Archives: January 2012

Portugal Bears Brunt of Greek Contagion

Posted by: David Tweed on January 31

Poor Portugal. The country's bonds have borne the brunt of investor frustration over Greece's failure to reach an accord with private bondholders on writing down the value of their...

Europe Back From the Precipice?

Posted by: David Tweed on January 30

As EU leaders gather for a summit this afternoon in Brussels, people are asking if Europe is stepping back from the precipice and moving into a more chronic phase...

Is Europe Listening to Italy's Two Marios?

Posted by: David Tweed on January 23

Euro zone finance ministers meet in Brussels today and it looks as though they're certainly listening to one of Italy's two Marios. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi suggested...

Can an IMF Firewall Stem the Euro Crisis?

Posted by: Linda Yueh on January 18

The IMF has asked for as much as $500 billion, including approximately $200 billion from euro countries, to address an estimated $1 trillion funding need in the next few...

The Price of Rajoy's Silence

Posted by: Ben Vickers on January 16

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's month-long tenure has been characterized by quiet. He has avoided making public pronouncements about his plans to cut the country's deficit and for structural...

Is a Credit Crunch Imminent in the Euro Zone?

Posted by: Linda Yueh on January 13

Markets will be digesting yesterday's news from the European Central Bank, which offered a great deal of detail on its unprecedented three-year loans to banks and the outlook for...

Romney Runs Against...Europe?

Posted by: Andy Reinhardt on January 12

There's no way the euro zone crisis was going to help Europe's image in the rest of the world. But exactly how much reputational damage has occurred was highlighted...

Italy's Mood Is Pro-Europe, For Now

Posted by: Ben Vickers on January 11

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti told Germany's Die Welt newspaper there will be protests against Germany and the European Central Bank in Italy unless its citizens can see concrete...

Hungary Shows Euro Zone Where Not to Go

Posted by: Ben Vickers on January 05

So much for having a currency outside the euro. Hungary sold just three quarters of the one-year Treasury bills it planned to today and the average yield rose to...

Is the Euro Crisis Over?

Posted by: Linda Yueh on January 04

Okay, admittedly not many people think so. But, one might be forgiven for thinking that a corner has been turned with the significant falls in borrowing costs over the...

This Year's Biggest Bet

Posted by: Ben Vickers on January 03

As economists and analysts attempt to summarize the outlook for the European crisis at the start of the new year, some will be making forecasts that time and their...