Europe

A recent CNBC article highlighted for me why the Irish are being pressured to accept a bailout when they have repeatedly said they don't want one yet. The problem is Portugal (and Spain). To the degree that the Irish situation continues to…

Highlights The US dollar is little changed as markets start to muse the impact of a possible bailout of Ireland but remain cautious over China’s intended tightening, which continues to weigh on commodities and overall risk…

Good video of just under 15 minutes on the critical issues on Ireland.

Here's what people are saying about the Irish situation Cantillon - A step closer to full State control - The Irish Times Ireland crisis could cause EU collapse, warns president | Business | guardian.co.uk Finland: Don't Push…

From some reports, you get the impression that Finland is saying "no aid for Ireland." However, from a Reuters story it seems more that the Finns' official position is more that the Irish should not be pushed into a bailout by the…

News reports indicate that Austria is refusing to release its 190 mln euro share of the EU bailout for Greece because it has not met its budget commitments.  The Fin Min Proell says that after reviewing the latest data, there is…

We can see it’s still all about the banks in Ireland. This deposit debt guarantee issue is still the critical one. The Irish Independent is talking about total nationalisation of AIB because of the ‘bank run’ hitting Ireland.  And…

The ECB confirmed market talk that it had stepped up if sovereign bond purchases last week as the debt strains reached crisis levels.  The European central banks bought 1.074 bln euros vs 711 mln the prior week.  This is the most…

Unless the ECB takes fast and dramatic action, it risks destroying the currency it is paid to manage, and allowing a political catastrophe to unfold in Europe. If mishandled, Ireland could all too easily become a sovereign version of…

by Claus Vistesen Life can be incredibly cruel sometimes. Only a week after Bernanke gave markets an early Christmas present with another helicopter drop, the S&P500 is stuttering and it seems, much as many astute observers have…