Posts Tagged ‘Central and Eastern Europe’

Here’s More Proof of the Sheer Lunacy of the European Bank Stress Tests: Passed Banks are Already Trying to Collect on Defaulted Claims of European Nations

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

Much of the mainstream media has carried articles that were at least somewhat skeptical of the European bank stress tests. I think being “somewhat skeptical” is about 5 leagues below where they should be, but its a start. After all, the EU actually passed a bank that is literally insolvent. I don’t want to pound on the actual insolvency of this German bank, since I already went into detail on this topic earlier, but it is imperative that my readers understand the depth and extent of the travesty (or lies) that are being promulgated in the name of “transparency”. I ridiculed the basis of these stress tests last week (European Bank Investors, Don’t Look Now – You’ve Been Hoodwinked, BamBoozled…), but now it is time to show you that these tests which assume the biggest threat to the European banking system (sovereign default or restructuring) will not occur and capriciously passes banks that not only will be hampered in the future, but are actually quite insolvent (by nearly any realistic means measurable) now, have actually proven that the risks of restructuring and/or haircuts are virtually guaranteed. This leaves the results of the stress tests a farce, at best and an insult to capitalism and common sense.

The tests assumed that there would not be a sovereign default. The tests also refused to mark “hold to maturity” inventory to market, despite the fact that said inventory may be permanently impaired. The logic? Europe will not allow a default. But how about a restructuring? And how will Europe handle more than one sovereign coming to the restructuring trough? I’ve already demonstrated the damage that can be done in A Comparison of Our Greek Bond Restructuring Analysis to that of Argentina.

Price of the bond that went under restructuring and was exchanged for the Par bond in 2005

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Price of the bond that went under restructuring and was exchanged for the Discount bond

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Now That the MSM and Chinese Officials Admit There Is a Bubble In China…

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

About a week and a half ago I released a refresh of the HSBC Foensnic Analysis along with a macro rant on why China will not pull the world out of an economic slump in “Will the Emerging Markets Lead the World to New Growth?”. HSBC is an interesting bank to cover since it has its hands in so many emerging markets as well as developed nations. In a nutshell, I truly don’t believe a net export nation can lead a highly indebted developed world to economic nirvana when that indebted world is in the process of buying less (in terms of imports, and practically everything else) as well as paring down reliance on leverage as they wrestle with depreciating assets.

Well, this week, reality hit and the MSM news headlines say: China Says Exports Outlook ‘Grim’ on Europe Demand

China sounded a gloomy note on Tuesday about its export prospects, warning in particular that belt-tightening by deeply indebted European Union governments would dampen demand for the country’s goods.

Calling the trade picture “still complicated and grim”, the Ministry of Commerce said high growth in exports in the first half would give way to slow growth in the second half.

“The sovereign debt crisis has made many EU countries shift to fiscal austerity from fiscal expansion, which will greatly restrict consumption and investment growth in the EU,” the ministry’s spokesman, Yao Jian, told a news conference.

There is a great, big, 50+ article, “I told ya so!” to be had here. Reference “the Coming Pan-European Sovereign Debt Crisis” – and be aware that this malaise is guaranteed to spread. See the Sovereign Contagion model below for more on this…

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In the News This 29th Day of June, 2010: A Whole Bunch of “This Ain’t No Surprises” from Europe

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

From CNBC.com: Europe Double-Dip May Bring Correction: Roubini

Economic woes in Europe could spread to the U.S. and lead to a further correction in stock prices, Nouriel Roubini, chairman of Roubini Global Economics, told CNBC on Monday.

Hey, but wasn’t I saying that since January of this year??!! Remember back February when the media and the sell side analysts said the Greek problems were soon to be solved and this definitely was not a “European” problem but rather a localized one?

BoomBustBlog, February 7, 2010: The Coming Pan-European Sovereign Debt Crisis – introduces the crisis and identified it as a pan-European problem, not a in localized one.

