Bank runs, bank holiday & 10pct bailout tax on deposits in Cyprus

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Looks like a "Cyprexit" is in the cards then.
 
ECB threatens to collapse Cyprus' banks by withdrawing all loans if there is no deal by Monday:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100576485

Outright panic behind the scenes, CyprExit talk:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/uk-eurozone-cyprus-call-idUKBRE92K0DW20130321
 
There are essentially 3 options that I see:
  1. ECB caves and gives them free money (black eye for Merckel and dangerous precedent at this point for the next dominoes, so likely not going to happen - especially given news posted by sa above)
  2. Russia becomes their white knight (I'm guessing Russia won't do this unless they end up with huge leverage - the kind that would be unpalatable to western powers [like a Russian naval base on Cyrpus])
  3. Cyprus leaves the Euro, restores their own currency, devalues it and endures significant short to medium term pain (local politicians want to avoid this at all costs, but it's looking like the most likely scenario)
 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/cyprus-throws-bailout-disarray-seeks-russian-help-074339638--sector.html

You don't say.
 
2 and 3 could be combined
 
If Cyprus leaves the Euro, that still leaves the annoying little problem of re-denomination back to the Cypriot Pound. does this trigger CDS? My guess is that if "they" don't trigger CDS on a Cyprus exit and repudiation, then nothing will and the whole swap complex collapses in the heap it rightfully deserves to be in.

That said, what happens to the rest of the continent? Italy? Spain? Portugal?

does this collapse the banks once and for all?
 
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2...n_rescue_eu_threatens_to_cut_off_country.html
 
lol. Like every major bank in the world hasn't handled dirty (laundered) money. None of them are innocent or pristine - especially the TBTF banks.
 
Interesting interview with a Cypriot MP (commentary starts @ ~5:35 - says they are likely to leave Euro @ ~10:10 mark):

 
Exactly PMbug, like HSBC.

So much propaganda going on right now.

As though Syria would use chemical weapons against the rebels at this stage and then also just happen to do it when Obama is visiting Israel.

Or that the chinese would launch cyber attacks on South Korea etc. that are traceable to an IP address in... China.
 
...
Are they (Russia) going to accelerate their transition into gold?


http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...eview-share-of-euro-in-reserves-medvedev-says

 
Even the Russians are not openly going to talk about buying gold.

Having said that, let's take a look at their actions:
 
...does anyone care to take a step back, and figure out a pattern: these little, island nations, somewhere on the outskirts of mainlands - Iceland, Ireland, Cyprus - they all have "enjoyed" banking "industry", that has grown out of proportion to their respective economies. Banks, are in a business of manufacturing debts. That's what they "create", to make money - debts. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, ever? Much less so, three times in a row :rotflmbo:. Next in sight, the UK. Another island nation, with disproportional size of banking "industry". This is going to be a huuge one, and Eurocrats don't exactly love Brittons, for being seen as an opposition to many of their cherished totalitarian-bureaucratic monstrosities... Who's going to bail out one of the major international financial centers?
 
Island nations have few natural resources to contribute to the global economy (at least on a scale to be competitive with larger countries). Business (incorporation) and banking services is one of the few industries where they can offer a competitive advantage.
 
...yeah, the geniuses in charge seem to realize their natural constraints, and turned into that "hey, I know, let's do that banking thing, you just create wealth and prosperity out of nuthin' there, so we ain't need no stinking resources!" mode. Seemingly, for some unknown reason, it does not last too long, before turning sour...

Now, if we get another step back, and imagine our whole planet/it's economy, as a big, solitary island, surrounded by (quite harsh and rather inhabitable) space... Are we getting somewhere yet, with the big picture? Enter Keynesians: "nononono, your analogy is completely wrong, blahblahblah...."
 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-21/cyprus-popular-bank-only-few-hours-liquidity-left
 
Yeah, but I think we all know Strauss-Kahn was set up with that "sex scandal". ...


http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldn..._IMF_Disaster_Forces_Bernanke_Out_Of_Fed.html
 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-22/ecb-set-fair-cypriot-standard-living-capital-controls
 

More: http://famagusta-gazette.com/coordi...tion-to-inform-us-on-cyprus-eco-p18654-69.htm

lol. They know the US Congress just can't resist spending money they don't have on a bailout.
 

This has been my view for a long time.

They simply cannot allow any CDS claim without destabilising everything everywhere.
So who wins or looses when this reality finally becomes accepted ?
 
