Archive - Jun 29, 2015

The threats are flying fast and furious now. Moments after the WSJ quoted a Greek official as saying that Greece will not make its IMF bond payment, the ECB struck back when Bloomberg reported that the ECB would review the legality of Greek aid should there not be a deal, i.e., on July 1 post an IMF default. According to Austrian central bank Governor and ECB member, Ewald Nowotny, on Wednesday’s governing council meeting the central bank will decide whether it can continue to provide emergency support for Greece once current bailout program expires June 30, as the Wiener Zeitung originally reported.

After soaring exponentially over 100% in the past 12 months, amid spiking margin debt for illiterate farmers and housewives, Chinese regulators appear upset that their stock market 'wealth creation' model is failing hard. CSRC just released a statement clarifying why it is happening ("clearly profit-taking"); who is to blame ("The Government hopes investors can make independent judgement; Don't believe or follow negative rumors against Chinese economic development,"); and what to do next - Buy because it has "ample liquidity to meet investor needs." The regulator ends with a stunner - demanding investors "act rationally."

Regardless of what package the Troika (or China or Russia) would have ever given Greece, the endgame would have always been full tilt default. This can be mathematically proven. There are also about 14 other countries with similar characteristics - all easily seen with just a modicum of insight and research. Just as easy is the ability to avoid the inevitable capital controls and bank bail-ins that the Greeks are subject to now.

We are watching the total collapse of Democracy and the birth of a new era – Economic Totalitarianism from Arrogant people who are totally clueless beyond their own greed for power and money.

The Syrian "chemical weapons" narrative is back and with it is the confirmaton that Russia will not leave the US dictate middle eastern borders unilaterally. Syria's foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow on Monday that top ally Russia had promised to send political, economic and military aid to his country. "I got a promise of aid to Syria - politically, economically and militarily," Walid al-Moualem said at a televised news conference in Moscow after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A dream image for the fringe finance low brows of Zero Hedge Town...

Tomorrow at 8pm, we’re adding an extra second to the day. Over the past 200 years, the length of a day has increased by two milliseconds, which is all well and good, but the insane accuracy of the atomic clocks we’ve been using since 1967 doesn’t account for that, so we’ve had to add leap seconds 25 times since 1972. Tomorrow, however, is the first time a leap second will be added during trading hours since markets went electronic. 

Eurocrats have spent untold billions of other people’s money to save face, just so they wouldn’t have to admit that Project “Make Everyone Germany” has failed. But what they never acknowledged was that no matter how much they extend and pretend, the disease will always reach its crisis. And this financial disease is going to slay the patient. History is very clear on this point: debt kills.

In the natural course of things, structural reform can occur, but that natural course entails some degree of disorder and loss.

Europe's Senior Financial credit index traded a stunning 20bps wider at the open to 97bps before giving a little back and holding at around 90bps. This is the biggest spike in European bank risk since May 2010... and is the highest level of risk since December 2013. Is faith in central bank omnipotence faltering?

Lesson 1: Make a big pile of mud; Lesson 2: ...

Trannies touched unchanged and instantly reversed but Dow Industrials only managed a modest bounce of opening lows. However, the momo did not last and there's no Nike to save the day today - The Dow is now down over 200 points and has tumbled back into the red for 2015.

Greek stocks may be closed and the bond market super-illiquid but traders are willing to dump GGBs at almost any price for now. 10Y Greek government bonds are spiking over 400bps and have topped 15% for the first time since December 2012.

Because nothing of import happened this weekend. And if it did, the central banks "got it covered."