Sovereign Risk Alpha: The Banks Are Bigger Than Many of the Sovereigns

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This is just a sampling of individual banks whose assets dwarf the GDP of the nations in which they’re domiciled. To make matters even worse, leverage is rampant in Europe, even after the debacle which we are trying to get through has shown the risks of such an approach. A sudden deleveraging can wreak havoc upon these economies. Keep in mind that on an aggregate basis, these banks are even more of a force to be reckoned with. I have identified Greek banks with adjusted leverage of nearly 90x whose assets are nearly 30% of the Greek GDP, and that is without factoring the inevitable run on the bank that they are probably experiencing. Throw in the hidden NPAs that I cannot discern from my desk in NY, and you have a bank that has problems, levered into a country that has even more problems.

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Bloomberg has as a headline today: Stress Tests on European Banks Must Assess Sovereign Risks, EU Draft Shows. Duhhh! As if we should really ignore the biggest threat to the solvency of the the European banking system in a so-called “stress test”. What is this, Geithner “lite”? Reference  How Greece Killed Its Banks! to see exactly how much damage those who wish to ignore sovereign risks are trying to hide…

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Opinions of the MSM News Headlines for June 4th, 2010

Friday, June 4th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

In continuing my data intense, hardcore, uber-objective dissection of the stuff that is proffered through the mainstream media (MSM), I bring you:

•Payrolls in U.S. Climb Less Than Estimated as Confidence in Recovery Wanes

June 4 (Bloomberg) — Employers in the U.S. hired fewer workers in May than forecast and Americans dropped out of the labor force, showing a lack of confidence in the recovery that may lead to slower economic growth.

Payrolls rose by 431,000 last month, including a 411,000 jump in government hiring of temporary workers for the 2010 census, Labor Department figures in Washington showed today. Economists projected a 536,000 gain, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey. Private payrolls rose a less-than-forecast 41,000. The jobless rate fell to 9.7 percent.

This was not hard to see coming if you studied the numbers with an objective eye. If we dig up last year’s BoomBustBlog article on the topic, we’ll ponder… “Are the Effects of Unemployment About To Shoot Through the Roof?” as excerpted below.

A recent zero-hedge article rightly questioned the reliability of the reported unemployment figures by comparing the reported increase in the unemployment benefits paid with the reported increase in the number of insured unemployed. According to the figures reported by Department of Labor (DOL), the total number of insured unemployed in the US has risen by nearly 400% since September 2007 and has reached nearly 10.5 million as of Dec 19, 2009. However, if we look at the monthly withdrawals on the unemployment insurance account (according to the Daily Treasury Statement prepared by the Financial Management Service), the expenditure has risen by nearly 550%. The difference has been widening since April 2009 (coincidentally, right about the time the S&P 500 rocketed skywards, and the housing market made several month to month gains [see If Anybody Bothered to Take a Close Look at the Latest Housing Numbers..."]) and has increased substantially in Dec 2009.

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The EU Has Set Up An Oppurtunistic Entry Point for Shorts Instead of Expressly Offering a Solution to the Pan-European Sovereign Debt Crisis!

Monday, May 10th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

As many of us were expecting, the EU has come together for their 54th meeting to discuss their 9th solution to the problems that were contained in just Greece, which were over two months ago, just as Greece said they didn’t want and were not looking for any aid – which was good since the Germans said they would never give any aid as France said any inclusion of the IMF would be the end of the Euro – as the IMF offers aid right before this big meeting that arranges a nearly trillion dollar package of more promises that pushed the STOXX index up over 7%. Wheww!!! Even with a 4 line run-on I could barely get all of the non-functional BS in. Let me excerpt this one line from a recent Bloomberg story that sums it all up:

“It might temporarily calm nerves but questions will come back later on how they will pay for this package when all of them need fiscal consolidation,” Anantha-Nageswaran also said.

