Post Tagged with: "Italy"
The Elephant in the Room Is Spain, Not Italy
The decision for Europe’s bosses is this: they must ultimately confront the consequences of their policy choices. They can destroy the eurozone by continuing with the same failed mix of policies or by salvaging it by adding what has been missing from the outset: a mechanism for shifting surpluses to the deficit regions in the form of productive investments (as opposed to handouts or loans)
An Update on Italian Sovereign Outperformance
Ahead of the next LTRO at the end of the month, Spanish and Italian bonds may begin consolidating after the large moves seen over the past month. The scope for Italian out performance in the month ahead appears somewhat more limited than over the past month. Indeed, the 5.5% yield level on the Italy’s 10-year generic bond may prove a bit sticky. It also corresponds to trend line on the weekly charts, drawn off the yield low of 3.7% in mid-Oct 2010. Spain’s 10-year yield decline is slowing as it slips through the 5% threshold
The Unlikely Bull Market
This is not the time to be fully invested but neither is it the time to be side lined. We are in a nervous market where great opportunities present themselves at regular intervals. We recommend holding 25-50% in cash or cash like instruments (depending on your risk profile) which can be deployed at short notice when those opportunities arise
Chart of the Day: Developed economies’ debt levels by sector
This is a great chart below via the Wall Street Journal. It shows the total debt to GDP ratios for the largest developed economies in the world broken down into four sectors: households, non-financial corporations, financial institutions and government
The Importance of the Mario Brothers
They are not really brothers, but Mario Draghi and Mario Monti are countrymen and are doing a great deal to respond to the European debt crisis in ways that were unimaginable until very recently
Monti, The Full Version
Fortunately the ECB has deep pockets, and as I argue in this post, these will probably suffice to keep short term bond yields down to acceptable levels, and help the banks fund themselves and recapitalise. What the ECB’s LTRO’s won’t do is get new credit moving (one significant part of the initiative involves banks in the troubled periphery economies not having to write down the asset side too much too quickly, so there will be little room for “creative destruction”)
Willem Buiter: “We will certainly have a panic stage before the debt crisis is resolved” (part 2)
Continuing from part 1 of the Willem Buiter interview with het Financieele Dagblad
Buiter: “The temporary pause in the European debt crisis is as deceptive as the frenzy before the New Year”
The countries of the eurozone will eventually emerge from the sovereign debt crisis — with pain and difficulty
Willem Buiter: “We will certainly have a panic stage before the debt crisis is resolved” (part 1)
The countries of the eurozone will eventually emerge from the sovereign debt crisis — with pain and difficulty. That is what Citigroup chief economist Willem Buiter, on a visit to Amsterdam on Friday during a roadshow, expects. Spain and Italy will get their finances in order and the ECB will jump in when necessary. Deep integration of fiscal policy, according to him, is not necessarily required
Successful Auctions Boost Tone in Europe
Better than expected reception to Spain and Italy’s debt auctions have spurred risk on; dollar softer. BoE, as expected, left policy unchanged, ECB expected to do the same; Japan’s current account shrinks. US advanced retail sales expected to rise to 0.3% from 0.2%; thoughts on the EM central bank outlook
Thoughts Ahead of Spanish and Italian Bond Auctions
Spain and Italy begin this year’s funding operations with bond auctions tomorrow and Friday. Although the euro is bouncing along its recent trough against not only the dollar, but against many of the other major currencies as well, there has been a modest improvement in some of the measures the market has focused on as metric of stress. Of course there are other signs that still show a high level of paralysis, including the fact that overnight deposits at the ECB continue to set record levels and are approaching 500 bln euros
The fireworks will start with Spain or Italy
Here’s what I had to say about Europe on Capital Account with Lauren Lyster on Thursday night. I’m not bullish on the real economy there (but I still expect relative share outperformance due to lower P/Es). The US is having a bit of a data surge to the upside: housing, employment, manufacturing, all of these numbers have been better of late