euro-zone Archives - Page 2 of 17 - the patient investor

December 7, 2012

Reid: Eurozone's 2013 Nightmare Scenario | Business Insider

In his 2013 outlook, titled In Authorities We (have to) Trust, Deutsche Bank credit strategist Jim Reid warns that Europe is headed for tough times in 2013.

Matthew Boesler at BusinessInsider writes:

Reid highlights three major issues.

To start, European stocks – and stocks in markets around the world, for that matter – are considerably overvalued based on historical correlations to PMI data….

The second problem is austerity. Most accept that austerity measures weigh on economic growth in the short term, yet euro-area governments are moving forward with plans attempting to bring fiscal budgets back into balance anyway.

…. the third problem: namely, that governments have consistently set economic forecasts too high and then failed to meet their own targets.

November 28, 2012

The eurozone’s double-dip recession is entirely self-made. | EUROPP

Good comparison of relative unit labor costs for EZ countries in this article by Paul De Grauwe. Germany is lowest at 85-90. Greece and Portugal highest at 110-115, with Italy, Spain and Belgium next at 105-110. Ireland has made the most spectacular recovery, falling to 95 from a high 115-120 in 2007.

The position of Germany stands out. During 1999-2007, Germany engineered a significant internal devaluation that contributed to its economic recovery and the build-up of external surpluses.

via The eurozone’s double-dip recession is entirely self-made. | EUROPP.

November 11, 2012

Europe’s Populists at the Gate by Barry Eichengreen – Project Syndicate

Barry Eichengreen writes:

In focusing on summit declarations and promises of far-reaching reforms of EU institutions, investors are missing the real risk: the collapse of public support for, or at least public acquiescence to, the austerity policies required to work down heavy debt burdens – and for the governments pursuing these policies. Mass anti-austerity protests are one warning sign. Another is growing popular support for neo-Nazi movements like Golden Dawn, now the third-largest political party in Greece.

The rise to power of a “rejectionist” European government – that is, one that unilaterally rejects the policy status quo – would immediately bring the crisis to a head…….

via Europe’s Populists at the Gate by Barry Eichengreen – Project Syndicate.

November 11, 2012

Why Investors Shouldn’t Expect Much Euro Zone Reform | Institutional Investor

David Turner writes:

Most economists think deregulation is, in the long term, good for these countries’ economies, and hence for the sustainability of their sovereign debt markets. The economic case for pressing ahead with liberalization is strong. Can institutional investors therefore look forward to a fast pace of growth across the entire euro zone, boosted by deregulation?

The answer is “no,” for several reasons.

Experience shows that politicians will continue pressing ahead with reform only if the markets take them by the heels to dangle them over the precipice……..

via Why Investors Shouldn’t Expect Much Euro Zone Reform | Institutional Investor.

August 7, 2012

Italian's Job: Premier Talks Tough in Bid to Save Euro – WSJ.com

Only the ECB has the necessary firepower to move the market. Senior German officials say the ECB’s help is what [Italian premier Mario] Monti has really been after all along. The Italian leader is convinced that the June 28 summit provided political cover for the ECB to take bold action, in the knowledge that euro-zone governments—including Germany—won’t oppose it.

“I have no doubt that the night before the disintegration of the euro, the ECB will do whatever is necessary to save it,” Mr. Monti says. “The question is: Do we need to get to the night before?”

via Italian’s Job: Premier Talks Tough in Bid to Save Euro – WSJ.com.

July 7, 2012

Roubini Says 2013 `Storm' May Surpass 2008 Crisis

Nouriel Robini on Bloomberg TV: The Euro summit was a failure… markets were expecting much more. Either you have debt neutralization [EFSF purchases of government bonds] or debt monetization by the ECB or EFSF/ESM be doubled or tripled using leverage ….or you will have a worse crisis in the next few weeks.

The ability of politicians to kick the can down the road will run out of steam in 2013…..next year could be a global perfect storm

Bloomberg TV: Roubini Says 2013 `Storm’ May Surpass 2008 Crisis

June 30, 2012

Merkel Concessions at Euro Crisis Summit Smarter than they Seem – SPIEGEL ONLINE

Christian Rickens: Merkel’s concession is more than compensated for by a diplomatic victory she scored in the run-up to the summit: Late last week, she managed to get new French President François Hollande to sign off on her fiscal pact, which is deeply unpopular in Paris, in return for her support on the €130 billion ($165 billion) European Union “growth pact.”

The inequality of the deal is difficult to overstate. The growth pact is made up of little more than empty promises and dreams that can never come true. Though it won’t spur any growth in Europe, at least it won’t cost Germans any more money either.

Should one be looking for a summit loser, in fact, it necessary to look no further than Hollande. Not Angela Merkel. She merely did what she always does on the EU stage. She made compromises. And pretty clever ones at that.

via Merkel Concessions at Euro Crisis Summit Smarter than they Seem – SPIEGEL ONLINE.

June 29, 2012

Debt crisis: Germany caves in over bond buying, bank aid after Italy and Spain threaten to block 'everything' – Telegraph

Bruno Waterfield: On Thursday night, Italy and Spain plunged an EU summit into disarray by threatening to block “everything” unless Germany and other eurozone countries backed their demands for help.
…..Under the deal, Spanish banks will be recapitalised directly by allowing a €100 billion EU bailout to [be] transferred off Spain’s balance sheet after the European Central Bank takes over as the single currency’s banking supervisor at the end of the year.
……[and] a pledge to begin purchases of Italian bonds using EU bailout funds to reduce Italy’s borrowing costs with a lighter set of conditions…..

via Debt crisis: Germany caves in over bond buying, bank aid after Italy and Spain threaten to block ‘everything’ – Telegraph.

June 26, 2012

What Will Germany Do?

Anatole Kaletsky: With every day that passes, and especially since the French election, it is becoming clearer that the problem country for the euro—the odd man out in terms of economic structure and the chief obstacle to any political resolution of the euro crisis—is not Greece, Spain or Italy. It is Germany. It is Germany that refuses even to talk about mutual debt and banking guarantees. It is Germany that insists on self-defeating fiscal austerity and intolerable political conditions for the debtor countries. It is Germany that vetoes quantitative easing by the ECB, which could cap bond yields and relieve deflationary debt traps. And it is Germany that makes the other euro countries uncompetitive, discourages devaluation of the euro against the dollar and refuses even to relax its own domestic fiscal policies to reduce its trade surplus and support growth….

via John Mauldin’s Outside The Box

June 17, 2012

Greek “final exit polls” suggest a New Democracy/Pasok coalition | The Big Picture

Greek “final exit polls” please remember these are Greek “final exit polls” suggest that New Democracy and Syriza and Pasok will have 159 seats in the 300 seat Parliament. The important point is to win, as the party with the most votes gets an additional 50 seats in Parliament. Its still pretty close but it looks from the “final exit polls” that there will be a sigh of relief in equity markets tomorrow.

via Greek “final exit polls” suggest a New Democracy/Pasok coalition | The Big Picture.