Archive - Dec 1, 2011

The first, if very transitory, fruits of a US-taxpayer (insufficient) bailout of Europe bear fruit. This morning Italy’s 10-year yield has dropped below the psychological 7% barrier while the yield of Spain’s 10 year bonds is testing a break below 6% after strong auction results in France and Spain. As noted by Bloomberg, "easing funding concerns is also buoying core bonds as French yields drop the most on record while spreads on Austrian, Belgium bonds over bunds narrow significantly to break/test key 50- and 100-DMA supports." Naturally the safe-havens, Bunds and Gilts, slump, which makes the probability of another failed German auction remote as primary market demand will rise at lower prices. Specifically, in France the 10 year yield dropped -25bps to 3.15% the biggest decline since at least 1990; lowest since Nov. 9. France today sold €1.571 billion bonds due Oct. 2021, Average yield 3.18% vs prev 3.22% and a Bid/cover 3.05 vs prev 2.24. France also sold: €595 million bonds due Oct. 2017, at an average yield 2.42% and a bid/cover 4.4; €1.1 billion bonds due April 2026 at average yield 3.65% and bid/cover 3.24; €1.08b bonds due April 2041 at average yield 3.94% and Bid/cover 2.26. Elsewhere Spain also performed quite well: Spain met its maximum auction target today to sell EU3.75b in 3 bonds, fetching higher bid/cover ratios for all of them: Spain sold EU1.2b 3-yr bond due April 2015 bonds at an average yield 5.19% vs prev 4.27% and a bid/cover ratio 2.7 vs prev 1.66; also sold were €1.15 billion 4-yr bond due January 2016, an average yield 5.276% vs prev 5.187% and aid/cover ratio 2.83 vs prev 2.7, and €1.4b 5-yr bond due January 2017 average yield 5.54% vs prev 4.85% - a bid/cover ratio 2.69 vs prev 1.62. Yet in terms of outright liquidity, the primary beneficiary were USD-factors: 3-month Euribor/OIS  spread continues to rise today to reach highest levels since March 2009 despite the concerted central bank actions on dollar swap funding, specifically the 3-mo Euribor/OIS +1 bp to 1.0 from 0.99 yesterday, highest since March 2009. However, funding strains ease further in cross-currency basis swaps. 3-mo EUR/USD cross currency basis swap +10.63bps to -120.63bps, least since Nov. 15.

First Black Friday, and now the Modern Finance Farce Company Surprise Twist Ending takes on the global bailout...

The United States is quickly becoming a post industrial neo-3rd-world country. Partly as a consequence of worsening unemployment and lack of economic opportunity, falling real wages and household incomes, growing poverty and increasing concentration of wealth, the U.S. government faces a historic fiscal crisis. Dominant corporate influence over the U.S. government, particularly by large banks, weakening rule of law at the federal level and destructive tax policies are compounding the economic problems facing the United States. Barring fundamental reforms or a hyperinflationary collapse of the U.S. dollar (due to the fiscal problems of the U.S. government), the deterioration of the U.S. economy will continue and accelerate. As the U.S. economy continues its decline, public health, nutrition and education, as well as the country’s infrastructure, will visibly deteriorate and the 3rd world status of the United States will become apparent.