tomcatwarneOPOcean City, Plumouth, Devon, England UK17,106 posts
And here’s the larger picture. Cyprus is badly indebted. Its debt-to-GDP ratio pushed to 127% in the third quarter of 2012, the latest period tabulated by European Union officials. Such high debt reflects Cyprus’ ill financial health. Only Greece (at 153%) has a higher level. The bailout would begin to reduce its debt, sending it back below 100% of GDP within the year.
Cyprus is in a particularly bad position because much of its economy is tied to neighboring Greece, the host of its own monetary problems. Making it worse, Cyprus was a major Greek bondholder, so when the second Greek bailout package went through last year, it caused a 4.5 billion euro ($5.9 billion) hole in the Cypriot budget.
And now it’s not happening?
Despite Anastasiades’ best efforts to push the measure through parliament, it failed to muster the necessary votes. Indeed, not one member of parliament voted yes. (There were 36 voting no and 19 abstaining.) The opposition party had suggested asking Russia or China for the money instead of accepting the Troika’s deal. Anastasiades eventually floated a new proposal: banks accounts under 20,000 euros ($26,000) would be exempt. He must try to strike a new deal for Cyprus that would stave off default.
How unpopular is this in Cyprus?
An understatement. It’s deeply, deeply unpopular. Cypriots made a run on all available ATMs this weekend, depleting cash reserves across the country. Cyprus, in response, also suspended electronic transfers.
So a depositor’s money is just gone?
They’d be compensated with bank shares. Yes, stock in the banks that are basically bankrupt now. What’s more, depositors who keep money in Cypriot banks for at least two years would receive government bonds that compensate their losses. Cyprus eventually expects a windfall of revenue from newly discovered natural gas deposits.
Is there any precedent for this?
Well, when we’re discussing tiny European islands containing potentially destructive forces, Elba in the early 19th century seems a close parallel.
Financially speaking.
Oh. Well, no. That’s why the Cypriots are so upset. The Cypriot bailout is the first to take directly from citizens’ wallets.
As members of the European Union–albeit the smallest nation contributing just 0.2% of the bloc’s total GDP–Cyprus helped bailout Ireland, Portugal and Greece, then Greece again. So they’re understandably feeling a bit betrayed by the whole matter.
LeanybeanSouthampton, Hampshire, England UK124 posts
The elite are doing a test. If they can pull this off in Cyprus, they will do it elsewhere next.
Get you money out of your bank and only have the money for direct debits in it. And put that money in just before the debit comes out. We are heading into perilous times. Buy gold and silver coins that you can hold in your hands of your own country's currency regardless where you live. Keep them under lock and key. Then, don't tell anyone you have it or they could break in and rob you.
Leanybean: The elite are doing a test. If they can pull this off in Cyprus, they will do it elsewhere next.
Get you money out of your bank and only have the money for direct debits in it. And put that money in just before the debit comes out. We are heading into perilous times. Buy gold and silver coins that you can hold in your hands of your own country's currency regardless where you live. Keep them under lock and key. Then, don't tell anyone you have it or they could break in and rob you.
For more tips on your safety, contact me.
I would question the legality of this happening in the UK, since this all kicked off in Cyprus, I have done some checking, seems it is legal to lock an account and remove funds, by the administrators, but only if the holder of the account has made a defaulted payment or a fraudulent transaction. Neither of which apply in this situation. Anyone able to clarify this??
tomcatwarneOPOcean City, Plumouth, Devon, England UK17,106 posts
A recent blog post by the CEO of Saxo Bank, Lars Christensen, did a great job of explaining how incredibly damaging this move by the IMF and the EU truly is… This is a breach of fundamental property rights, dictated to a small country by foreign powers and it must make every bank depositor in Europe shiver. Although the representatives at the bailout press conference tried to present this as a one-off, they were not willing to rule out similar measures elsewhere – not that it would have mattered much as the trust is gone anyway. It is now difficult to expect any kind of limitation to what measures the Troika and EU might take when the crisis really starts to bite. if you can do this once, you can do it again. if you can confiscate 10 percent of a bank customer’s money, you can confiscate 25, 50 or even 100 percent. I now believe we will see worse as the panic increases, with politicians desperately trying to keep the EUR alive. Depositors in other prospective bailout countries must be running scared – is it safe to keep money in an Italian, Spanish or Greek bank any more? I dont know, must be the answer. Is it prudent to take the risk? You decide. I fear this will lead to massive capital outflows from weak Eurozone countries, just about the last thing they need right now. This is the biggest moment that we have witnessed since the beginning of the European financial crisis. Financial authorities in Europe could try to calm nerves by at least pretending that this will never happen again in any other country, but so far they are refusing to do that… Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the group of euro-area ministers, on Saturday declined to rule out taxes on depositors in countries beyond Cyprus, although he said such a measure was not currently being considered. Such a measure is “not currently being considered” for other members of the eurozone? Yeah, that sure is going to make people feel a lot more confident in what is coming next. I have insisted over and over that the next wave of the economic collapse would originate in Europe, and we may have just witnessed the decision that will cause the dominoes to start to fall. The banksters have sent a very clear message. When the chips are down, they are going to come after YOUR money.
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Hooddah Thunkit?