Welcome to our website

Welcome in Your Blogger For Economy , Currency , Stocks and Bonds.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Euro-Zone as Stokes minds flashpoint Bond Market Debt

A proposal to sell the combined debt of the euro-region has become a flashpoint between the new European leaders running out of options to stabilize the bond market.

With a European Union summit next week in Brussels, officials in Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and Greece, said the proposal should be explored, leading to resistance from Germany, France and Austria. Economists and analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and HSBC Holdings Plc said it would end the debt crisis of the euro-region.

The plan would create a European Agency for the debt to sell bonds to finance up to 50 percent of EU member loans, up to 100 percent for countries unable to attract investors. Opponents say the proposal would raise interest rates for the stronger nations. The weighted average cost of borrowing for five years for the 16-nation euro-region was 3.05 percent yesterday, up from 1.95 percent on German debt.

"It's very important that negotiations continue on the path of a type common bond and a more centralized fiscal policy," said Steven Major, global head of fixed income research at London-based HSBC. "We can not go on with the ECB, doing the heavy work. We need a more sustainable solution."

Euro bonus venture may be the first time a country has issued debt on behalf of another. In 1989, the so-called Brady bonds were issued by nations like Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela, backed by the U.S. government. The bonds are named after former Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady, who helped create the program.

Credit Agricole

The European Financial Stability Fund, the rescue fund of 440 billion set by the EU following the rescue of Greece, plans to sell bonds in January to pay for aid to Ireland. While supported by most of the same nations that were involved in a bond in euros, has attracted a AAA rating through a series of credit enhancements and are therefore likely to attract the return of a bond in euros according to analysts at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank.

Politicians are presenting ideas to address the fiscal crisis of the euro-region after the European Central Bank was forced to increase its purchases of government bonds when a rescue plan last month the Irish could not defend markets in the region of bonds to investors betting on a breakup of the euro.

Ireland bonds fell after the nation Nov. 21, said he had demanded a ransom, with the 10-year yield hit a record 680 basis points more than benchmark German dams on 30 November. Yields have declined since the ECB stepped up the purchase of bonds from Ireland, Portugal and Greece on 1 December, reducing the spread from Ireland and Germany to 503 basis points yesterday.

"Intellectually attractive"

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, presented a plan for the joint sale of bonds in a commentary in the Financial Times on December 6, increasing the current debate. The idea is intellectually appealing, "said EU Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn, the same day, while the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, said it was time to" seriously discuss "it.

Juncker, who chairs meetings of finance ministers of the euro group, criticized the German opposition, which led to a replica of a key ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Germany rejected his proposal for euro area bonds too fast and he was "simple" thinking on the subject, Juncker said on December 8, "Die Zeit reported, citing an interview. Germany is working on European issues "so unEuropean" and the bond proposal was dismissed before Germany had handled the German newspaper quoted him as saying.

The Debate

Michael Meister, the largest finance and economics spokesman for Merkel's Christian Democratic bloc, said in an interview that day.

"We can not put anything else on the table," Meister said in an interview. Juncker and Tremonti, "we can certainly say what they want. You can go ahead with bond set if they want," he said.

The objections can not be definitive, "said Major. Merkel opposed bilateral loans to Greece for the same reasons, before joining the euro-region countries and the International Monetary Fund in the provision of € 110 000 000 000 of loans to the indebted nation. Merkel also supports a change in the European Union treaty that allows the creation of a mechanism of permanent crisis.

Merkel's position is "a negotiating position," said Major. "The worst scenario would be more expensive for Germany" that the common bond, he said.

Euro falls

The euro fell against most of their counterparts of today and yields on government bonds jumped Spanish and Italian as French and German leaders said they are against increasing the EU rescue fund of 440 million euros and refused to set bond euro area.

"Common ties that make governments less accountable, when we want to do otherwise," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters after meeting with Merkel today in the southern German city of Freiburg.

The creation of common bonds or bills for the euro area would contribute to ending the fiscal crisis in the region by strengthening the liquidity of the market, according to Sander Schol, a London-based director of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe.

