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THE GOLDEN TOUCH, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell and Bernard Bouvet
In spite of the promise of a hundred billion Euros which has been brought to the table, the markets are still not convinced, and it didn’t take them long to react. By late afternoon, Spanish borrowing rates were edging up again,…
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WHEN THE WISE MAN POINTS AT THE MOON… (I), by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
The chaotic ups and downs of the deleveraging process continue inexorably, affecting not only the debt of the member states but also a European banking system which is now in the same mess. What it had been concealing has now been revealed: it is…
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THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE SPANISH BANKING BAIL-OUT, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
Some important details are still lacking with regard to the Spanish banking bailout plan: its final amount, which is going to depend on the results of the audit commissioned by the government; its rate, which we will be coming back to; and the stabilizing…
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THE INSURERS WILL NOT BE LEFT UNSCATHED, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
In the United States, bad news often arrives via the Congressional Budget office (CBO). Reputed for its analyses, this non-partisan Congressional body has just produced a forward-looking report on American debt. According to the CBO, if the tax cuts are renewed and public spending…
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WHEN FATE INTERVENES…, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
In the blink of an eye, discussions have switched focus. The issue of growth which was at the forefront has rapidly surrendered its place to the elaboration of a plan for the supervision of the banks and the rescue of those in need. Improvisation…
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THE TOWERING MOUNTAIN, SWAYING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
“There is a first assessment, then a second, a third, a fourth…..It’s the worst possible way of doing things because everybody ends up doing the right thing but at the highest possible cost and price”. Who was it speaking so harshly yesterday of…
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SPANISH PIPE DREAMS, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
A Euro trading this morning at 1.2389 dollars, and sharply rising bond rates, reveal that capital continues to flow out of the Euro zone and that investors are selling Spanish and Italian bonds (both tarred with the same brush) whenever they can. They are…
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DISMANTLING UNCERTAIN, ECONOMIC DISASTER GUARANTEED, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
It’s already well established that Tepco, the operator of Fukushima, is in control of very little in the devastated nuclear plant. Not the ongoing, endemic contamination of the atmosphere and of the sea, not the status of nuclear fuel reduced to a state of three coriums…
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THE REGULATORS’ INDIGESTIBLE COOKERY, by François Leclerc
Guest post. Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell.
The debate on growth which is starting to take shape has overshadowed an event which is less spectacular but just as decisive. It concerns the deleveraging of banks, which will have an influence on growth as it is accompanied by a reduction in credit for the…