The process of this deal wasn't dissimilar to the bailout programmes that have already passed —
the other eurozone governments were a little less sympathetic, partly due to public pressure, and the Greek government was more radical than ever.
Not exact matches
It was almost exactly a year ago that the E.C.B. set
eurozone precedent by buying
government bonds and
other assets.
A key sign: Prices for
government bonds of
other heavily indebted
eurozone countries — such as Spain and Italy — are not suffering in sync with Greek bonds, as they did before.
It could cause the euro to rise in value against
other currencies, potentially hurting exporters, and it could bring higher returns on savings as well as stiffer borrowing costs for indebted
governments in the 19 - country
eurozone.
The Greek
government tried something similar last summer but ended up effectively accepting the original deal anyway, having recognized that
other Eurozone countries would budge no further.
Certainly the attitude of the UK
government has not helped; on one hand urging the
eurozone to accept the «remorseless logic» of greater economic and fiscal integration, including Germany taking on liabilities for weaker
eurozone states via debt pooling, while on the
other refusing to take part in such measures itself and zealously looking after its own self interest.
Troubles in Italy (and
other poorly - led nations) benefit Britain... «UK long - term borrowing costs have fallen to their lowest level this year, as troubles in the
eurozone offset worries over a fresh batch of credit rating downgrades for
government - backed institutions.»
If the Greeks and
other fringe members of the
Eurozone default, and the core
governments don't bail the situation out, those holding CP of core
Eurozone banks may take a loss.
The S&P China
Government Bond Index is calculated in CNY and the S&P
Eurozone Developed Sovereign Bond Index is calculated in EUR, while the
other two indices are calculated in USD.
Despite the good intentions of its creators, the idea of setting up a permanent international body competent to grant financial assistance (amongst
other things) to
eurozone members in financial difficulties goes somewhat against the foundations of the Economic and Monetary Union, which aims at ensuring price stability through sound
government budgets.