International Monetary Fund

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"Greece not only does not have the ability to pay this debt, but also should not pay this debt first and foremost because the debt emerging from the Troika’s arrangements is a direct infringement on the fundamental human rights of the residents of Greece. Hence, we came to the conclusion that Greece should not pay this debt because it is illegal, illegitimate, and odious."

As the war of words between Athens and Brussels reaches a fever pitch ahead of Thursday's Eurogroup meeting, the Bank of Greece has made a plea to both sides as capital controls and a "Lehman Weekend" loom. "A manageable debt crisis, as the one that we are currently addressing with the help of our partners, would snowball into an uncontrollable crisis, with great risks for the banking system and financial stability. An exit from the euro would only compound the already adverse environment, as the ensuing acute exchange rate crisis would send inflation soaring.

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Caught between a recalcitrant Left Platform and exasperated creditors, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras must decide how he wants history to remember his tenure as Prime Minister. Either he will be the leader who allowed Greece to crash out of the euro on its way to a redomination-driven economic collapse, or he will go down as the fiery advocate for change who caved under pressure and allowed the troika to stamp out democracy in the place where it was born. 

Royal Dutch Shell has been considering ending its partnership with a Ukrainian energy company in a shale gas exploration venture in eastern Ukraine because of the fighting in the region and prospect of little profit from the project. In fact, at least two news reports say Shell already has notified Ukraine that it’s leaving in a formal “notice of withdrawal.”

Irrespective of the political wrangling going on behind the scenes both in Athens and in Brussels, a terminal bank run could plunge Greece into a crisis faster than politicians can react, an eventuality which would have to be met with capital controls. As FT reports, Athens is "running out of options" to avoid a Cyprus repeat.

This is getting ridiculous...

On the heels of what appeared to be an ultimatum from EU creditors, Greece remains defiant on pension cuts and a VAT hike, testing the troika's resolve as the countdown to the next maybe-deadline continues. Meanwhile, Germany warns that Grexit could embolden EU "separatist" movements and Dijsselbloem reminds Tsipras that noncompliance isn't an option.

And just like that we are back to the rumor drawing board.

IMF'S RICE SAYS NO PROGRESS MADE TOWARD DEAL WITH GREECE, IMF HAS MAJOR DIFFERENCES WITH GREECE IN KEY AREAS: SPOKESMAN
IMF'S TECHNICAL TEAM ON GREECE HAS LEFT BRUSSELS, RICE SAYS

But "two Bloomberg sources" said yesterday a deal was almost assured. What gives? 

As China builds its own multilateral institutions, Beijing has been keen to dispel the notion that it seeks to supplant the Bretton Woods order with its own brand of Eastern hegemony and although one can certainly question the degree to which China’s aims are rooted purely in an inclination to be benevolent towards nations in need of fixed asset investment, Beijing is making an effort to distance itself from the way the US governs the institutions under its control.

From Greek lobbyists to Silicon Valley VCs and from Goldman BSDs to FT reporters, The Bilderberg Group will meet later this week in Tirol to discuss what happens next to the rest of the world... here are the participants...

In attempt to bridge the gap between a proposal submitted by Greek PM Alexis Tsipras last Monday and a draft agreement devised by creditors the following day, Athens has reportedly submitted a "revised" proposal to creditors. Unnamed officials say the new draft is "not credible" and represents but "a vague rehash" of last week's effort. Meanwhile, Athens is looking to tap ESM emergency funding to pay the ECB.

Every great con game eventually comes to an end.