Greece
Risk Trade Turned Off
September 30, 2011
New concerns have arisen about Greece and the EFSF enlargement scheme. Some believe Greece has only enough cash for the first half of October, and German officials continue to threaten no additional financial support without the imposition of more fiscal austerity in Greece. Germany’s Bundestag, the lower parliamentary body, approved greater EFSF powers by a [...] More
Focus on Policy Support
September 16, 2011
Stocks in the Pacific Rim advanced by 3.7% in South Korea, 2.6% in Taiwan, 2.3% in Japan, 1.9% in Australia, 1.6% in Indonesia, 1.4% in Hong Kong, 0.8% in Singapore but just 0.3% in India and 0.2% in China where containing inflation remains the top priority. In Europe, the German Dax so far is up [...] More
Germany’s Responsibility for the Euro Crisis
September 12, 2011
German officials and citizens have assumed the high moral ground since the start of the euro debt crisis in the autumn of 2009. One can easily imagine their ire at learning that governments like Greece not only far exceeded agreed ceilings on fiscal deficits and debt in a chronic way since joining the European Economic [...] More
More Help for Wounded Greece Creates More Trouble for Other EMU Members
June 26, 2011
An axiom among economists and investors is that the if the symptoms but not the causes of structural problems are addressed, the ultimate cost of repairing the problem will rise proportionately with the length of time that policymakers do not fix the real problem. Weekend press of the EU/IMF/ECB’s approach to Greece, providing aid in [...] More
A Better Market Tone
June 24, 2011
Equities rose 2.9% in India, 2.4% in China, 1.9% in Hong Kong, 1.7% in South Korea, 1.2% in The Philippines, 0.9% in Japan and Thailand, 0.7% in Indonesia and Singapore, and 0.2% in Australia. The Paris Cac, British Ftse, and German Dax are 1.7%, 1.4%, and 1.3% higher. The ten-year Japanese JGB yield touched a [...] More
Global Growth Worries Continue to Lift Euro and Swissy and Depress Equities
June 2, 2011
Markets continue to reel from Wednesday’s discouraging data. U.S. jobless insurance claims released today added to that funk. Stocks fell 1.7% in Japan, 1.6% in Hong Kong and China, 2.3% in Australia, and 1.3% in South Korea. The Paris Cac, German Dax, and British Ftse have declined so far by an additional 1.1%, 1.0%, and [...] More
Fearful Markets
May 12, 2011
Commodities and stocks have been hammered. The dollar and yen are stronger. Investors fear a commodity market squeeze from higher margin requirements. Another worry is that European leaders may not agree to a larger aid package for Greece. Weak overnight data are meanwhile weighing on economic growth prospects. Then there is the fast-approaching end of [...] More
Credit Rating Downgrades
June 15, 2010
Moody’s announced a four-step downgrade of Greek debt from Ba1 to junk status, A3. The 10-year Greek-minus-German yield premium widened 35 basis points to more than 600 basis points. Irish and Spanish premiums also increased. Fitch reduced British Petroleum’s credit rating from AA to BBB. President Obama will address the nation on the oil spill [...] More
Awaiting ECB Press Conference and British Election Outcome
May 6, 2010
A lot is happening…. Asian stocks were hammered. A 3.3% drop in the reopened Japanese Nikkei was the largest decline since March 30, 2009. Chinese stocs fell 4.6% to an 8-month low. Equities dropped 2.2% in Australia, 2.0% in South Korea, 1.5% in Thailand and Taiwan, 1.3% in Indonesia, 0.7% in Singapore and 0.6% in [...] More
Dollar and Yen Up as Investors Opt for Greater Safety
April 27, 2010
The dollar has risen 0.7% against sterling, 0.5% against the euro, 0.4% relative to the Swiss franc, 0.3% versus the kiwi and 0.2% against the Australian dollar. The Canadian dollar and yen are unchanged and up 0.3% against the greenback. Investors fret that some EU governments won’t approve a bail-out of Greece or that it [...] More
