Archives of “sovereign debt” tag

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Soros Says "Crisis Far From Over, We Have Just Entered Act 2"

  
Analysis, Economy, Education
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The bearish case has just gotten another notable supporter in the face of George Soros, who during his remarks at a conference in Vienna, said that the “we have only just entered Act II” of the global financial crisis.

Bloomberg reports:

Billionaire investor George Soros said “we have just entered Act II” of the crisis as Europe’s fiscal woes worsen.

“The collapse of the financial system as we know it is real, and the crisis is far from over,” Soros said today at a conference in Vienna. “Indeed, we have just entered Act II of the drama.”

Concern that Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis may spread sent the euro to a four-year low against the dollar on June 7 and has wiped out more than $4 trillion from global stock markets this year. Europe’s debt-ridden nations have to raise almost 2 trillion euros ($2.4 trillion) within the next three years to refinance maturing bonds and fund deficits, according to Bank of America Corp.

“When the financial markets started losing confidence in the credibility of sovereign debt, Greece and the euro have taken center stage, but the effects are liable to be felt worldwide,” Soros said.

One wonders if Soros, who made a name for himself originally in the currency markets, is involved in the current record FX volatility. Of course, with animosity toward “speculators” at unprecedented levels, it probably would not be very prudent of anyone to disclose they are now taking on Central Banks directly.

Crisis Moves to Hungary?

  
Analysis, Economy, Education
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Sovereign debt worries in Europe have been elevated for a couple of months now, and today Hungary moved into the crosshairs.  Sovereign debt default risk as measured by 5-year CDS prices has spiked for Hungary and the countries surrounding it today, but default risk for this region still remains well below levels seen in late 2008 and early 2009.  The first two charts below of 5-year CDS for Austria and Hungary since 2008 highlights this.  Greece and Portugal default risk remains elevated as well, but at the moment it is still down from its recent peaks.  France also remains elevated, but it is still below highs seen in early 2009.  The same can’t be said for Spain, however.  Spain default risk reached a new crisis high today, taking out levels seen prior to the trillion Euro bailout.  And Spain matters much more than Hungary.

Who Owns Greek Debt And When Is It Due?

  
Analysis, Education
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Funding needs and repayment schedules for Greek sovereign debt
Summary:

  • Greece owes EUR 315bn.
  • There are three large blocks of officially held debt still outstanding: (1) the Greek loan facility (EUR 53bn, at EURIBOR+50bp, which matures from 2027 onwards); (2) EFSF / ESM loans (EUR 142bn disbursed, EUR 2bn committed; at EFSF funding plus small administrative fee, maturing in 30 years or after); and (3) IMF loans (EUR 20bn, maturing currently).
  • There is also EUR 66bn of marketable debt outstanding, of which EUR 27bn is held by the ECB as a result of purchases under the Securities Markets Programme (SMP). There are EUR 15bn of outstanding Treasury bills. The remaining obligations are government and government-backed loans.
  • Between 2016 and 2022, total debt servicing costs (both redemptions and interest payments) are small – between EUR 6 and EUR 10 bn.
  • In 2015 financing requirements are more substantial. Core funding needs are about EUR 19bn. We have little information on available cash reserves.
  • Key upcoming maturities are: (a) bonds held by the ECB in July and August (Table 2); (b) IMF loans in February and March of around EUR 3.5bn (Table 3); and (c) Treasury bills (most of which will be rolled by domestic banks, but a small portion of which are held by foreigners with a likely failure to roll resulting in a drain on government cash reserves).
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