It appears that “politciians” will never be able to solve this economic problem of the state, for they are too constrained by politics (I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt in assuming they truly recognize the problem). For those that don’t get it, I will try to express it simply…. You cannot cure issues of over-indebtedness and insolvency by lopping humongous amounts of debt onto the problem. All that does is exacerbated the issue, with the immediately calming, but eventually scalding realization that all you have done was kicked the can down the road (and adding lead to said can which makes it both heavier and more toxic). The ailing countries at hand need significant structural change and equity in some form or fashion. Adding more debt simply makes them more indebted.

ECB policy makers said they will counter “severe tensions” in “certain” markets by purchasing government and private debt, and the bank restarted a dollar-swap line with the Federal Reserve.

QE, right on schedule. The ECB will load up on this stuff which will eventually devalue, and then what???? The will look just like the Federal Reserve, minus the reserve currency… Don’ t get me wrong, I’m all for significant action to be taken, but it must be in a logical definable form. Just spending money replicates the actions that got us here in the first place. Back to the original questions, “How will it be pad for when nearly all of the contributing states are facing some form or fashion of austerity of their own?” and “Where is equity to counterbalance all of this debt?”.

“This truly is overwhelming force, and should be more than sufficient to stabilize markets in the near term, prevent panic and contain the risk of contagion,” Marco Annunziata, chief economist at UniCredit Group in London, said in an e-mailed note. “This is Shock and Awe, Part II and in 3-D.”

Yeah, okay! More like spend and borrow, the indebted edition… The US “Shock and Awe” was an EQUITY package, not a loan package! Read the rest of this entry »

Introducing The BoomBustBlog Sovereign Contagion Model: Thus far, it has been right on the money for 5 months straight!

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

Anybody who has been following for the last fiscal quarter or so (or has seen my Spanish bank work in 2009) knows that I believe that the EMU as it stood in 2009 would probably be non-existent by the end of 2010. All of the pundits who proclaimed that the European debt crisis was over with the mere declaration that Greece may receive some additional debt either were abjectly lying or truly didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. To be honest, there are a lot (and I mean a whole lot) of data points, angles and contingencies to grasp thus it is not necessarily easy. Then again, isn’t that what these market professionals get paid for.

Very early in the year, I virtually guaranteed that the Greek banks would fall, or at least have to be rescued (a 2nd time) before they fell. I practically promised it. In the news today…

Lagarde to discuss Greece support with banks: French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde will meet with bank leaders on Wednesday to discuss how its banks could participate in the Greek rescue package. Lagarde told the French parliament the country’s banks will reiterate their support for the rescue process on Wednesday but she said tomorrow’s meeting could lead to them taking on a more active role, along the lines of what German banks have done. French banks have so far not been asked by the government to participate directly in the Greek rescue package, two sources in France’s banking sector said earlier on Tuesday. They have only been asked to maintain their exposure to Greece and have agreed to do this, the sources said. “Nothing beyond this has been requested by the government,” one of the sources told Reuters. France has overall the highest exposure to Greek debt, with about $75.2 billion worth of assets in total, according to Bank of International data as at end-2009. Germany’s top banks and insurers offered support on Tuesday mainly by keeping open credit lines to banks and by agreeing not to sell Greek bonds for the duration of a wider IMF-led bailout. Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that German financial firms had agreed to buy bonds issued by state controlled bank KfW as a way to help finance the bailout. Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Josef Ackermann said it was important to extinguish the fire in Greece and pledged to help the country. Ackermann is helping to coordinate efforts by the private sector to support the Greek rescue package.

I suggest one references my post, How Greece Killed Its Own Banks!. Read the rest of this entry »

Actionable Intelligence Note For All Paying Subscibers on European Bank Research

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

It would pay to review all of the relevant European bank research. The market seems to have realized the perilous linkages throughout the EU and is taking many (if not all) of the researched banks down. This research came out early enough for all subscribers to have been able to take advantage of it. Of particular note should be:

Easter Weekend News Update

Sunday, April 4th, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

Canadian Dollar Too Strong? Bloomberg.com:

  • Minority opposition in Canadian Parliament is growing over strengthening Loonie
  • Leaders fear fallout in exports from CAD nearly at parity with USD
  • CAD strength is directly tied to Chinese commodity demand (is the CAD bubblicious, too?)

