Tag: international finance

  • Banks May Seize Your Small Savings

    Most of us are aware of the Financial Crisis, when the Government seized amounts from the Bank account of small investors to manage its financial crisis, which triggered of a run on Banks . by people rushing to ATMs to withdraw their cash.

    To defuse the situation the EU ,along with the creditors mainly Germany, made out a Bail plan and since it was suggested as being unworkable, a new package was devised.

    Under this dispensation,Deposits under 100,000 euros will be protected.

    The reasoning behind this is that these amount are (small amounts) are protected by Insurance!

    I fail to understand that the Government will be losing the money appropriated ((or Misappropriated) by way of  the payment by the Insurers.

    Even if the Insurance firms belong to private Sector, it will drive inflation further.

    I do not know which Economic Genius thought out this plan!

    More than this  is an interesting perspective from the ‘Business Insider

    Now banks in EU may tap and seize your savings!

    How long will it take to reach India?

    I have been voicing about the inefficacy of the Keynesian Economics in my columns for quite some time.

    First came Argentina,then Greece, Ireland,now Cyprus.

    Western countries rm down an economic system which is not savings oriented, but spending oriented  on unsuspecting Nations by way of lending and squeeze when the Note is due, like Germany has done now to Cyprus.

    Story:

    Cyprus Crisis
    Cyprus Crisis

    As expected, Cyprus and the EU reached a new late-night bailout deal last night that will reduce the chance that Cyprus’s financial system and economy will completely implode.

    The new deal is better than the last deal in one key respect:

    • Deposits under 100,000 euros will be protected

    That’s very important. Those deposits were ostensibly “insured.” To seize them, the way the last bailout deal would have, would have been grossly unfair and would have set a truly alarming precedent.

    Now, small depositors in European banks can breathe more easily. At least in this case of gross malpractice on the part of reckless bank managers, their life savings have been preserved.

    Alas, the good news ends there.

    Although deposits under 100,000 euros will be spared, deposits over 100,000 euros will be seized and subjected to an as-yet undetermined haircut–with the confiscated money going to bail out the gambling losses of the aforementioned reckless idiots who run some of Cyprus’s banks.

    This seizure, needless to say, will dampen the enthusiasm of rich depositors for keeping money in banks that get themselves into financial trouble.

    And because many, many banks in Europe have gotten themselves into financial trouble, this will create a general state of unease among rich depositors throughout the Eurozone.

    And it should wig out some bank lenders, as well.

    After all, never before in the history of this global financial crisis has a major banking system allowed depositors to lose money, no matter how reckless and stupid and greedy their bank managers have been. And only rarely have bank lenders–those who hold bank bonds–been asked to pony up.

    In this case, however, the depositors will lose money. Perhaps a lot of money. And if there had been big bank debtholders in Cyprus, they probably would have been socked with losses, too.

    It’s possible that everyone will just laugh off Cyprus, viewing it as an exceptional one-off. After all, the Cyprus banking system was notorious for being the offshore money-laundering arm of many Russian oligarchs, so many folks will likely view this asset seizure as a case of “just desserts.”

    But this optimistic view of the Cyprus horrorshow overlooks one key fact:

    The main reason that Cyprus depositors will lose their cash is because it has become politically difficult (impossible?) for leaders in Germany and other rich European countries to bail out their brethren in the “periphery” without taking many pounds of flesh.

    And it is that precedent, in addition to the fate of big depositors in Cyprus, that should spook Europe’s big bank depositors and lenders.

    If Germany is done bailing out countries and banks without having those countries and banks cover some of the cost, it’s not clear why Germany will relent next time Spain, Italy, Greece, and other countries in near-desperately bad financial shape come rushing to the EU with their hands out.

    Unlike Cyprus, the banking systems in these countries do have bondholders that can get haircut before the depositors get haircut, but the effect will be the same.

    For the first time since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, those who lend their money to banks or keep their money in banks are at risk.

    Because the neighborhood loan shark (Germany) is now extracting much more onerous terms.

    http://www.reddit.com/tb/1az48w

  • Dubai World-Fiasco,Banks in a bind.

    In Sanskrit, there is a saying “Mounam Sarvaartha Sadhagam”,general meaning being Silence is conducive for achievement in Life;special meaning is Silence is conducive to worldly wealth.
    In Dubai , the ruling class maintained a discreet silence when people invested in Dubai World, thinking it has Royal Patronage(they are right for in Sheikdoms nothing will move with out the Sheikh’s participation) and came out the govt. has nothing to do with Dubai World when the bubble burst.
    RBS had earlier been bailed out secretly by the UK govt.How these banks are going to come out of this mess is an open question.
    Ultimately, the small investors are going to be hit as usual.

    Story:
    The UK banks are understood to have much of their lending focused on the still-performing parts of Dubai World, however, including DP World and Jebel Ali Free Zone. According to people close to the situation, that reduces the exposure to the $26bn of Dubai World debt that is being restructured to about $700m for RBS, and $350m for StanChart, for example – far smaller tallies than many had feared. The banks all declined to comment.
    ………..
    Other top 15 creditors include international banks such as BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Calyon.

    The $26bn of debt that is being restructured comprises $5.5bn of syndicated debt and close to $6bn of sukuk bond debt, with all of the latter issued by Nakheel. The balance is made up of bilateral lending deals between Dubai World companies and individual lenders, on which no data is published.

