Switzerland

• China Pledges More ‘Fine-Tuning’ in Support for Growth (Bloomberg)... more promises, just never any actual funding
• Spain Calls for Help to Lower Borrowing Rates (AP)
• China Is a Black Box of Misinformation (Bloomberg)
• Fed data expose US$100bn JP Morgan blunder (IFRE)
• EU Chiefs Clash on Bonds Amid Call Greece Keep Cutting (Bloomberg)
• Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest Bailout (WSJ)
• The running schizo tally: EU urges Greece to stay in euro, plans for possible exit (Reuters)
• The Seeds of the EU’s Crisis Were Sown 60 Years Ago (Bloomberg)
• Fed's Bullard says orderly Greek exit possible (Reuters)
• Some Big Firms Got Facebook Warning (WSJ)
• Chesapeake Raises Big Bet in Ohio (WSJ)

All you need to read.

A panel of the Swiss parliament is discussing the introduction of the parallel ‘Gold franc’ currency. Bloomberg has picked up on the news which was reported by Neue Luzerner Zeitung. The Swiss parliament panel will discuss a proposal aimed at introducing a new currency, or a so-called gold franc. Under the proposal, which will be debated in the lower house’s economic panel in Bern today, one coin in gold would be worth about 5 Swiss francs ($5.30), the Swiss newspaper reported. The Swiss franc would remain the official currency, the paper said. The proposal may lead to a wider debate about the Swiss franc and the role gold might again play to protect the Swiss franc from currency debasement. The initiative is part of the “Healthy Currency” campaign which is being promoted by the country’s biggest party – the conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP).

So stepping aside from the biggest aggregator of private data for a few minutes, and focusing on what actually matters, here is Citigroup telling our European readers who have those fancy multi-colored bills in their wallets, that they are in deep trouble.

To summarize from Citi:

• There are many scenarios for a Greek exit;  almost all of them are likely to be EUR negative for an extended period
• Some scenarios could be positive in equilibrium but the run-up to the new equilibrium could be nasty, brutal and long 
• The positive scenarios for the euro involve aggressive reduction of tail risk; none of these seem likely
• It is unlikely that central banks busily substitute EUR for USD in their portfolios during periods of intense political uncertainty.

European cash equities are in the red across the board at the midway point, as the bourses fail to reverse the trend of the past few sessions. With data points very light today, participants continue to focus on the macroeconomic themes as speculation regarding a Greek exit maintains focus. A medium-term maturity Spanish bond auction slightly eased fears, selling to the top of the indicative range, however the appearance of solid demand was countered somewhat by limited supply and sharply higher yields across all three lines. Following the auction results, EUR/USD saw some modest support and the Bund exhibited slight weakness, but this was short-lived as the macroeconomic concerns took over once more. Unexpectedly, the 3-month Euribor rate fixing came in with its first increase since December last year, prompting some selling pressure on the Euribor strip. This move was retraced as it was rumoured that one bank had not submitted a rate due to the Ascension Day market holiday across certain European markets, prompting the incline.

All you need to read.

• Default now or default later? (FT)
• Monti warns of tears in Italy's social fabric (Reuters)
• Fear Grows of Greece Leaving Euro (FT)
• Greek Elections Loom as Key Bailout Opponent Defies Unity (Bloomberg)
• Santander, BBVA to Set Aside 4.5 Billion Euros for New Cleanup (BBG) - Thank god they both passed the stress test
• Austerity Blow for Merkel in German State Election (Reuters)
• Apple Founder Wozniak to Buy Facebook Regardless of Price (Bloomberg) - so... another ponzi.
• Dimon Fortress Breached as Push From Hedging to Betting Blows Up (Bloomberg)
• Saudi and Bahrain Expected to Seek Union: Minister (Reuters)
• Obama Pitches Equal Pay to Win Women Even as Charges Drop (BBG)

• China Industrial Output Growth Slows Sharply In April (WSJ)
• Indian industrial output shrinks unexpectedly (AFP)
• China’s Inflation Moderates, Adding Room for Easing (Bloomberg)... a nickel for every "imminent RRR-cut" prediction
• Drew Built 30-Year JPMorgan Career Embracing Risk (Bloomberg)
• Spain Offered Time to Curb Deficit (FT)
• France Entrepreneurs Flee From Hollande Wealth Rejection (BBG)
• Venizelos Eyes Unity Deal After Agreement With Democratic Left (Ekathimerini)
• Berlin Reaches Out to the Periphery (FT)
• Bernanke Speaks About Risks From End of Pro-Growth Plans (Bloomberg)

"should only 2% of the Fed's assets go into default — or if there is a loss in value of 2% — the Fed becomes insolvent"

A Guide for Those with Much Money and Very Little Patience Whom Want to Prepare for Zombie Apocalypse But Are Afraid to Google It For Fear of DHS Labeling Them A Terrorist.

