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Cyprus on the brink of euro exit after ECB ultimatum
EU Observer ^ | 22.03.13 @ 09:29 | Benjamin Fox

Posted on 03/23/2013 11:46:28 PM PDT by Olog-hai

Cyprus is on the brink of bankruptcy and of becoming the first-ever country to leave the euro after the European Central Bank (ECB) issued an ultimatum on Thursday (21 March).

In its statement, the ECB warned that it would turn off the tap of emergency funding to Cyprus’ banks on Monday if a rescue package is not agreed.

Removing Cyprus’ emergency support could see the country's two largest banks, Bank of Cyprus and Laiki, collapse within days.

Carston Brezki, senior economist at ING, described the ECB’s move as a “gun at the head of Cyprus.” …

(Excerpt) Read more at euobserver.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Germany; Israel; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: cyprus; eurobanking; euroexit; europeanunion; eussr; germany; greece; israel; russia; turkey; unitedkingdom
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To: I want the USA back
The euro was a dumb idea. Wailing over the consequences of a dumb idea is stupid.

Milton Friedman said that from the very beginning.
Look at his documentaries Free To Choose.

Well worth watching!
Better than a Ph.D. in economics from watching online videos!
They are well produced and very interesting - it's surprising to think that PBS was involved.

21 posted on 03/24/2013 5:02:21 AM PDT by Bon mots (Abu Ghraib: 47 Times on the front page of the NY Times | Benghazi: 2 Times)
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To: Cowboy Bob
From what I’ve read, the 20% confiscation will be made to those who have over 100,000 € in their account at the Bank of Cyprus. The second largest bank (Popular Bank) will be split into 2 (good assets and bad assets). What I’m not clear about is what happens to the accounts in Popular bank that were over 100,000 €? Is it all gone?

Economist Fiona Mullen said she doubted there would be much leeway from the Eurogroup.

"Estimates on how much you would need to haircut changes from minute to minute but, if we go with (German Finance Minister Wolfgang) Schaueble's number last week, it was 40%. That probably just increased to 50% because of the recent events," she said.
SOURCE: http://www.france24.com/en/20130323-pain-mounts-big-depositors-two-main-cyprus-banks
22 posted on 03/24/2013 5:04:02 AM PDT by Bon mots (Abu Ghraib: 47 Times on the front page of the NY Times | Benghazi: 2 Times)
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To: Bon mots
I can’t see Cyprus recovering from this. OK, they get a bail out. Most banks “survive.” People will try to withdraw money. There will be controls on the amount taken out, etc. but will there e any money coming in? Russian money will go elsewhere. British pensioners will now decide to move elsewhere. Standard of living in Cyprus is about to take a big hit.
23 posted on 03/24/2013 5:38:32 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Democrats: Robbing Peter to buy Paul's vote.)
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To: blam

The smart money...would let Cyprus collapse within the EU. The EU is neither stable or sustainable. Every member state of the Euro is a socialist mess with debt up to their ears.

You don’t try to save a drowning person of they will not follow your instructions lest they take you down with them.

The EU and all od the countries who signed on to the Euro did so with the thought that they could set up utopia and if it crashed then someone else would be on the hook to clean it up.

The EU is doomed, and they simply will not be able to save themselves from their own greed.

Socialists are the most greedest.


24 posted on 03/24/2013 5:40:35 AM PDT by Ouderkirk (Obama has turned America into an aristocracy of the unaccomplished.)
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To: Olog-hai

I suspect that the Europhiles will blink on this one, and cough up the bailout, because they would rather destroy their own countries than see other nations leave the EU, as that would “destroy the dream” of a unified European nation, that they are obsessed with.


25 posted on 03/24/2013 10:19:31 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Best WoT news at rantburg.com)
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To: RegulatorCountry

Actually they will probably get more foreign depositors in solvent states now that they know they won’T be required to carry as much of the load for those who are insolvent. I don’T really understand the pity for Cyprus who is being required to give something back in return for a bailout. This will cut back on cries for bailouts in future. I don’T see this as a bad thing.


26 posted on 03/24/2013 11:45:59 AM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

Cyprus is “giving back” other peoples’ money. Cyprus is a European Union member state. Cyprus is being forced to confiscate deposits by the EuroGroup, which are all the various heads of the central banks in EU member states. If no one can see how this will destroy trust in the financial system of the EU as a whole, there’s a really big train wreck coming. I don’t think they’re quite that stupid. Arrogant, yes. Stupid, no. Not on the whole.


27 posted on 03/24/2013 11:55:14 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

From what I understand over 50 percent of the depositors are Russian. If so, it’S likely that a large number of the rest are in sympathy with Russia and what the Russians are doing there. AGain, if they want a bailout I don’T see problem with them giving something in return.


28 posted on 03/24/2013 12:06:35 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

Scapegoating depositors does not sway me in the least. Depositors didn’t drive Cypriot banks into insolvency, regardless of their nationality.


29 posted on 03/24/2013 12:18:32 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

They do run banks into insolvency if they, for example, establish a presence in the country only for political reasons in order to speculate in real estate bubbles and then expect to be bailed out by western European taxpayers.


30 posted on 03/24/2013 3:16:26 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

They wouldn’t have deposits to levy if that were the case, now would they?


31 posted on 03/24/2013 4:53:26 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

Sure they would if they’Re funneling in money from other ventures around the world to take advantage of a bailout they thought was coming with no strings attached.


32 posted on 03/24/2013 8:31:18 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up
Now that's just totally off the wall, funneling money already in the system into a failing bank just so they might get bailed out and made whole?

If that were to be the case, I'd suspect that there would be multiple, multiple sketchy accounts for the purpose of money laundering set up to fall within the limits of the EU guarantee up to 100,000 EU.

But, those aren't being touched.

Maybe they should just take it all, might be dirty money.

33 posted on 03/24/2013 8:39:19 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

Up to this point it hasn’T been “might” get bailed out. It’s been “WILL” get bailed out. The EU has pre empted the Russians by suddenly changing the MO. The Russians did not expect the 100,000 threshold so did not go the multiple small account route. I find it funny so many conservatives defending the Russians in their stealth takeover. I for one am happy to see them blocked.


34 posted on 03/24/2013 8:54:45 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

The 100,000 deposit guarantee threshold came into being several years ago and was no secret so to say anyone is surprised by the existence of it is nonsensical.

If there is proof of illicit funds being laundered there are legal means to pursue the matter without seizing funds on a vague pretext and violating the trust upon which the banking system depends and functions.

This is the thing that so many fail to grasp in rushing to scapegoat depositors.

Deposits do not make banks insolvent. The lack of them does.


35 posted on 03/24/2013 9:03:20 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

No a Levy on accounts over 100,000 was not clear until a few days ago. It had not been done before so the russians did not know it was coming. And large depositors most definitely do have say in the direction a bank goes. Big customers and bank management walk hand in hand.


36 posted on 03/24/2013 9:34:04 PM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up
And large depositors most definitely do have say in the direction a bank goes. Big customers and bank management walk hand in hand.

You believe not just that Russian mobsters comprise the entirety of large depositors above the ECB guarantee cutoff, having funneled more money there in the hopes of possibly being bailed out, but that they directed the haircut they're now up in arms about. Right.

You're making this up as you go along, aren't you, lol?

37 posted on 03/24/2013 9:42:37 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry

Who said anything about the Russians directing the haircut. I said they were blindsided by that. They may now have to go along with it now but earlier I’M sure they thought an infusion of cash was coming at no cost to them.


38 posted on 03/24/2013 10:02:42 PM PDT by what's up
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