Relevant BoomBustBlog content (we gave you an explicit warning of this in early January): China’s Most Expensive Export: Price Inflation

Ukraine is dangerously close to the brink http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601095&sid=aNw4Q7ntlMqc

  • Ukraine is about to use up the remainder of a $16.4 billion IMF loan
  • Premier Mykola Arazov has applied for another loan to “reform the economy” (what the hell did they do with the first $16.4 billion?)
  • Ukraine has needed assistance to make good with about 20 lenders

We have went through this in exquisite detail, both in the public sections of the blog and particularly in the subscriber-only content. See The Depression is Already Here for Some Members of Europe, and It Just Might Be Contagious! Professional and institutional subscribers should carefully reference “Banks Exposed to CEE & SEE” while all paying subscribers should review the “Greek Banking Industry Tear Sheet“.

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How BoomBustBlog Research Intersects with That of the IMF: Greece in the Spotlight

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

The IMF has recently released the results of their staff consultations with Greece. Some may find it interesting, particularly where it intersects with relevant BoomBustBlog research. Let’s not mince words here. Greece is going to effectively default on its debt, one way or another, and it is probably going to do it relatively soon. Shall we walk through the IMF findings from LAST YEAR and how they are actually optimistic compared to the facts that my team and I have dug up?

IMF Consultation: Greece (2009)
Context:

·    After joining the EU, the income gap between Greece and the Eurozone fell on lower interest rates and the resulting “demand boom”
·    Through the boom, fiscal deficits stayed at >95% of GDP, fiscal condition continues to aggravate 10 year spreads & contributes to credit downgrades (arguably a lagging indicator)
·    Private Greek debt is below the Eurozone average, as is the case for non-financial corporations (governments and financial services therefore must be the source of Greek leveraging)
·    Even as output has dropped, Greek wages have remained comparably high, and saw a 12% nominal increases in from 2008 – 2009
·    Quality of assets on Grecian balance sheets continues to erode with end of credit based consumption in Southeastern Europe (SEE)
·    Household and corporate credit growth has slowed, probably due to rising interest rates causing the opportunity cost of taking on new debt to be unmanageable (directly causing revenue shortfall at the government level)

Projections:
·    IMF forecasted uncertain, and potentially negative growth from 2009 through 2010 on stagnant trade and policy based mistakes
·    The EU had a much rosier forecast, citing a rise in tourism, lower dependency on trade, and government based infrastructure projects (that are paid in money taken from bond offerings and paid to construction workers at far greater than average Eurozone wages)

I have sourced the accuracy of both the IMF and the EU’s forecasting in “Lies, Damn Lies, and Sovereign Truths: Why the Euro is Destined to Collapse!. If your well being relies on this stuff, you would be well served to subscribe to our research services. Let’s take a visual perusal of what I am talking about in regards to Grecian GDP, the IMF and the EU.

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The EU/EC has proven to be no better, and if anything is arguably worse!

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Here are our considerably more realistic forecasts (premiums content: Greece Public Finances Projections). 

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Lies, Damn Lies, and Sovereign Truths: Why the Euro is Destined to Collapse!

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 by Reggie Middleton

If this article goes viral around the web, I wouldn't be surprised if the euro tanks and several European sovereign states' spreads blow out. I have busted several of them in another of a long series of "creative" economic forecasting schemes to fudge the appearance of "austerity". 

