A tsunami of capital flight from Greece threatens to overwhelm the authorities, forcing the country out of the euro before fresh elections in June. Economists warned that the Greek financial system could crumble within weeks or days unless the European Central Bank steps up support.
In which case the Greek financial system will crumble within weeks...
President Karolos Papoulias told party leaders that banks had lost 700m in withdrawals on Monday alone as citizens rush to pre-empt capital controls and a much-feared return to the Drachma.
He cited central bank warnings that "great fear" might soon escalate to panic. The leaked details lend credence to claims that capital flight by both savers and firms have reached 4bn a week since the triumph of anti-bailout parties on May 6.
Steen Jakobsen from Danske Bank said outflows are becoming unstoppable, not helped by open talk in EU circles of `technical' plans for Greek withdrawal.
"This has a self-fulfilling prophecy built into it and I don't think we can get to June. The fuse is burning and the only two options now are a controlled explosion where Germany steps in to ensure an orderly exit, or an uncontrolled explosion," he said.
#1
So now Im wondering because I watched this JP Morgan Chase thing just go down. Im wondering (A) what do you think happened and (B) sir what are you going to do about it because this has to be the last straw.
Clearly highlights this fattened rhino's understanding of the market and investing. Better she had said nothing at all.
#2
"Better she said nothing at all." Actually "nothing" is better than what any of those ladies on The View ever have to say.
However, the gist of the article is worth looking at. The news of JP Morgans loss has reignited the discussion over whether the financial sector is regulated enough. The answer is that regulation and the moral hazard-ridden business environment it produces is the sole reason why a banks loss is a hot topic of discussion to begin with. Without the Fed, the FDIC, and the governments nasty history of bailing out its top campaign contributors, JP Morgan would be just another bank beholden to market forces. Instead it, along with most of Wall Street, has become, to use former Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenigs label, a virtual public utility.
Take away the implied safety net and too big to fail disappears. Its as simple that.
The POV of the article itself is simplistically anti-any-and-all-regulation.
Take away the FDIC, and I (and many other savers) take all my money out of banks. Capisce? Apparently, not the author of this reductio ad absurdum. Author is blissfully unaware of the fact that when FDR first took office, US banks had essentially closed their doors.
Banks ARE public utilities, that's why they have been regulated for almost 200 years. Recently the big banks and Vampire Squids have been running the biggest gambling operation and organized crime ring in world history. The article completely misses that point.
#3
But then there are truly crazy ideas, like this one from a comment on this article in ZeroHedge:
"Any of the TBTF/TBTB banks that received Federal assistance in the period of 2008 - today would have their FDIC coverage removed effectice September 1, 2012. Any money in any account in any of those banks would no longer qualify for compensation of the account holder by the FDIC. Period.
Anyone wanting their money to be FDIC insured would have to move it into a bank that still qualififed (i.e. has never been bailed out by the government)."
This would most likely induce a run on the banks about to lose their FDIC protection, and put them into bankruptcy in short order.
#4
The economist Bill Black recently had the following to say about the TBTF banks and the disingenuous Jamie Dimon: All of the systemically dangerous institutions failed [since 2008] in large part because of these financial derivatives - what we call the green slime. That's what brought down Fannie and Freddie and Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, Lehman, Merrill Lynch and Wachovia. After those catastrophic disasters that caused the Great Recession, cost six billion [sic] Americans their jobs directly, prevented another five to eight million jobs from being created, helped lead to a global crisis called the Great Recessionafter that, the banks still fought to be allowed to do exactly the same kind of derivative trades [that largely caused the current Recession]. And even when the Volcker Rule was adopted, over the banks' opposition and over the opposition of the Federal Reserve and of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, they gutted the ruleat least the draft rule to implement the Volcker Rule. Unless it is changed, the Volcker Rule will be essentially unenforceable, because the current draft allows financial institutions to simply call their trades "hedges", even though they operate exactly opposite to the way a hedge would work.
Bill Black will never appear on "The View". He is not simple-minded enough to appeal to the constituency of "The View".
#1
This is a smart move for Putin. Energy and technology big part of Putin's push. The terrorism alone is a major concern for Putin. This is a remarkable opportunity for the USA to reach out. Russia is a vast country with many resources. China is in a slide now. I don't trust the Chinese and I believe the Russians don't either. Working with Russia we could see many benefits for ourselves and Europe. Russia has spent 10 billion on the their Olympics in 1214.
They are in a joint venture type of growth phase.
This includes former satellites.
#2
Not sure I buy the reset but it might work to keep Israel from working with Georgia and other Caucus states and it might eliminate embarrassment over Israeli avoidance of Russian built Iranian defenses.
It might also work to put Russia on the side of the winners instead of the losers as they currently are. This is big for pride and arms sales.
If you are Russia and you don't believe NATO missile defenses are designed to stop Iranian missiles (or know they are but could also limit your own missiles), eliminating Iranian missiles (by assisting the Israelis in doing what everyone wants/needs them to do). At that point NATO has to come clean or remove the offending installations.
Also if you are Russia you now see the US has a ton of oil ready to be exploited after the next election. A spike in oil prices now could be very profitable before that Yank oils becomes available. An Israeli attack against Iran is likely to have that effect.
Lastly if you are Russia you pride yourself on your military equipment which might not be as good as Anglo/European stuff in many cases but is better for a third world export market and you see India and Israel as a potential market. Especially after an attack on Iran makes the west finger wag and call Israel a naughty boy.
I'm sure Putins given the whole thing far more thought than I have but it would seem to be advantageous to reset their relationship.
#4
A few more generations, and it'll be over for Russia as it's been known for several centuries. Depopulated territory, rich in resources, within walking distance for a billion or so Han Chinese.
#5
Russia should open up Siberia to Latin American and Indian (and anyone else who has no previous claims to the area) immigrants willing to become Russian citizens.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.