It would appear that European leaders are back at their usual table.
Speaking at the Bookings Institute before meeting with the US administration, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou blamed “unprincipled speculators” and “ill-regulated” financial markets for pushing Greece to the brink of financial ruin and dragging down the euro. Along the way he convinced France’s Nicholas Sarkozy, that another financial crisis is around the corner if the CDS market is not curtailed. Sadly, we agree with the conclusion, but many European “leaders” are confusing cause and effect. Keith McCullough, at Hedgeye, explained it best yesterday when he said, “markets don’t lie; politicians do . . . hearing politicians talk about markets is like watching a southern belle try to ice fish.”