Where there is the European Central Bank’s full capacity of purchasing short-term State debt, there is hope. Even the primary market has opened, although by understandably timid measures, for southern euro zone debt issuers at a sub-sovereign level like State agencies and autonomous regions. The financial City of Madrid expects this window of opportunity to [...]
Lord Turner: "The shadow banking system still is out of our reach"
WASHINGTON | “Show me the factories, then!” Before the audience at the School for International Relations of the John Hopkins University, Adair Turner, or Lord Turner, put in these terms his rebuttal to those who defend that financial innovation betters the real economy, a selected group where we would find the former chief economist at [...]
German bond protection costs increased the most in May by 20%
Julia Pastor, in Madrid | In a note to investors, Afi’s analysts affirmed on Thursday that German CDS or swap contracts for bond buyers to protect themselves against losses have been under pressure in the last weeks, consequently increasing by 20%, the most among the euro zone’s countries. “It means a change of credit risk [...]
The Greek swap-opera
LONDON | Half an hour before the deadline passed at 20:00 GMT on Friday, the Greek minister for international economic relations Constantine Papadopoulos confidently told Sky News in London that default had been averted. “The indications we have are that the debt swap seems to be going well. Greece will get the necessary bailout as we have now [...]
Lose any hope of escaping a stern haircut on Greek debt holdings
By Juan Pedro Marín Arrese, in Madrid | Those hedge funds resisting debt restructuring shouldn’t nurture any hope to save their money. The titles they hold might be governed by international law. But should Greece turn off the tap, counting on CDS to fill the gap might prove a delusion. Credit default guarantors have already [...]
The giant beast of Credit Default Swaps is getting nervous
NEW YORK | Officials from the International Swaps and Derivatives Association have stated that Greece has not had a ‘credit event’ and credit default swap payments will not be triggered, at least not yet. The body’s decision has reignited the debate over the usefulness of CDS. CDS are a US$32 trillion market, which is more [...]
A 68% haircut for Greece’s bonds? And the CDS?
By Tania Suárez, in Madrid | The markets are looking very closely at Greece after the negotiations for the bailout froze due to issues involving the private sector participation. The press is now speculating over a possible 68% haircut to bear by creditors as reported in the Financial Times on Wednesday. As Nordkapp analysts explain [...]
Sorry, why are US banks’ credit default swaps going up?
In spite of appetite for US banks being healthy and at the top of the S&P upward trend, their CDS keep rocketing, too, at quite a pace (+7,72% on Thursday). The graph pictures the changes from May-June. We fear is a correlation effect from what’s happening to Chinese banks. Details from Barclays Capital: “China closing [...]