Prime AFME European Dealers Association wrote a research paper of the European Parliament on the possibility of a common European issue. Considered "smaller liquidity premium, the most effective coverage and the elimination of market-making obligation would lead to lower interest rates," said the note.

"Sharing optimal risk

These bonds could be the "best rate of distribution of risks," said Goldman Sachs strategist Francesco Garzarelli rate economist and Natacha Valla yesterday. Designed correctly, a bonus program participation would create a financial incentive for fiscal prudence and reduce moral hazard, Arnaud Mares, executive director of Morgan Stanley and former senior vice president at Moody's Investors Service, said on 6 December.

Forcing the theory is unlikely to bring the plan to fruition in the short term, said Michael Leister, a fixed-income analyst at WestLB AG in Dusseldorf.

"In Germany or France would not be attractive, since it would end up paying a higher yield," he said. "This is not a concept that can sell to the German electorate at the moment, and probably the same in Austria and France."

Medicine in Ireland too hard for the others

Last year during a taxi ride in Dublin, I asked my driver how things were going in Ireland.

He said that life was not so bad because, although growth had slowed, things were much better than they were before Ireland joined the euro.

That resonated with me on Monday, when the Irish government unveiled its austerity package of 6 million euros (8 billion) of cuts in social benefits, pensions and capital projects. Ireland is still going to tax Internet gambling.

But Ireland, who accepted a ransom of 85 billion euros last month, is better able to resist compression of the euro area peripheral countries like Portugal, Greece, Spain and even Italy. Ireland is a good deal richer than these countries, and has been an increase in revenue over the membership of the euro. Even after the cuts the chances of people taking to the streets in large numbers are lower than in other countries.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who the Financial Times recently voted the worst in the European Union is optimistic expectation that spending cuts and tax increases will not affect growth at all. The forecast now calls for gross domestic product by 0.3 percent this year, increasing to 3 percent in 2013.

The same day, in contrast to Ireland, the Republicans and Barack Obama agreed in the U.S. welcome to reduce payroll taxes and renew the Bush tax cuts for two years to stimulate growth and reduce unemployment. So we have an interesting economic experiment in our hands. My bet is that tax cuts instead of raising them is better for growth. I am with Obama.

Growth in Europe will decrease, especially in peripheral countries, which will not reassure the bond markets. International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn, visiting Greece this week, said "the problem is growth, growth, growth. No one would be talking about a debt crisis in Europe if there was a high growth in Europe." It is not the truth.

Little Ireland, with its 4 million inhabitants has done well from its membership of the euro. The concern is that others in the periphery do not have and have less room to cut.

As shown in the table below, between 1990 and 2010 the GDP per capita in Spain increased by 107 percent, which was faster than Greece (53 percent), Italy (14 percent), Portugal (32 percent) and Spain (38 percent). By 2010 Ireland had a higher income per capita than any other euro area peripheral countries.

The data in a Eurobarometer survey conducted by the European Commission by the Member States between August and September 2009 suggests that the Irish are considerably happier - graded on a scale where one means very dissatisfied and 10 means very satisfied - that residents of these other countries. If this continues in the future is an open question, as austerity bites.

Country GDP per capita of the population's happiness
1990 2010 (millions)
Ireland $ 38,768 $ 18.694 7.41 04.03
Greece $ 18,735 $ 28,608 6.38 11.3
Italy $ 26,307 $ 30,080 59.0 6.48
Portugal $ 17,418 $ 23,019 10.6 5.59
Spain $ 22,039 $ 30,475 44.7 6.94

Sources: European Commission, International Monetary Fund

The other peripherals are poorer and less happy than the Irish, and have not benefited greatly, especially in terms of revenue growth in membership in the euro. This may well involve greater domestic opposition to any austerity program imposed from outside. In the future, social unrest is likely to be a major problem in these countries.

The International Monetary Fund has urged the EU, even to pump more resources into its bailout program, and also to buy more government debt. Otherwise, the IMF warned that the crisis could escalate, threatening the stability of the euro.

interventions by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, have given the crisis some legs. Ruled out the possibility of bonds in euros to scale and largest bailout fund. This, combined with his earlier suggestion that bondholders should take haircuts larger, not aid to countries that are struggling to calm markets.

