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Spain in the firing line as borrowing costs hit new highs

Image: Jacques Brinon/AP

SPAIN HAS BECOME the latest eurozone country to find itself in the firing line, as its cost of borrowing soared following a difficult bond auction for its government this morning.

The country – which goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government – this morning raised €3.6 billion through the issue of new bonds, but was forced to pay 6.975 per cent for the 10-year loans.

That premium was just short of a full percentage point higher than the rate that Spain paid for similar loans in July of this year, Reuters said.

The cost of borrowing for Italy, meanwhile, remains above the 7 per cent mark.

The fact that both of the countries – which are the two largest European economies threatened with the possibility of needing an EU-IMF bailout are now paying 7 per cent for their loans is a sign that many investors believe it likely that either could default.

The rate is of particular importance for Italy, which has a national debt of €1.9 trillion, but is equally pressing for Spain which has a debt of €355 billion – the ninth-highest in the world – and which may be about to enter a political vacuum, with elections due in three days’ time.

France also completed a bond auction this morning, but saw its interest rate for two-year and four-year bonds rise by 0.5 per cent compared to the previous auction.

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Comments (15 Comments)

  • Cillian Lynch 17/11/11 #
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    Time to start forming exit strategies from the Euro rather than recovery plans which are proving futile

    Reply
  • Simon O Flaherty 17/11/11 #
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    Attack on the euro it’s must be a new movie. If sovereign nations can’t stand up and ban non sovereign nations e.g. hedge funds, banks etc from trading in debt, but isn’t that the problem in the so called free market where too much freedom has been given to banks hedge funds and freedom is being taken from sovereign nations. What the markets do is up to them they are the ones running the show now aren’t they?

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    • Uncle Mort 17/11/11 #
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      @Simon, there was a comment from Tim Henchin just a few items back which had a link to an excellent video,worth while having a look for it [and at it too :-) ]

    • Tim Henchin 17/11/11 #
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      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnTOiso08HM

      Colin Crouch – Political Scientist, on why the west is entering a post democratic phase. He came up with this, about 10 years ago

    • Niall Mulligan 17/11/11 #
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      Excellent post – there’s a tendency to treat the bond markets as if they’re some kind of force of nature, whereas there are real people behind these attacks, and a real exercise of political power and will.

      Britain would probably be part of the Eurozone now, for better or for worse, of it wasn’t for an attack by “market forces” in 1992 or so.

  • Sean O'Keeffe 17/11/11 #
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    Media reports that Norway and Denmark are bracing for impact. Any indications of activity from the Irish state?
    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-17/norway-is-braced-for-worsening-of-euro-debt-crisis-johnsen-says.html

    Reply
  • Paul Breen 17/11/11 #
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    It seems like a systematic campaign, moving like locusts from one country to another.

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  • theresa parker 17/11/11 #
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    FFS…fed up of the crack now, we’r all going down the swanney together.

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  • Peter Carroll 17/11/11 #
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    Currencies of highly indebted nations have always been the subject of speculative pressure. Remember what happened to the pound in 1966/7 and more recently in 1991. It happened to the dollar in 1974 forcing it to abandon the gold standard. Japan and Switzerland regularly get the reverse pressure forcing up the value of their currencies.

    In all the above life continued, hardships were endured, changes made and the wagon moved on. There is only one way to avoid speculative onslaught – don’t borrower their money,

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  • Derek Durkin 17/11/11 #
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    The miltary industrial complex is taking control. Its not as if we werent warned this would happen by Eisenhower and Kennedy.

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    • Tim Henchin 17/11/11 #
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      That is actually true. It is one of the least remarked on events of history that President Eisenhower felt that he had to give a speech on how big business was corrupting and over riding American democracy. He was ahead of the curve.

  • Hot Toddy 17/11/11 #
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    There’s a really easy way to avoid being at the mercy of these “locusts”. Don’t borrow money. All these people are doing is demanding a higher interest rate on the money they are willing to lend us. Evil b@stards…..

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  • Lamb 18/11/11 #
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    Well, we can’t borrow out way out of the hole we are in. I think the next step is a joint agreement on EU debt forgiveness rather than ‘burning the bond holders’.

    Reply
    • Tim Henchin 18/11/11 #
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      That is burning the bond holders.

      Besides, the heads of 2 of the largest bond companies in the world have stated that they can’t understand why the bond holders haven’t been burnt.

      It is gas that a party that many consider to be mad socialists is the only one that called for the capitalist solution to be used – burn the bond holders. There are very few leading economists or investors in the world who have not called for this to happen.

      It is kind of obvious now though, isn’t it.

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