Well, its official (sort of). Greece, a member of the European Union, will probably join the ranks of countries like Latvia (where policies are limited by the choice of the currency regime), Iceland (where the crisis has resulted in a very heavy external debt burden), the Ukraine (which is still affected by financial and political fragility) and a bevy of third world and emerging market countries in distress from the (not very) esteemed club of IMF financial aid recipients. What does this portend for the Euro? Well, I have blogged earlier in the year that the Euro's credibility is now highly suspect and those pundits who dared contemplate the Euro potentially replacing the dollar as the global reserve currency now see the folly of their ways. The chances of a break-up are significantly higher and quite realistic. Credit Agricole's currency strategist puts it succinctly:

“If Greece goes with the IMF, that says something terrible about the political process within Europe,” said Stuart Bennett, a senior foreign-exchange strategist at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in London. “This undermines any confidence in the currency."

Greece will probably end up defaulting on their debt, with or without the aid of the IMF, and they will probably have good company with several other EU members. I say so, and so does UBS Economist Donovan.

“I think it’s in an impossible situation,” said Donovan, who is based in London, in an interview with Bloomberg Radio today. “Europe has failed to clear its first serious hurdle. If Europe can’t solve a small problem like this, how on earth is it going to solve the larger problem, which is the euro doesn’t work. It’s a bad idea.”

How dare I make such a proclamation? Well, because I am telling the truth based upon facts and the many forecasts from the various sovereign nations are basically based upon lies, fiction and farce! As it is look at how the market is viewing the Greek tragedy:

European governments have yet to agree on how to fund any rescue for Greece, which says it will struggle to pay its debts at current market interest rates. While Prime Minister George Papandreou announced a 4.8 billion euro ($6.4 billion) austerity package on March 3, the extra yield that investors demand to hold Greek debt over German counterparts has since risen.

The spread was at 324 basis points today compared with 316 points at the start of the month. The euro fell 1 percent today to $1.3358, extending its decline this year to 6.7 percent.

I am willing to bet the "market" has not taken a strong, hard, objective look at those proposed austerity measures and uncovered the secrets that I am about to reveal. If they have, these spreads would have been blown out much wider. 

A German finance official said yesterday that both countries may agree to involve the IMF. Papandreou said March 19 that Greece, which needs to sell about 10 billion euros ($13.4 billion) of bonds in coming weeks, is a step away from not being able to borrow and may need to turn to the IMF if European aid isn’t forthcoming.

Europe’s fiscal crisis shows the need for the euro region to create a common fiscal policy, former U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont said in an interview in London today.

“That would be the logical step,” Lamont said. “I don’t think they are prepared to do that, and without doing that I think the euro is a contradiction, a currency without a state.”

Bingo! The man hit the point right on the head. There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

I want to visually and verbally demonstrate what an absolute joke European economic estimates have been throughout this crisis, and more importantly how politicians and sovereign states are interpreting this joke in such a way that can deliver a punch line that can most assuredly end in sever global recession, or worse. This document/blog post alone should serve to sink the Euro and blow out CDS spreads for several European sovereign. Why? Because the truth hurts and the truth is not what has been coming from European sovereign states as of late.

The IMF and the EU have been consistently and overtly optimistic from the very beginning of this crisis. Their numbers have been dramatically over the top on the super bright, this will end pretty, rosy scenario side – and that is after multiple revisions to the downside!!! We can visit the US concept of regulatory capture (see How Regulatory Capture Turns Doo Doo Deadly  and Lehman Brothers Dies While Getting Away with Murder: Regulatory Capture at its Best) for the EU, but due to time constraints we will save that topic for a later date. To make matters even worse, the sovereign states have taken these dramatically optimistic and proven unrealistic projections and have made even more optimistic and dramatically unrealistic projections on top of those in order to create the illusion of a workable "austerity" plan when in reality there is no way in hell the stated and published plans will come anywhere near reducing the debts and deficits as advertised – No Way in Hell (Hades/Tartarus/Anao/Uffern/Peklo/Niffliehem – just to cover some of the Euro states caught fudging the numbers)!

Let's take a visual perusal of what I am talking about, focusing on those sovereign nations that I have covered thus far.

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