As Greek bonds go from unintended consequence strength to strength, helped by a EU planned buyback, so Cypriot bonds have been monkey-hammered in the last week or so (and dramatically so today) as the IMF withholds support, demanding a haircut is imposed. As Speigel notes [5], Cyprus did its part on Wednesday night by passing a 2013 budget with far-reaching austerity measures, yet the would-be creditors (providing the bailout funding) are at odds with the IMF playing 'bad cop'. The IMF is demanding a partial default (rather like being half pregnant) involving haircuts for private creditors before it joins the deal. The IMF is concerned that, despite the austerity measures the country has now adopted, it still wouldn't be able to shoulder the interest payments due on its debt - gracious, where have we heard that uncertainty before? "The situation in Cyprus is much worse than it is in Greece," one high-ranking EU official said, and its hard to argue when you note that with a GDP of EUR18bn in 2011, its banking system has 'assets' of EUR150bn, and fiully EUR10bn of the EUR17bn bailout (should it appear) is aimed at propping up the idiocy of the banking system!
[6]
Chart: Bloomberg