks for example) has given up its gains (France CDS widening significantly and EFSF deteriorating also) and the most shocked and still likely scarred (psychologically) equity and credit indices have room to drop here to catch up with that reality – whether the recession on/off switch is triggered or the ‘must-buy-to-avoid-career-risk’ trade is on.

via Euro Bailout Halflife: 48 Hours | ZeroHedge.

Posted on

Europe’s Dying Bank Model – Gene Frieda – Project Syndicate

In general, the eurozone has outsized banks (assets equivalent to 325% of GDP) that are highly leveraged (the 15 largest banks’ leverage is 28.9 times their equity capital). They are also dependent on large quantities of wholesale debt – totaling €4.9 trillion (27% of total eurozone loans), with €660 billion maturing in the next two years – to fund low-yielding assets. According to Barclays Capital, the 15 largest banks increased their returns on equity by 58% between 1998 and 2007, with 90% of the gain coming from higher leverage. Returns have since collapsed.

This model’s viability depends on large amounts of cheap leverage, supported by implicit government backing.

via Europe’s Dying Bank Model – Gene Frieda – Project Syndicate.

Posted on

After China, Fund Chief Goes to Japan – WSJ.com

On Friday, Chinese and European officials sought to play down expectations about when and how China may deploy its vast financial resources to help bail out indebted countries in Europe.

A Chinese Vice Finance Minister said China must first see the details of a new European bailout fund before making any commitments. “We of course must wait until its structure is extremely clear,” Zhu Guangyao told a press briefing. “And moreover, this investment must be decided on after serious, technical discussions.”

Mr. Regling told reporters he doesn’t expect “any precise outcome” from his visit to China and said “it’s too early to say what kind of amounts might be envisioned.”

…..Mr. Regling dismissed suggestions that European leaders will be forced to offer concessions to China in return for investment. “I am not here to discuss concessions,” he said, noting that China already buys EFSF bonds and gets no special considerations.

via After China, Fund Chief Goes to Japan – WSJ.com.

Posted on

SocGen: ECB will have to act – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Albert Edwards from Société Générale said the ECB will have to act, over a German veto if necessary. “The increasingly frenzied attempts of eurozone governments to persuade financial markets that they can draw a line under this crisis will ultimately fail.”

“The impending threat of a euro break-up will force the ECB to begin printing money, very reluctantly joining the global QE party. The question is whether Germany will leave the eurozone in the face of such monetary debauchery,” he said.

via Europe’s rescue euphoria threatened as Portugal enters ‘Grecian vortex’ – Telegraph.

Powered by WordPress / WordPress Maintenance Service By Website Helper