    The bookrunners for the $5.5bn syndicated issue, arranged in June 2008, were HSBC, ING, Lloyds, Mashreq Bank, RBS, Sumitomo Mitsui, Calyon and Tokyo Mistubishi, according to Bloomberg data. Typically, bookrunners retain 10-20 per cent of loans, syndicating the rest to third party lenders.

    Anger has been mounting in recent days, particularly among bond investors, who complain that they were duped by assurances given this year from Dubai’s rulers as to the emirate’s creditworthiness.

    After an announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum on September 8 that he was “not worried” about Dubai’s debt position, international investors piled into Nakheel bonds.

    Analysts said at the time that the announcement was a significant fillip to confidence in Dubai and its state-backed enterprises. “This is the first time that we are hearing from the ruler on Dubai’s debt issue. This has boosted market confidence dramatically,” said Nish Popat, the head of fixed income at ING in Dubai in a note to clients on September 9.

    Although local authorities insist they were referring to the state’s sovereign obligations, investors say the emirate had long cultivated the notion of a quasi-sovereign “Dubai Inc” family that was central to the state’s development and would be supported in the event of difficulties.

    “Nakheel is one of the most leveraged companies I’ve seen in my entire career,” said one hedge fund manager. “People bought it because they’d assumed there was some kind of state guarantee, which there wasn’t.”
    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57c9c17a-df6f-11de-98ca-00144feab49a.html

  • Dubai ruler lashes out at international investors-Telegraph.

    Very funny.Your country’s company has failed to meet its creditors.It is in financial mess.All along you have never openly said that the government has nothing to do with Dubai World.Once the bubble bursts , you immediately put out a statement that the govt.has no ties with the company;You are too careful.You did not say you or your kin has or had. Now will you disclose the stock holding pattern of Dubai World or its parent company?Or is the shell company registered in St.Kitts or some other place?
    Leaving that aside, what do you expect the foreign investors to do?To hold their stock?
    Don’t be ridiculous.Of all people you know how and when to pull out.
    Any way congratulations on a well executed scam.

    Story:
    Dubai’s bourse closed 5.6pc lower while Abu Dhabi shed 3.5pc on the second day of trading since Dubai World asked to delay the repayment of a $3.5bn (£2.1bn) loan for six months.
    Traders said foreign investors were selling stocks after the government said that it would not guarantee the debt of the state-controlled companies. A further statement released late on Monday night in which Dubai World said it was restructuring $26bn of debt but made no mention of its intention to repay the loans due in two weeks’ time.

    Humam al-Shamaa, an analyst at Al-Fajr Securities, said: “Foreign portfolios are still pushing to exit the markets… Those who tried to pull out and did not manage to do so are still trying today.”
    The gloom prompted a furious outburst from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum who criticised the reaction of international investors to the crisis, claiming: “They do not understand anything.” He added: “We are strong and persistent. It is the fruit-bearing tree that becomes the target of [stone] throwers.”
    Sultan bin Saeed al Mansouri, the UAE’s minister of economy, issued a long-statement extolling the strengths of the emirates. He said the economy has been built on a diverse mix of tourism, trade and services. He added: “The UAE has already taken [sic] concerted efforts to meet the challenges arising from the financial crisis.”
    However, the assurances failed to stop a flood of money being pulled from the stockmarkets. Dubai’s leading real estate sector fell by 9.2pc, near the one-day maximum allowed drop of 10pc, while the finance and investments sector shed 7.5pc of its value. In Abu Dhabi, the property sector fell 9.8pc, while banking fell 5.6pc.
    Moelis & Company, the advisory boutique set up by Ken Moelis, has been appointed to advise on the restructuring of Dubai World. He will help Paul Reynolds of Rothchild who was re-appointed after the company announced its restructuring last week.
    Outside the Gulf, markets rebounded on the views that the Dubai crisis was a local problem that could be contained. European stocks notched up their biggest one-day gain in four-and-a-half months. Banks were among the biggest risers, particularly those hit by fears over exposure to Dubai. Mike Lenhoff, at Brewin Dophin said: “It looks like (Dubai’s debt) was a storm in a teacup. But it’s a reminder that you have these time bombs ticking away. They’ll go off from time to time, though this one has not had a major impact.”
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/6703410/Dubai-ruler-lashes-out-at-international-investors.html

  • Dubai World Fiasco-Dubai rejects debt guarantee

    Three options are said to be under consideration.
    1.Allow Dubai Worlds, Estate arm to met the requirements of about 2.4.bns towards Islamic bonds.
    2.Offer 80% settlements to creditors across the board.
    3.Go in for rescheduling to 2012.
    HSBC, premium banker to the group is said to favor the last option.
    Now Dubai government comes out stating that it will do nothing and that creditors must take the risks involved and that creditors should not be under the impression that the Dubai Govt. has any connexion with Dubai World.
    Would the Dubai Government inform the stock holding of Dubai world and how the Directors are related to the ruler of Dubai?.
    Seems to be a well orchestrated scam.
    By the way Rothschild’s are also one of the major Bankers and advisors to the group.
    No Arab Israeli sentiments?
    Money,that talks.