In a development that must have the
normally unflappable Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor, Glenn Stevens,
scratching his head, at least, the Aussie dollar reversed the losses it
incurred after the core interest rate cut that was announced on Tuesday morning
GMT, during the Asian Forex trading session yesterday.
In normal times a rate cut such as
this, and especially one that is accompanied by a virtual promise to cut again,
soon, would have the effect of commencing a trend to the downside for the
currency concerned. But these are not normal times. With Quantitative Easing
underway in the Eurozone, and accelerated in Japan, and with no let-up in the
flow of Chinese cash looking for a safe home, Australia is fast becoming a victim
of its own success in being able to keep its economy humming, even through the
worst of the recent Global Financial Crisis.
The country is a member of a club
that has a diminishing membership, those that enjoy triple-A rated status from
all rating agencies. And there is no indication at all that this is about to
change anytime soon.
ECB
no longer accepting Greek sovereign bonds for Eurosystem operations
The European Central Bank has fired
a fairly substantial warning shot across the bows of the new regime in
Greece, members of which have been travelling throughout the rest of the EU attempting
to garner support for their country’s debt reduction efforts. It has announced
that it will no longer accept Greek sovereign bonds as collateral for loans to
member state banks. The move means that banks in Greece must now rely solely on
their own central bank for emergency funding, of which there is a need.
There are already reports about the
flight of capital from Greek financial institutions. This move can only exacerbate
this tendency. While we can await the next development with interest, the citizens
of Greece must surely do so with at least some trepidation.
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