Archive - May 2012 - Story

"We think the ramifications of a Greek exit are more serious than the market anticipates", is how Morgan Stanley starts their European strategy report this week. They have raised their probability of a Euro break-up to 35% but the most likely outcome they foresee is a Euro divorce with Greece's exit preceded by strong contagion via three main transmission channels: the sovereign, the banking sector, and the political situation. Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Portugal are unsurprisingly the most at risk of material contagion and they recommend investors stay positioned defensively across risky assets as we remain in the 'Crisis' stage of the so-called C.R.I.C. cycle - and they note that unlike so many knife-catching US equity and Italian bond buyers, it is not sensible to try to pre-empt the Response phase of C.R.I.C. cycle. There appears to be four scenarios (and evolutions) for the future of Europe (from Renaissance to Divorce with Staggering On and an awkward 'Italian Marriage' in between) and we drill into the four additional possibilities under the divorce scenario for insight into the effects various risky asset classes will feel in each case.

Yesterday we mocked the fact that the Bankia's bailout costs are doubling with each passing day. Today, things just got "Messi-er":

SPAIN'S CATALONIA REGION NEEDS GOVERNMENT HELP, RUNNING OUT OF DEBT FINANCING OPTIONS-CATALAN PRESIDENT - RTRS

So... if broke Bankia can rehypothecate Ronaldo, can Barcelona demand delivery of Messi and pledge him as ECB collateral too? Or was he nationalized by the government in retaliation for that whole "Argentina" thing?

Euro bonds “didn’t find much support” at the EU conference.
                              -Jean-Claude Juncker

“A majority of European Union leaders at a Brussels summit this week backed joint euro-area bonds.”
                             -Mario  Monti

Encapsulated in these two comments is the problem that Europe is now facing. Two views, two radically different positions and no agreement on a middle ground because there is not one. Of course the periphery countries, the weaker nations want Eurobonds because it would dramatically drop their cost of funding. Of course Germany and their stronger EU countries do not want it because it would dramatically raise their cost of funding. Nations, in the end, will act in their own self-interest, this has been proven more than enough times in history, which is why I stand by my conclusion that Eurobonds will not be forthcoming regardless of the polite rhetoric attached to them.

Newedge: "Last thing I asked before I went traveling was "try not to break anything" while I’m away. I get back this morning and it looks like a bunch of teenagers have had a particularly messy drug-fuelled rave in the market’s front room. The day-on-day charts hide the roller-coaster ride we've seen on the back of the Euro. Bond markets are in lock-down awaiting what-ever-next “liquidity bomb” the authorities can find to drop. Aside from some minor bond crosses, there has been zip activity outside zero-coupon bunds, gilts and treasuries. There is more liquidity in the Atacama desert."

European stock futures saw a jump higher at the cash equity open as the Eurostoxx broke through yesterday’s high of 2160. Comments from the Italian PM from late yesterday, who said that the majority of ministers are in favour of Euro bonds was noted but the move was largely technically driven with stops tripped on the ascent. In reaction to this the European bond yield spreads in the 10yr part of the curve tightened aggressively with OAT’s outperforming once again edging back toward the psychological 100bps level. Meanwhile in the FX market the USD weakened in early trade on the renewed risk appetite which bolstered the gains in EUR/USD alongside touted option defence by a Swiss name at the 1.2500 level. Commodity linked currencies such as the AUD was the main benefactor of a moderate move higher in crude futures and precious metals but has been capped so far by offers at 0.9800. Into the North American open prices have pared, with European equities in the cash and futures both slipping into the red, excepting the DAX. A distinctly light calendar from the US with only the May final Michigan report due, coupled with an early closure in the Treasury pit today, ahead of the Memorial day holiday, means that volumes will likely decline into the latter stages of the US session today.

With US markets already checked out ahead of the holiday day weekend, and Europe acting abnormally stupid (PIIGS bond spreads plunging, then soaring right back), there is little newsflow to report overnight, except for a key report that China loan growth is plunging in what is a major risk flag proudly ignored by all algos (but not the SHCOMP which dropped 0.7%). Futures have followed the now traditional inverse pattern of selling off early in the Asian session, then ramping following the European opening on nothing but vapors of hope. All that needs to happen today is a drop early in regular trading, following by a major squeeze on the third consecutive baseless rumor for the week to be complete, and for stocks to actually post an increase even as the EUR crashes and burns. Unless of course we get a rumor that Europe will be open on Monday even as the US is not there to bail out risk assets.