There are obvious reasons for supporting Merkel. Germans have the benefit of an exchange rate lower than they would outside the area, making their exports less expensive. Any euro bond debt costs would be raised.

German banks have invested heavily in the peripheral countries making it difficult to understand why they are being left adrift. Unless the Germans are willing to pitch in with a lot of money from the bailout, the Irish and the Greeks will have to restructure or repay its debts. The bond vigilantes have a field day.

It is difficult to see how to force an expensive loan in a most indebted country like Ireland, is supposed to contain the crisis of European debt. The maintenance of low corporate tax rate, which obviously will help. The standard of living will inevitably be hit there for years to come. My taxi driver was right. My concern is that some of these peripheral countries are not as well situated. I fear the worst is yet to come.

(David G. Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy, is professor of economics at Dartmouth College and the University of Stirling. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Socrates Says Portugal Does Not Need Aid

Portugal does not need the help of the International Monetary Fund and no country has put pressure on Portugal to ask for help, Portuguese Prime MinisterJose Socrates said in an interview with the Daily News.

"There is no reason for the IMF to enter Portugal, because Portugal does not need that," said Socrates, according to Portuguese daily newspaper. "The government does not need that, you know exactly what to do and do not need someone to come and tell us what to do," Socrates said in the interview.

"Our problem is just a budget problem we have to correct, like other countries," Socrates told Diario de Noticias. "He who does not understand that what we are experiencing is a systemic issue, which refers to the euro, has understood nothing of this crisis," he said, the newspaper said.

"If anyone thinks that this is a problem in this country or not is to see how the sovereign debt crisis is affecting the euro," Socrates told the newspaper. "This is a problem in all European countries and we should do everything possible to fight together: all the European institutions, the Commission has played its role, the European Central Bank, which has played its role, and each countries that are playing their role. "

The European project is going through "a very big challenge", which is to defend the currency, Socrates told Diario de Noticias. All European leaders will commit themselves to defend its currency, Socrates said. "The way we have to defend is by meeting our budgetary targets, that's what we're doing," he said, the newspaper said.

Portugal this year will meet its goal of a budget deficit of 7.3 percent of gross domestic product, Diario de Noticias quoted Socrates as saying. The market is "slowly" to understand that Portugal is doing what it should do for your budget consolidation, the prime minister said in the interview.

China can’t raise interest rates because of the risk of attracting inflows of cash

China can not raise interest rates bring the risk of cash flows that fuels inflation, said Wu Xiaoling, a former central bank deputy governor.

"The global environment of low interest rates prevent China's central bank to raise interest rates," Wu said in a speech at a conference of hedge funds in today's Shanghai. Emerging markets face capital inflows and "excessive money supply is a major reason for inflation in China," he said.

Business economists, including Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. and UBS AG. have, in contrast to Wu's opinion, said that China is likely to raise rates this weekend. China's Central Bank yesterday increased requirements of lenders reserve for the sixth time this year as part of efforts to curb inflation that rose to 28 months in November.

In October the central bank raised lending and deposit rates for the first time since 2007.

Analysts have focused on the possibility of another increase this weekend due to the release today of the November data. Consumer prices rose 5.1 percent from the previous year, producer prices rose 6.1 percent, a statistical report showed.

Wu, deputy director Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress, said that M2, the broadest measure of money supply, could rise 19 percent this year.

Saudi Oil Minister Al-Naimi says $ 70 - $ 80 a barrel is a "good" oil price

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, told reporters that $ 70 to $ 80 a barrel is a good price for oil. He spoke before the ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries began a closed-door meeting in Quito, Ecuador, to decide on policy and OPEC production quotas.

He made the following comments.

The price of oil:

"Prices rise, prices fall."

"How many times do I have to say. $ 70 to $ 80 is a good price."

He refused to comment on the current price is near $ 88 a barrel in New York.

On supply and demand:

"The fundamentals are good. The market is in equilibrium at this time."

On why OPEC should leave output unchanged:

"Why do you want to disrupt the market. It is in the balance, everyone is happy, producers and consumers, why all these questions that will cause a disturbance in the market?"