Eurozone
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Why Investors Must Keep an Eye on Spain
Greece is not the big story of Europe anymore - just a smoke screen.
The big story is Spain and the United Kingdom, and the news is getting worse.
In the past week, Spanish officials acknowledged to reporters that the country's banks and companies were having difficulty obtaining credit. The credible website EuroIntelligence reported that Spain is now effectively cut off from international capital markets, which is a major new development.
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United States Fears Economic Stimulus Measures Will Choke on Europe's Drastic Budget Slashing
While U.S. President Barack Obama will be gunning for more economic stimulus measures at this weekend's Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Canada, European lawmakers continue drastic efforts to rein in spending.
The coordination of global efforts to promote economic recovery will be the main issue at the weekend's meeting, which was set to spotlight the value of China's currency before Beijing announced Saturday that it would allow the yuan to appreciate. The United States and Europe's differing views on the most effective strategies to maintain global economic growth and slash bloated government budgets are increasing tensions between leaders.
"There is a need to move toward rebalancing," Stewart M. Patrick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, told CNN. "But every country has different domestic political demands, and that is what drives decision making."
President Obama is worried that drastic austerity measures in Europe will choke global growth and collapse a fragile recovery.
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The Sovereign Debt Crisis: Bad For Europe, Good For U.S. Stocks
For several months now, we've been talking about the post-financial-crisis "new world order" that's emerged from the speculative excesses, recessionary realities and regulatory breakdowns of recent years. This new world order has created a world of lucrative new profit opportunities - that are governed by a new set of profit rules.
In terms of that whole new rules/new profit opportunities paradigm, here's one that may surprise you: The ongoing European crisis could end up as a net positive for U.S. stocks.
Let me explain...
To see how Europe's travails can aid U.S. stocks, please read on... -
Hungary is the Latest European Domino to Fall
As if Greece, Spain and Portugal were not enough of a concern for the European financial system, another villain has emerged from behind the curtains: Hungary.
A new government swept into office in late May and the ruling party leader declared the country had little chance of avoiding a Greek-style credit crisis because the former government had been cooking the books.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban said it was not an exaggeration to talk about the potential for default.
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Are Spain's Banks Better Off than Speculators Would Like to Believe?
Somebody is bluffing.
Either Spain's financial system is on the verge of a breakdown, or hedge funds and speculators are exaggerating the vulnerability of Spain's banks to capitalize on short-selling Eurozone securities.
Investors will have a clearer picture of what's going on in Spain when the results of stress tests performed on the nation's banks are released. But until those results are known, rumors of a bailout of Spain will continue to circulate and liquidity will remain tight.
Borrowing costs in Spain and throughout Europe have been on the rise in recent months, as market observers fret over high levels of debt. At a closely watched auction for 12- and 18-month bills on Tuesday, the Spanish government raised $6.4 billion (5.2 billion euros). However, the 2.3% interest rate on the 12-month bills was 0.7 percentage points higher than what it paid last month. And t he yield on the country's benchmark 10-year bond rose 9 basis points to 4.823%, the highest in almost two years.
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Stock Market Stuck as Investors Demand Risk Premium for Buying
Stocks rose worldwide over the past week by 2% to 5%, swelling with sudden courage after positive economic reports from China and shaking off some worsening news in the United States about retail sales and jobs.
Yet results in the past month are still heavily negative, ranging from -5.5% for U.S. stocks and -8.5% for Europe. China has suddenly become the most buoyant region, up 1.5% in the past month.
The variation in one-week and one-month results illustrate perfectly how investors are showing that they are hopeful but unconvinced that recent strength in GDP growth and corporate income advances are sustainable, and therefore won't buy stocks heavily until prices are so cheap that they discount worst-case scenarios. They want a high risk premium, in other words, before buying -- sort of like demanding a 72-month warranty before buying an expensive car.
Click Here to Find Out How the Risk Premium is Holding Back Stocks...
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From Leader to Laggard: Is it Time to Bet Against the U.S. Dollar?
The U.S. dollar has been one of the world's strongest currencies in the first part of 2010, posting double-digit gains through the end of May.
And little wonder. The Greek debt crisis continues to threaten Europe's overall health, and could unleash an entirely new contagion on the rest of the global economy. Then there's China, - the engine of world growth during much of the financial crisis - which now appears to face the near-term triple threat of slowing growth, accelerating inflation and workplace unrest. Add in concerns about commodity prices and global debt levels and it's easy to see why currency investors have sought the safe haven of the U.S. dollar.
In short, it appears that "everybody" knows the greenback is the best choice for safety, quality and security.
But is that really the case? To me, the dollar is looking more and more like a colossal short that could wind up being one of the biggest moneymakers of the year for traders gutsy enough to take a stand.
To see why the dollar could roll over - and to see how to play it - please read on ... -
Spain's Banco Santander Stands Strong Against Debt Crisis with Confident Global Expansion
The Eurozone's largest bank, Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE ADR: STD) of Spain, showed the European debt crisis has not hurt its prospects by announcing today (Wednesday) it would buy Bank of America Corp.'s (NYSE: BAC) stake in its Mexico unit. The $2.5 billion purchase increases Santander's exposure to the high growth opportunities of Mexico's banking sector.
Despite Eurozone debt concerns and rocky markets, Santander's move to expand into Mexico shows a healthy balance sheet that has stood strong against the debt problems plaguing other European banks. Santander has managed to keep solid footing among Spain's unstable banking sector, where the nation's debt has hurt financing conditions and smaller unlisted savings banks have been suffering losses on property and housing loans.
"Santander is showing that it can still make decisions and go on with its business plan despite the liquidity problems in the markets," Venture Finanzas analyst Ignacio Mendez told Reuters.
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Defensive Investing: Eight Ways to Tell if Your Mutual Fund Still Fits You
With the whipsaw patterns U.S. stocks have experienced in recent weeks - both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index are down 12% from their highs for the year - even the most ardent buy-and-hold investors are studying their portfolios, searching for holdings to cull.
But what if your buy-and-hold strategy has been implemented using mutual funds? As part of a solid "defensive-investing" review, should you consider bailing out of your current mutual-fund holdings at this point and looking for better funds to ride into any future recovery?
You'll only know if you take the time to make the review. And you should take that time.
