Italy borrows three times cheaper than Portugal
The worst of the debt crisis past, the "peripheral countries" do not enjoy all of the lull. Italy borrows almost three times cheaper than Portugal, the country most at risk in the euro zone, after Greece, according to the markets.
Began in December by the massive injection of liquidity by the ECB, relaxing on the yields of government bonds has increased with the green light to the second bailout of Greece. But it did not erase the differences. The gaps widen, reflected changes in interest rates. Italy clearly winning out with a cost of borrowing to ten years, which is strongly relaxed since early January, falling below 5% – 4.83 yesterday – against 7.5% last November. For the first time in months, Italy borrows cheaper than Spain.
Emissions Italian week confirm this relaxation. Wednesday, the Italian Treasury has borrowed 6 billion euros, the maximum, at rates much lower: 2.76% over three years, against 3.41% in mid-February, and 4.30% over seven years, against 5.81% last October. "The decline in yields is in itself a source of very substantial improvement in the situation of the country, which suffers mainly a problem of debt burden (1900000000000)," said Patrick Jacq, rate analyst BNP Paribas. This is the effect Mario Monti. Thanks to the reforms announced, the curves were reversed ten years between Italy and Spain.
New help
Despite the massive purchases of Spanish debt on the ECB funds at year end, Spain just to reassure markets. The upward revision of the deficits from 2011 to 8.5% of GDP and the trade snatched from the Ecofin on Tuesday on a new deficit target for 2012, 5.3% instead of 4.4% worried investors. The Government Leader Mariano Rajoy, who campaigned for 5.8%, ruled yesterday the new EU objective "reasonably accessible" even if it involves an effort further 5 billion euros.
The dunce cap comes in Portugal, whose rates exceed 13% ten years, despite the level of EU support, the IMF and debt purchases by the ECB. The cost of borrowing is too high for Portuguese expect a return on the market in 2013. So, the rumors about a second bailout or restructuring of debt is increasing. The European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Olli Rehn, was expected Wednesday night in Lisbon to take stock of the nation's finances with the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
Berlin: 22 billion for the European fund
The German government approved Wednesday by the Cabinet, the on-call rescue the euro area. The European Stability Mechanism (SPM) has a $ 500 billion of lending capacity and 80 billion euros of capital. He will take office on July 1. Germany is the largest contributor of TSS.
Berlin will provide 21.7 billion euros in capital and more than 150 billion euros in the form of loan guarantees. Germany must pay 8.7 billion euros this year. Which will require a supplementary budget. The MES will be submitted to the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, which represents the regional states.
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