Un commento di ieri sulla complessa situazione greca.
[FONT="]"""Over the next few weeks Tsipras will confront EU leaders with a clear mandate from the Greek people. Although he was 2 seats short of a full majority, it looks as though ANEL will become his coalition partner and he will form a government shortly. Choosing the anti-European ANEL over the centrist To Potami party looks to be sign that confrontation is very much in the cards.
Tsipras' first order of business will be to ask for upcoming debt/loan maturities to be extended. Then he will focus on haircutting public sector holdings of Greek debt and lowering interest rates on existing public sector loans. Over the course of the next few months Greece has ~3b in debt payments due, mainly from the IMF. And without Europe's help it has no means to pay. Of course there are many more billions throughout the rest of 2015 that need to be rolled over, or repaid with creditor "assistance". So, even though Tsipras has a mandate, his only viable threat to Europe if they do not cede to his demands is non-payment - or more specifically, a unilateral restructuring of public sector debt where Greece determines its own terms.
Of course, this is not a healthy starting point for negotiation. Threatening non-payment, even with a promise of future payment, will not be welcome in most European capitals. Further, he will be pushing for a relaxation of the MOU conditions - specifically the 4.5% primary surplus target and the labor market reforms. And so you might ask - what is he offering other than threats? Well, he will offer to crack down on corruption, stop tax avoidance and raise taxes. Remember, this is the first EVER true left wing government in Greece (and frankly in Europe) in modern history. These guys are nothing like previous center left governments (they are neo-Maoists/Marxists). And importantly they are not beholden to the special interests which have solidified a highly corrupt Greek taxation system over the last 40+ years. Tsipras' ability to take on the establishment will certainly help as he negotiates. But, the more likely outcome is confrontation, stalmate and non-payment. Then it all comes down to brinksmanship and blame.
I honestly think this has a 75% chance going down the messy path for Greece. Remember, when it comes to the loan decisions Germany can veto. This is not like the ECB where a majority rules. Tsipras will threaten non-payment. The Germans will say go ahead and try. The Greek banks will see sharp outflows. The Greek central bank will tap the ELA taking it from 50b up to 60b/70b fast. The Germans will claim the Greek banks are insolvent and the ELA needs to be shut. The Greeks will say their banks just passed stress tests and this is a liquidity crisis not a solvency crisis. The ELA will be tapped again for another 10b/20b. Then the rubber will then hit the road.
Letting the ELA go towards 100b would send shivers down northern Europe's collective spine. The ELA is unsecured. If Greece leaves it doesn't pay this back. Something will have to give. And the only way Greece leaves is if the ELA is shut. Would Mario take the blame for a Greek exit - NO WAY? Merkel will look to blame Tsipras, and Tsipras will look to blame Merkel. And if we get to the point where the ELA is shut, I presume there would be an announced Greek bank holiday for a few days while the parties cool down and "blame" is determined in the newspapers of Europe.
In truth, there is a real chance of a forced Greek exit. The Germans would like nothing more than to show Italy and Spain what happens when you don't follow the fiscal rules. I also suspect the Germans would work hard to make sure that the fallout stays contained. So far Greek exit risks have decoupled from peripheral European risks. And the adoption of EuroQE probably increases the chance this can continue as the Greek situation worsens. It is somewhat perverse that EuroQE makes it easier to let Greece go, but that is surely the case! So for now this story remains a tempest in a tea pot, or rather, a storm in an ouzo glass.
I honestly hope it doesn't go down this path, but as I said above, I see only a 25% chance of both sides coming to a face saving agreement. The sad truth is that if Merkel can get Greece out without taking the blame she will go for it. Tsipras will need to be on his best game if he thinks he can end austerity, force debt extensions and stay in the Euro. This is going to be the political equivalent of David versus Goliath. The odds are definitely not with David!"""[/FONT]