Rumors, quotes, politicians and Europe

Guest Link Post by MoreLivers.

EURO CRISIS

** Revisiting the Eurodebate – A Fistful of Euros

Blames the key European politicians, especially the French and the Germans and the European Commission officials, who designed the Euro and the Eurosystem, delivering rock-bottom interest rates to countries in the grip of land fever, and one that couldn’t cope with a banking crisis although it included the biggest banking system in the world.

Euro Zone Death Trip – Krugman / NYT

(Bonus for the Hitler-card): Germany’s inflation expectations at 1% for the next five years. To get any competitiveness, PIIGS must resort to massive deflation, which is hard to do. Germany should remember how Chancellor Brüning made the depression in 1930-1932 even worse by sticking to gold standard and balanced budgets, followed by you-know-what.

Europe Drifts Towards the Brink of a Cataclysm – EconoMonitor

Transcript of Press Conference on Europe – IMF

Jean-Claude Trichet: Preventing spillovers on the global economy – BIS (pdf)

Jürgen Stark: The global financial crisis and the role of monetary policy – BIS (pdf)

And much more below.

Beyond the economics of the euro – analysing the institutional evolution of EMU 1999-2010 – ECB (pdf)

The Stability and Growth Pact – crisis and reform – ECB (pdf)

“Death Star”

**The Spirit Is Willing, But The Flesh Is Weak – ZH

Must-read: Peter Tchir reviews the rumor of rumors, and does some quick calculations to e.g. guess the yield on possible Eurobonds: around 4.2%.on GDP-based responsibility and over 5% on debt level-based allocation. If the worst PIIGS would be dropped out, numbers would be better.

** Six weeks to save the eurozone – alphaville / FT

RBS noted that the Death Start would be very dangerous to the finances of the AAA-countries, political hullabaloo coming because of legal obstacles, political tension and Germany not liking the idea of turning the ECB into Europe’s bad bank.

** Let them eat EFSF equity tranches? – alphaville / FT

Among others the simple point that as all the sovereigns are under threat, this is not some housing crisis-CDO containment operation – there is nowhere to hide.

** More questions than answers – BNY Mellon

EFSF expansion not ratified, now this week’s voters know about the possible huge expansions. Even if the expansion is passed, the new Death Star-measures would require another round of voting. As the head of S&P sovereign rating group said: “There is some recognition in the Eurozone that there is no cheap, risk-free leveraging options for the EFSF any more.”

S&P Reminds Europe Of Its Toxic Catch 22, Warns EFSF Expansion Will Lead To More Sovereign Downgrades, Rendering EFSF Itself Useless – ZH

The IMF and markets: It Means Fear – Buttonwood’s / The Economist

The plans are ways to rescue PIIGS without a direct transfer from northern taxpayers. That’s why the plans are complex and involve ECB (not accountable to public) for rough stuff. No approval from all the parliaments will be required.

Eurozone rescue plan ‘emerging’ as IMF and Greece talk – BBC

Euro Offsite – Macro Man

Eurozone SPV: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Here Are a Few Possibilities – Market Beat / WSJ

“First, the scheme relies on the private sector to lend to the EFSF in times of trouble. But that’s precisely when the private sector is least likely to be lending.”

Multi-trillion plan to save the eurozone being prepared – The Telegraph

Rumors: firebreak around PIG, to save Italy and Spain: recapitalize banks privately and with EFSF, enlarge EFSF, 50% Greek default.

Multi-Trillion Euro Bailout Plan Allegedly in the Works; Plan Has Failed Already – Mish’s

Response to the Telegraph’s article

Germany Demands “Managed” Greek Default And 50% Bond Haircuts In Exchange For Expanding EFSF, Peripheral “Firewall” – ZH

Germany’s economic elite has said it would agree to an EFSF expansion and hence installation of European firewall, but at a price: a “controlled” default by Greece and 50% haircuts for private bondholders.

