Greece saved at last second?

Greeks Vote NOTime will tell.

But: will Greece stick to the Euro and, conversely, will the Eurozone stick to Greece?

From FoxNews.com:

Greece, Eurozone leaders agree to new bailout deal

Marathon talks between Greece and its European creditors ended with a new bailout agreement early Monday, at least temporarily averting the prospect of Athens exiting the single currency and subsequent global financial chaos.

Please note the key word in that paragraph.

The deal calls for Greece, already reeling from harsh austerity measures, to cut back even further in exchange for more loans without which its financial system would surely collapse. It still requires approval from Greece’s parliament by the end of Wednesday.

What do those measures of further “austerity” constitute?  Keep reading.

A breakthrough came in a meeting between Tsipras, Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and (Eurozone Council President Donald) Tusk, after the threat of expulsion from the euro put intense pressure on Tsipras to swallow politically unpalatable austerity measures in exchange for the country’s third bailout in five years.

Oh no, Greece forced to swallow its pride for being a drunken cash whore binging on the money of other states?  Say not so!

The deal includes commitments from Tsipras to push a drastic austerity program including pension, market and privatization reforms through parliament by Wednesday. In return, the other eurozone leaders committed to start talks on a new bailout program that should stave off the imminent collapse of the Greek financial system.

But wait.  What if Tsipras doesn’t manage to push through those “drastic” reforms?  What then?  Start all over?

Anglea Merkel will tire entirely of Greece should that occur.

Has Greece truly staved off doom?  Or will it go back to doing what it does best?

Oh yes, time will tell.

BZ

 

Consider this, Greece

Greece and EuroWith a caveat for the United States as well.

Now that your citizens, at the urging of its president, have decided to vote NO to “austerity” meaning: no, we don’t wish to take any fiscal hardship placed upon us by those to whom we owe money, what can possibly be in Greece’s future?

Let us also not forget about another large country in fiscal trouble — again — Argentina.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, whose country defaulted on a mountain of debt more than a decade ago, called the vote a victory.

“Greece: decisive victory for democracy and dignity,” she wrote on Facebook Sunday, expressing Argentina’s “solidarity with the brave Greek people and their government.”

In 2001 Argentina, you may recall, defaulted on over $100 billion dollars in debt.

Another South American country weighed in on Greece.

Meanwhile, Evo Morales, Bolivia’s leftist president, congratulated Greece on Sunday, calling the referendum a defeat against “European imperialism.”

Morales, a harsh critic of free-market economies, said the referendum was “the beginning of the liberation of the European people.”

It is that so-called “European imperialism” that happens to fund the largesse of Greece to its citizens, one should remember.

A small thing that Greece and other countries should consider:

Who will ever makes loans to you again if your common response is but to default on them?

BZ

P.S.

For an explanation of Greece’s fiscal crisis, go here.

US stock market took a hit, but not bad, and gained some back:

Equity markets around the world fell on Monday and U.S. oil prices tumbled 7 percent after Greece overwhelmingly voted against conditions for a rescue package and following unprecedented measures in China to staunch recent massive losses in its stock markets.

Wall Street shares fell less than some had feared. The International Monetary Fund reassured investors by saying it was ready to help Greece if asked to do so. European shares fell around 2 percent, a relatively muted reaction to the Greek vote.

 

 

Greece votes: no more “austerity”

Greeks Vote NOThe Greeks have voted.  The answer was a resounding “no.”  They have had enough of having enough.

From AP.org:

Greeks reject demands for more austerity in key referendum

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greeks overwhelmingly rejected creditors’ demands for more austerity in return for rescue loans in a critical referendum Sunday, backing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who insisted the vote would give him a stronger hand to reach a better deal.

Tsipras gambled the future of his 5-month-old left-wing government on the vote. The opposition accused him of jeopardizing the country’s membership in the 19-nation club that uses the euro and said a “yes” vote was about keeping the common currency.

A number of European politicians, including Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the top eurozone official, have said a “no” vote would jeopardize Greece’s place in the 19-nation eurozone. Investors are also likely to believe a “no” win increases the chance of a so-called “Grexit,” where Greece returns to its own old currency.

This has also had a massive rippling effect on Greece, as residents raid store shelves for food and medicines and citizens are hoarding cash because banks have been closed for a week  People are limited to a daily cash withdrawal from ATMs of 60 euros (65$) per day.

There has also been street violence in Athens.

How will this affect the US stock market?

We’ll know tomorrow morning.

I don’t suspect it will be pleasant.

BZ