Rblong,
We ALL lose! If CDS are triggered, then the contagion trips in to high gear. Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland fall right behind Cyprus since confidence in their debt instruments will collapse and the bank runs begin in earnest. If Cyprus follows through on some inane plan to steal cash from Russian accounts, IBID.

If the IMF hammers them in to submission, forces a good bank bad bank scenario, some will get wiped out and some will be saved. this scenario is no better than the previous two. If Cyprus walks and fires up the printing press, it won't matter if CDS are triggered because the re-denominated debt will be worthless on its face as a result of hyperinflation.

They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. And to think, just four short weeks ago the bank stress tests showed them to be healthy as an ox.
 
It now appears that the Troika has increased their demands on Cyprus. somehow in the last few hours, the "situation has worsened" and they now need to fleece another billion dollars from depositors to meet their needs. What a crock of shit. I say go Iceland and tell them all to go pound sand.

Fuck 'em and feed 'em fish heads I say.
 
Russia also has supposedly toughened up their stance. The original bail-in plan originally had them agreeing to renegotiate the terms of an existing load - extending it's term. Now Russia says no deal.

Sounds like Russia and the Troika are both playing a game of chicken and seeing who will blink first. I have no idea why though. The amount of money involved is peanuts in the grand scheme of things.
 
I call BS on everything that has been announced today. The real deal is gonna be published at 5:01 pm, after all markets are closed for the weekend. It might even take another night session and the news might not be out until tomorrow. They can't wait until Monday, even though the banking holiday extends through Tuesday, because markets are open arround the clock on Monday.
 
As Jim Sinclair said, this is about future bail-ins/outs (Spain, Italy etc.). If the troika loses this battle, the Russians and other BRICS will gain huge leverage. It's also detrimental for the Europroject. Should Cyprus really leave, all hell will break loose next weak, just because it would be the first dominoe.
 
Yes, sa - I understand that. From where I sit, the Troika has no choice but to find a solution. In light of that, their current hard line stance is puzzling. What are they hoping to achieve?
 
It's either electoral politics, ie Germany's election in autumn prevents a full bailout or it's war on semi-official (ex-KGB) Russian black accounts.
My girlfriend is from Russia and she thinks that the Russians are playing poker here, trying to figure out whether the troika will really go after their money via deposit taxes. The retaliation could be very "Russian", ie sudden "operational problems" with gas pipelines into the EU and some mystery accidents and illenesses...

 

If this goes through, expect IMF officials to come down with mysterious cases of polonium poisoning.
 
According to media reports, the deposit tax is now gonna be 22-25% on deposits > EUR 100k. The parliament is scheduled to vote on them either today or tomorrow.
That's just insane.
It's gonna hit local depositors, too, not just Russian black money. Even medium sized businesses easily have > 100k in the bank. There are also quite a lot of British retirees on the island. Why should they pay?
Another issue is, that it is a tax on deposits, ie bank accounts. If you have invested this money into stocks, bonds, or even fx, you'll probably not be taxed. So it's totally random taxation, because it depends on whether you're in cash or not.

Additionally, the Greek subdivisions of the Cypriot banks are gonna be taken over by Greek banks to stop contagion. I'm not sure if that will work. There are so many interconnections in the over the counter derivatives market, just splitting the Greek part off might not work.

Capital controls were already passed by the Cypriot parliament yesterday right after the US market closed. They're gonna have to keep them in place for a long time. As soon as they get rid of them, an epic run on the banks will occur.

In essence, the troika has destroyed the Cypriot economy regardless of the outcome of the upcoming votes in the Cypriot parliament.
 
Once again, the arrogance of a few has destroyed what little remains of the possessions of the many. Fuck the "troika". Run them out of town on a rail.
 
Very interesting article that was published on January 14, 2013, 2 months before the current mess in Cyprus started.
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3539/cyprus-russia

Now we see another reason why Obama spent so much time in Isreal.
 



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-...ed-will-down-wire-70-deposit-tax-contemplated
 
Another aspect of the story: capital controls are generally prohibited by the EU rules on the common market. They can only be implemented in times of emergency. In this case, the ECB has to agree to them (which they already have). However, even under these conditions, they may only be implemented for 6 months. This means that by October, any capital controls are illegal.
 
It's all over German news sources, but only PressTV (Iranian mouthpiece) and a Nigerian website are reporting it in English right now:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/23/294906/cyprus-mighty-church-favors-leaving-euro/
 
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