MADRID | The Corner | The disappointing German ZEW together with the worsening of the Portuguese lender Banco Espirito Santo (BES) crisis weighed down on the markets on Tuesday. And that about today? Indeed, the banking sector will continue to be the main player in Europe with the BES drama as backdrop, although the calmness within the peripheral bonds markets is a positive sign and indicates the limited extent of such crisis.
LONDON| By Barclays’ analysts | From the point of view of the banking system as a whole, the sovereign financial implications of Espirito Santo’s affair are rather limited. The sovereign has a relatively comfortable cash position and sufficient bank recapitalization funds. Specifically, the government estimates gross funding needs for 2014 of EUR13bn. At the same time, economic activity in Portugal is to expand by nearly 1% this year.
MADRID | By J.P. Marín Arrese | The troubles faced by Banco Espirito Santo ’s main share holding group have delivered a widespread blow to financials and periphery sovereigns. A nasty reminder that Eurozone doesn’t seem so stable as everyone bet it was. Investors are flying to safety, pushing the US Treasuries and German bunds close to past records. Stock exchanges and market sentiment are bound to undertake brisk U turns, at no warning. The more so as sharp and continued rises always offer a good excuse for a sell-off. There is nothing to worry about.
MADRID | The Corner | Although analysts see limited systemic implications for the Portuguese sovereign and the rest of the periphery, the BES vaudeville has put something bigger on the table: changes at the global corporate debt market. Spanish Popular bank and construction company ACS both postponed a planned issue of the riskiest bank debt because of “heightened volatility” in credit markets. Goldman Sachs delayed a planned inaugural issue of a new type of bond that offers investors three levels of protection on the event of default, Bloomberg reports.