I think this going to get very messy, soon.

The Immortal Bard must have been referencing Madrid when penning these lines or, if not, would likely approve of their application this morning. The nationalization of Bankia, the third largest bank in Spain, is not some isolated event that is singular and alone in nature regardless of the expected dampening and muted words and phrases issued by the Spanish government. The cancer has been identified but not isolated and you may be assured that it remains in the lymph nodes of the two major banks in Spain. Fortunately, during America’s financial crisis, many of the sub-prime mortgages were securitized and no longer resided on the balance sheets of the American banks. In the case of Spain we find not only the majority of the mortgages resident at the Spanish banks but we find an added dimension which is a huge amount of money lent to Real Estate developers which is impaired and still on the books of the Spanish banks. Further, in my opinion, none of these loans have been accurately accounted for and they are being carried at whimsical valuations by the banks or pledged as collateral at the ECB where the Spanish bank funding jumped 50% in one month and now stands at $294 billion. Following the bouncing ball; there is now so much encumbrance of assets between pledged collateral and covered bond sales that the actual worth of the two major Spanish banks is now someplace between “not much” and “De minimis” should the situation deteriorate to the point of impairment.

"In less than two years, we are now up to a total of seven European leaders or ruling parties that have been forced out of office, courtesy of the spreading government debt crisis — tack on France now to Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Even Germany's coalition is looking shaky in the aftermath of the faltering state election results for the CDU's (Christian Democratic Union) Free Democrat coalition partner. This is quite a potent brew — financial insolvency, economic fragility and political instability."

• Greek pro-bailout parties lack majority, final poll results (Reuters)
• Greek Election Gridlock Raises Risk for Bailout, Euro Future (Bloomberg)
• Socialist Hollande ousts Sarkozy as French leader (Reuters)
• Merkozy End Means Franco-German Gulf; Greek Voters Rebel (Bloomberg)
• Election swing leaves Greece teetering (Kathimerini)
• Merkel's Coalition Appears to Suffer Loss in German State (WSJ)
• The Only Solution to the Eurozone Crisis (FT)
• Cameron Faces Clamour From Party Right (FT)
• Falcone’s LightSquared Said to Get Week Credit Extension (Bloomberg)
• Hungary plans three-year, 15 billion euro IMF deal: state sec (Reuters)
• Putin pledges unity on return to Kremlin (Reuters)

There are deepening concerns in Switzerland about the debasement of the Swiss franc. The SNB has pegged the franc to the euro and is engaged in the same ultra loose monetary policies as the Federal Reserve, BOE and the ECB. The SNB won't allow the franc to rise above an arbitrary “ceiling” against the euro Walter Meier himself said on April 5 that the SNB is ready to buy foreign currencies in "unlimited quantities." Meier’s comments regarding the vastly depleted Swiss gold reserves came after Bayram Dincer, an analyst at LGT Capital Management in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland, called on the SNB to disclose where its gold is stored, in a letter published in the respected Swiss publication Finanz und Wirtschaft. Meier said that the SNB holds its physical gold reserves “domestically and internationally, with provisions for a crisis scenario being a main factor in the decision for this decentralized storage”.  “The criteria for the storage countries are: appropriate regional diversification, exceptionally stable economic and political environments, immunity for central bank investments, access to a gold market where stocks could be liquidated if necessary,”  he continued. He concluded by saying that “such a decentralized storage is still preferable to an exclusive storage in Switzerland. The listed factors can change over time and that’s why the central bank is reviewing and adapting the storage locations periodically.” The SNB’s monetary policies have been imprudent in recent years and their gold sales have lost the Swiss people a lot of money.