EU looking at trillions in shock-and-awe plan to end crisis – euobserver.com

Europe’s Latest Rescue Deux Ex Machina: A CDO… SQUARED – ZH

In wait and see mode on Europe…possibly for 6 weeks… – Pragmatic Capitalism

EFSF

** Goldman Recaps Germany’s Eurozone Stance On The Eve Of Thursday’s Critical, And Much Despised, EFSF Expansion Vote – ZH

Calendar here.

Can European Politicians Beat the Clock and Stave Off a Crisis? – naked capitalism

Given the narrow political majorities in key countries, both Greece and the core EZ, getting a working long-term solution based on the EFSF is very hard.

Euro banks

Retour au futur, le rumeur de French bank recap – alphaville / FT

Given the rumors of recapitalizing the French banks by €10-15bn, the French CB governor was quick to state “There is no plan, and we don’t need one”. Nomura: Just marking-to-market the PIIGS debt would require €60bn more capital.

In Galling, Pathetic Whine, Deutsche Bank CEO Warns Against Opening “Pandora’s Box” – Mish’s

“There is no polite way to say it so I may as well be blunt: Josef Ackermann is a liar.”

German Banking Group Warns of Contagion, Requests Taxpayers to Take Hit for Stupid Loans Made by Stupid Banks – Mish’s

“Schmitz is pleading for passage of the EFSF to dump losses made by stupid risk-seeking banks on the backs of overburdened taxpayers. The “private investors” he wants to bail out are the banks and the bondholders.”

Europe’s banking crisis is no longer a liquidity crisis, nor is it a European version of ‘subprime’ – it’s a sovereign coordination crisis – EconoMonitor

Greece

** Lessons for Greece From a Decade Ago – The Source / WSJ

Actually, 10 out of 13 Greek municipalities defaulted on their debt to the Delos temple in fourth century BC. Afterwards the temple only loaned money to private sector. Ten years ago an ex-IMF MD reminded in a speech that sovereign defaults are as old as the world.

** There Will Never Be A “Good” Time For Greece To Default – ZH

Peter Tchir; the default has already been priced in. Now is just as good time as any, especially to stop the contagion.

Greek police protest troika, German and French embassies – euobserver.com

More Greek Platitudes As IMF Faces Shortfall and Deflects Back to ECB – ZH

FINANCIAL CRISIS

** Deutsche Bank Charts a Danger Map For A Crisis Prone And Credit Troubled World – ZH

Excellent research report, some charts, key summary and a link to full doc.

** Blood on the Street – The Psy-Fi Blog

Forget micro or macro, follow political incentives, procyclicality destroys economic equilibrium models, positive biases everywhere, esp. corp earnings – which are at historical highs, and have always been mean-reverting. As monetary policy is impotent and no room for fiscal positive surprises, stock markets could continue down.

Europe merely one of the potential powder kegs this week? – tradingfloor.com

Rogues, copper, recent CHF move… The macro focus has made many markets unusually volatile even for a crisis period.

OTHER

** What’s up in Cyprus? War? – Bruce Krasting

Russia pressures Cyprus. My view at the top of this post.

** CDS Implied Probability of Default – Be Careful – ZH

Peter Tchir makes good points on CDS prices and conclusions one can make on them. Key issues recovery rate, curve and the special case of sovereigns.

Record Correlations + Record Low Mutual Fund Cash + Soaring Dispersion = Recipe For Redemption Driven Disaster – ZH

Goldman’s ok research note if you’re into equities

Is Apple the new Microsoft? – Abnormal Returns

The stock prices has recently been a linear function of Apple’s cash, without much growth expectations. Links to other recent Apple-articles.

You can’t go faster than the speed of light – And other lies – Bruce Krasting

DIVERSION

A Curated Linkfest For The Smartest People On The Web – Simoleon Sense

Share Traders More Reckless Than Psychopaths, Study Shows – Spiegel

A Victim of Soycumstance – The Epicurean Dealmaker

Is investment banking management an oxymoron just like military intelligence?