Friday, June 26, 2015

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." : President of the Deutsche Bundesbank hints to Greece

(Excerpts from Speech of  Dr. Jens Weidmannat  the IIF (Institute of International Finance) Europe Summit, Frankfurt am Main, 25 June 2015),


" If non-viable banks are kept on life support with central bank money, they will go on to make evergreen loans to non-viable companies - a situation which heightens the risk of future problems in the banking system. "

"And if the liquidity is channelled towards sovereigns that find it otherwise hard to access the markets, we run the risk of blurring the lines between monetary and fiscal policy."

"Greece is a case in point here. The emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) - which was originally conceived as a temporary source of liquidity for financially sound banks in return for good collateral - has been provided for a protracted period of time and has become the banks' only source of funding. "

"This casts doubt on their financial solidity. The latter is especially undermined by Greek policy decisions that have sparked capital flight and large-scale cash withdrawals."

"...it should be clear to all the parties to the current negotiations that the Eurosystem must not provide bridge financing to Greece even in anticipation of later disbursements. When banks without access to the markets buy debt of a sovereign which is likewise locked out of the market, taking recourse to ELA raises serious monetary financing concerns."

Respecting the core principles upon which our monetary union is built is not a matter of dogmatic German stubbornness, but a key policy condition for long-term economic prosperity in the euro area and for maintaining popular support for the historic project which European integration no doubt is."

Our Comment: Hint of a fall in the euro in the short run despite Greece being factored in?

Without any risk or responsibility.


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