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Wednesday, April 3

3rd Apr - US Close: ECB to expand? and Bitcoin



Interesting rumors that ECB is planning to ease its collateral requirements to include credit portfolios specificaly to target the negative lending growth in PIIGS.


Previously on MoreLiver’s:

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Roundups & Commentary
Markets – Between The Hedges
Daily Interest Rate Monitor – Global Macro Monitor
The Closer – alphaville / FT

Tomorrow’s Tape: Central Bankers Everywhere – WSJ
Europe: Stocks Plunge, Catch Down To Credit – ZH

US: Stocks Slump Most In 6 Weeks; Bonds Best Close Of Year – ZH
Morning Briefing (Asia) – BNY Mellon


EUROPE
Europe’s Political Stress TestsProject Syndicate
Jan-Werner Mueller: In recent years, the EU – or, more accurately, the powerful countries of northern Europe – has been subjecting its weaker members to social and political “stress tests," with varying results. Now, Europe's leaders must move beyond austerity, and recognize that some countries need to renegotiate basic social contracts.

The Euro Crisis after Cyprus: What We Have LearnedPIIE
Anders Aslund: The costs of changing the rules from country to country are becoming excessive. Markets do not know what to expect next. Politically, the effect of this confusion of rules is likely to be even worse. The crisis is not over. Slovenia will need a bank restructuring, and several IMF programs are ongoing. It is time to settle for the rules outlined above and stick to them for all countries.

Europe needs to focus more on reform, not just austerityThe A-List / FT
Philipp Hildebrand: But even though those reforms are the solution to many of Europe’s challenges, they do not seem to be the focus of European debate. Rather, the debate revolves largely around austerity

The IMF Shouldn’t Abandon AusterityView / BB
Anders Aslund: For years, the IMF helped to ensure global financial stability. Lately it has changed its mind on what used to be a core principle -- and, strangely enough, it appears to have done so on the basis of a single far-from-convincing working paper.

Putin Offers 3-Month Offshore-Tax-Cheat 'Amnesty': "There Can Be No Untouchables"ZH

Bundesbank Probing Deutsche Bank, Or Not Much Ado About TBTFZH
Investigators from Germany’s central bank are scheduled to fly to New York next week as part of an inquiry into allegations that misvaluing credit derivatives allowed Deutsche to hide up to $12bn in losses, helping it avoid a government bailout

France: The Swiss account weakening François Hollandepresseurop

A Line Of Demarcation Through The Eurozone Is Taking ShapeTestosterone Pit
As opposed to the mere hiccups of Cyprus or Greece. More banks and more countries will require bailouts—Slovenia, Spain, Italy, and Malta are on the list. And no one wants to see France on that list. Even Italy is too large to get bailed out by other countries—though it’s rich enough to bail itself out, à la Cyprus

ECB
ECB Prepares To Subsidize Small/Medium Businesses NextZH
The ECB is considering ways to lower the interest rate burden for small-to-medium sized businesses in the Eurozone's struggling periphery, German weekly Die Zeit reported Wednesday.

ECB Policy for a Fragmented Financial MarketMacro and Markets / CFR
…the first best policy response is a measure targeted directly at the market imperfection that threatens fianncial stability, which in this case is the financial intermediation channel in the periphery.  The question is then how best to create incentives for banks to lend to these firms.

Firefighting in the euro zoneMacroScope / Reuters
What they have done is they have solved a crisis by pumping in liquidity and then as soon as the crisis is over they have taken the money out again. They are just firefighting.

PIIGS
Ireland: Ninth Review Under the Extended ArrangementIMF

Ireland: Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of UnderstandingIMF

Italy Goes "Cyprus" On Sicilian Mafia, Seizes Record $1.7 Billion In Cash And AssetsZH

Italian Sovereign Spreads: Their Determinants and Pass-through to Bank Funding Costs and Lending ConditionsIMF

UNITED STATES
Long-Term Sector ChartsBespoke

ISM Non-Manufacturing Index
Service Sector Expansion Slows – WSJ
Slower expansion in March – Calculated Risk
Weaker Than Expected – Bespoke
Joins All Other Economic Misses, Prints At Lowest Since August, Biggest Miss In A Year – ZH
Service Industries in U.S. Grow at Slowest Pace Since August – BB
Companies hire fewer in March, service sector growth slows – Reuters

ASIA
Yen Shorts Getting Squeezed Ahead of BOJ AnnouncementWSJ

BITCOIN
The Bitcoin Bubble and the Future of CurrencyFelix Salmon / medium

Bitcoin: Virtual currency gets boost from eurozone troubleseuobserver
The eurozone crisis and its latest Cyprus episode has led to a boost in the value of an internet-based currency known as bitcoin, with Finns now the largest per capita users.

When memory becomes money; the story of Bitcoin so faralphaville / FT

Here's a simple, 60-second primer on BitcoinWonkblog / WP



I Bought a Bitcoin: How I Joined a Virtual Currency MegabubbleNew York Magazine
 
PLUNGE: Bitcoin Falls Below $117BI

OTHER
Investment Outlook April 2013: ​A Man in the MirrorPIMCO
Or read FT alphaville’s summary.

Bungled bailout heralds shift in attitudesJohn Kay
The belief that the right response to the failures of Basel I and II is a more elaborate version of the same global regime is a triumph of hope over experience.

IN FINNISH
EU-veronmaksajan suojasta tabuRisto Pennanen / TalSa
Talletussuojaan kajoaminen on herättänyt yllättävää kohinaa aikana, jolloin veronmaksajan taskuille mennään sumeleimatta.


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