• This is the solution? - Germany Writing Six-Point Plan for Europe Growth, Spiegel Says (Bloomberg)
• JPMorgan Gave Risk Oversight to Museum Head Who Sat on AIG Board (Bloomberg)
• Vatican bank president Gotti Tedeschi ousted -statement (Reuters)
• Bribery, crime and stupidity pays. From this: SEC Staff Ends Probe of Lehman Without Finding Fraud (Bloomberg)
• To this: Lehman to buy remaining Archstone stake for $1.58 billion (Reuters)
• Governments must restore faith in debt sustainability: ECB's Praet (Reuters) - by issuing more debt
• IMF Helping EU Explore Alternatives to Euro Bonds (WSJ)... such as US-funded bailout bonds?
• China Banks May Miss Loan Target for 2012, Officials Say (Bloomberg)
• Facebook market makers' losses total at least $100 million (Reuters)
• World Bank’s Sri Mulyani Says Asean Is Resilient to Europe Woes (Bloomberg)
• Time to flip "The Scream" - Tiffany Cuts Full-Year Profit Forecast (Bloomberg)
• Definitely Maybe: Italy's Monti says Greece will probably keep euro (Reuters)

Two days ago we highlighted the growing divergence between Italian sovereign credit spreads (tightening) improving while EURUSD was deteriorating rapidly - suggesting (for those with deep pockets) an interesting convergence trade. It seems that whatever message the FX traders are hearing is being ignored by equities too now as today US equities diverged even more dramatically joining the rest of risk assets in their divergence from strong USD, weak EUR flows. It seems risk assets broadly are pricing in 'an event' and then thinking ahead to the subsequent 'intervention' that will inevitably float all boats. However, what is clear, in our view from the EURUSD price action, is that unlike many who expect the Fed to save the day, EUR weakness implies some form of monetization by the ECB (or reduces the market's implied expectation for Fed QE3/4). Given tonight's weak equity futures performance (ES -7pts from late highs), we suspect the FX market has it right and momos are over-thinking the reaction impulse function as a given - or more clearly - if Greece exits and no other risk-assets drop (having already anticipated the central bank reaction), will the central bank reaction come?

We have spent a considerable amount of time in the last week or two explaining just why depositor withdrawals (or bank runs) are the death knell for the Euro experiment. We first described the 'run on banks and governments' on the basis of the potential for overnight loss of 'fungibility' back in December but the escalation last week in Greece (and the contagion to Spain's Bankia) signals things are shifting to 11 on the amplifier of Euro-Fail. This evening brings new information from The Guardian that 'Police are urging Greeks to keep their money in bank accounts rather than putting it at risk of theft, amid further uncertainty about whether the austerity-struck country will remain in the eurozone.' Greece's national police spokesman, Thanassis Kokkalakis, told Reuters: "Many people have withdrawn their money from the banks fearing a financial crash, and they either carry it on them, find a hideout at home or in storage rooms. We urge people to trust the banking system, leave their money there, or at least in a safe place, not hide it at home" Is anyone picturing Cramer and his 'Bear Stearns' call? Speculation of a Euro-wide deposit guarantee scheme was quashed somewhat by yesterday's dismally predictable non-event summit - especially given the only three-week span to the next elections. That leaves Greek citizens juggling the possibility of having their home robbed against the probability that the government, via GEURO-isation, will do it for them in the bank.

The impression that bankers and regulators have seems to be that banks are doing customers a favour by holding onto their money and occasionally losing it all buying junk securities. Nope. In a free market, banks that tried to charge customers for the privilege would be laughed out of the marketplace. Banks — by their very definition as intermediaries — generate profits from making good investments, not by charging customers for the privilege of holding their money. Unfortunately this isn’t a free market, and banks can (and probably will) co-ordinate with each other to keep the market uncompetitive. Barriers to entry make it difficult to impossible for new players to enter the market and dislodge the status quo.

The following EOD commentary from Goldman's S&T desk pretty much summarizes how everyone feels.

Note the following sequence of events, bolded numbers, and dates:

• Bank Of Spain Formally Nationalizes Bankia, Says Insolvent Bank Is "Solvent", Adds There Is No Cause For Concern, Zero Hedge, May 9
• Spain is taking over Bankia by converting its 4.5 billion euros of preferred shares in the group’s parent company into ordinary shares, BusinessWeek, May 21
• Spain said on Wednesday its rescue of problem lender Bankia would cost at least 9 billion euros ($11 billion), as the government tries to clean up a banking system that threatens  to drag the country deeper into the euro zone crisis, Reuters, May 23   
• Bankia SA will have to ask the Spanish government for more than 15 billion euros as part of its effort to restore its financial health, state-owned news agency EFE reported Thursday, citing financial sources, Dow Jones, May 24

Hopefully we aren't the only ones to notice how the bailout cost has oddly doubled almost on a daily basis.

Not like this will come as a surprise to anyone in the aftermath of last week's abysmal FaceBook IPO which pretty much killed all retail interest in equity markets, but in the last week, the "dumb" money pulled another $3.5 billion out of domestic stocks per ICI, bringing the total tally to 13 consecutive weeks of outflows, and 52 weeks of outflows in the past 56 weeks, with redemptions amounting to $46 billion in 2012, compared to just $6.5 billion for the same period in 2011. Algo-matic, the 20 remaining Primary Dealers and whatever hedge funds are left can pass hot grenades amongst each other: the retail money (RIP) has found other ways to amuse itself.