Bond market sees high risk of eventual Greek default
Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:51am EDT
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Greece seen struggling to meet deficit, privatisation aims
* CDS markets sees risk of Greek default in 2-3 years
* Bond prices imply expectation of haircut
By Emelia Sithole-Matarise
LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Bond and credit market prices imply a high risk of an eventual Greek default, reflecting investor concerns that budget and privatisation targets are too onerous to meet.
The targets form part of a potential second bailout package for Greece under discussion by European policymakers. Athens failed to meet 2010 reform and privatisation goals set out in a first bailout a year ago.
This failure has cost Greece dear, ensuring it remains shut out of capital markets for the foreseeable future.
The Greek bond yield and credit default swaps curves are still sharply inverted, peaking at the two to three-year maturity, signalling market expectations of a default by 2014, when the proposed second recsue programme would end.
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Graphic on
euro zone CDS curves
r.reuters.com/fez99r
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Most strategists believe Greece will find it tough to achieve the deficit reduction and privatisation goals under new austerity plans needed to secure European Union and International Monetary Fund money as the economy is expected to remain in recession into next year.
The Greek government plans 6.5 billion euros worth of extra austerity steps this year and savings of 22 billion euros for 2012-2015 to cut a debt pile estimated at 150 percent of annual output and rising. [ID:nLDE759159]
"The new fiscal targets are a bit unrealistic because we've seen before it's been difficult for Greece. When they have to collect taxes they have not been very successful in the achievement of this programme," said ING strategist Alessandro Giansanti.
"In the end they will get the package but on the next quarterly review they will be behind in terms of fiscal adjustment because the growth will come up lower than expected because they were too ambitious in terms of tax revenues."
The IMF and the EU have also become impatient with Greece and want stricter conditions for new aid, with the EU demanding wider political consensus and an independent body to oversee privatisation.
"The pressure is rising and Greece is going to have very little flexibility and eventually if they don't execute the plans they are exposed to the risk of not receiving a tranche of loan," said Vincent Chaigneau, head of rates strategy at Societe Generale.
"We need to see results in terms of budget reduction and the market is pretty convinced now that at some point down the line Greece is going to default," he said.
Two-year Greek bond yields GR2YT=TWEB have hit record highs above 27 percent as policymakers argue over a new rescue programme and on signs that making private bondholders bear some of the cost could trigger a technical default.
Five-year credit default swap prices reflect a 74 percent probability of default based on a 41 percent recovery rate, Reuters calculations based on Markit CDS data show.
"Even if they execute the plan there are risks that now it's too late, Greece anyway will have to default," Chaigneau said. "The troika (EU, IMF, ECB) wants to give them a chance and at least see them trying all they can in terms of reducing the deficit...It's a very difficult process."
PRIVATE BONDHOLDERS
While EU and ECB policymakers wrangle over the role of private bondholders in an eventual new rescue deal, the Greek yield curve is close to fully pricing in a debt rescheduling.
The face value of five-year government bonds stands at around 53 cents in the euro, implying holders fear a haircut -- that they will not get all their money back.
Assuming full coupon payments were to be made until the end of the present package and the maturity of the bonds was then extended by five years with a 50 percent haircut, the implied probability of a debt rescheduling is about 90 percent, according to calculations by Citi strategists.
This compares with around 60 percent for
Ireland and Portugal, the two other countries on international aid.
"What is evident from this analysis is that a maturity extension or some reduction in coupon and redemption payments is widely anticipated, but that a substantial restructuring of the future debt service burdens is still not fully priced," Citi said in a note.