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Greece – Lazy, Stupid or Evil?

Greece – Lazy, Stupid or Evil?

My regular readers are already familiar with what I like to call BUC

Lenores Law BUC

Lately I’ve been mulling over a new one, which applies quite well to the discussions around Greece, but I think is universally applicable – L4

Lenores Law L#

I was speaking with a friend of mine who lives in the States and she was asking me about the view of Greece from Italy, (I’m working from Genova, Italy at the moment) and commented on how the country really needs to get its act in gear and what is wrong with those lazy Greeks who want Germany to endlessly subsidize them.

Dog-with-perked-ears

 

My ears immediately perked up!  That sounds a lot like L4.

 

 

 

Yes, Greece is a disaster, but having been to the country, (I’m in love with Santorini and Mykonos) and having seen just how hard many of the Greeks work, my ire got up hearing that as the explanation for why the nation is struggling.  Let’s look at the data on just how lazy those Greeks really are.

Data compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) shows that in 2013, Greece had the second highest number of average annual hours actually worked per worker at 2,037 hours- only Mexico worked more!

How many hours for those diligent, finger-wagging Germans?  1,388 – two thirds the hours that those lazy Greeks worked! The Germans sit at number 34, BEHIND Russia, Ireland, United States, Italy, Portugal, Canada, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, France, Denmark and Norway!  Yes, the average annual hours worked in Germany in 2013 was LESS than Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal!

So what gives?  Why is Greece and for that matter Italy, Spain and France struggling?

There is no easy answer for that, but lets take a quick look at the data.

According to data compiled by the World Bank benchmarked to June 2014, out of 189 countries ranked for ease of doing business, Greece was number 61 while Germany was number 14.  (The lower the number the easier it is.)  Italy sits at number 56, Spain at 33 and Portugal at 25.  For comparison, the United States is number 7.

For getting credit, Greece ranks number 71 while Germany was 23.

For getting electricity Greece ranks 80 while Germany ranks 3.

For enforcing contracts, Greece ranks 155 while Germany ranks 13.

So maybe it isn’t that those Greeks are lazy, stupid or evil.  Maybe they just have government bureaucracy that makes it excruciatingly difficult to earn a living, no matter how hard you work!  As a gentleman named Henry David Thoreau once said in “Civil Disobedience, “That government is best which governs least.”

Or as another fellow for whom I have a rather mad crush said, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

Greece in Hotel California

Greece in Hotel California

Greece was all over the headlines again last week as the deadline for debt talks neared. The Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union, is starting to sound an awful like the Eagles “Hotel California,” with many in Greece left rethinking, “This could be Heaven or this could be Hell.” The treaty provided a lengthy list of requirements to enter the Eurozone “hotel,” but provides no way to exit, making all members, “…just prisoners here, of our own device.” Greece, among quite a few others, didn’t exactly meet the economic fitness requirements to obtain membership in the Eurozone. The current members were well aware that Greece was essentially doping to get the level of performance required and were all too willing to look the other way. After all, “We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

 

After Greece made it onto the Eurozone team, things went quite well for a while. The global economy appeared to be performing in tip-top shape and “dealers” for Greece’s performance-enhancing creative debt securitizations were ubiquitous. Now before anyone gives into the desire to finger wag, first recall that parts of the US economy also indulged in such performance-enhancing financial supplements, (housing and now the auto sector). Frankly, pre-financial crisis the proliferation of creative debt securitization on the global stage was a lot like an excerpt from a Lance Armstrong post-2012 doping deposition, “Everyone was doing it. You had to if you didn’t want to be left in the dust.” Pssst, a version of this is still going on today, just ask any company that is juicing its EPS by using newly issued debt to fund stock buybacks such as Apple (AAPL), IBM (IBM), Monsanto (MON), CBS (CBS) and many more.

 

Today, global economic conditions are such that the hills have gotten a hell of a lot steeper, the pavement is full of cracks, there are powerful headwinds, rain flurries and Greece’s pre-crisis performance-enhancing suppliers are no where to be seen. Debt-doping allowed the nation to get away with all kinds of economic sins, gorging itself on regulations and labor laws akin to years of multiple-pint nightly threesomes with my two favorite partners-in-crime, Ben and Jerry, followed by many a lazy day-after spent series-binging on “Ex-wives of Rock” while sprawled on the couch munching on peanut butter Cap’n Crunch out of the box. Now with no “supplements” available, an overweight, out-of-shape and endocrine-exhausted Greece is being told to get pedaling faster and faster on a bike with bald tires, a broken gearbox and gyrating handlebars.

 

You would think that Germany, of all countries, would remember that driving a nation into the economic ground is never a good idea. Most economists and politicians refer to Germany’s understandable fear of hyperinflation but that overlooks the much more relevant and painful lesson from the impossible demands placed on the country post WWI, which destroyed not only its relationship with its neighbors, but also its democracy and ultimately led to WWII. How ironic that the Maastricht Treaty, which was conceived in part to prevent another war between European neighbors, is now the cause of so much inter-European strife!

 

Greece simply cannot pay its debt, which is pretty much its standard operating procedure. According to Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart, “from 1800 to 2008, Greece was in default 50.6% of the time,” so angry bondholders, how about a reality check? Last week we mentioned that the nation’s economy had contracted by 26% from 2008-2013, yet it is still managing to remain current on its debt payments while running a primary surplus of about 1.5%. That would be a seriously crowd-pleasing performance on NBC’s The Biggest Loser!  The problem is its creditors want Greece to increase that surplus, meaning ride even faster up that blasted hill! Even Jillian Michaels wouldn’t push that hard.

 

Last Thursday Greece formally requested a 6 month extension after four weeks of brinkmanship, which was quickly returned with an “I don’t think so,” from Germany.  On Friday night a four month interim pact was reached that will once again kick the can down the road, albeit a much shorter road than after previous kerfuffles, conditional on Greece submitting a list of reforms by Monday 23rd.  Greece submitted such a list close to midnight on Monday, which the eurozone commission officials claim contains significant changes from “a more vague outline originally discussed at the weekend.”  One official reportedly said, “We are notably encouraged by the strong commitment to combat tax evasion and corruption.”

 

The Eurozone finance ministers will hold a conference call on Tuesday to determine the acceptability of Greece’s proposed reform plans.  Most likely an agreement will be reached.  The bailout money will continue to come and the European Central bank will continue to stand behind the nation’s banking system.  However, all the finger pointing and accusatory language has greatly damaged relationships and backed both parties into difficult corners.  The next round of talks in four months could be even more contentious.

The New, New Normal

I’m fairly certain that when the G20 convened, many of the attendees believed that as a result of their high-minded meetings, some brilliant announcement would be given to the markets and once again the world would be deemed safe, at least for a little while.  Instead, the Cannes meeting ended with no solutions and not even a pledge to find solutions. Is this the new normal?  Papandreou is on his way out, which means the odds for passage of the latest rescue plan are improving, but at this point, that means very little for long-term Greek prospects.

Last week the ECB reversed its rate increase from earlier this year, cutting short-term lending rates by 25 basis points to 1.25%.  This should hardly come as a surprise with the Eurozone economy deteriorating at a faster pace than was expected.  Markit, a global financial information services company, reported that Eurozone GDP fell at a quarterly rate of 0.5% in October with little chance for a pick up in the near term.  Output fell and new order inflows contracted at the fastest pace since June 2009.  Eurozone PMI fell to a 28 month low of 46.5 in October, dropping from 49.1 in September.  This is the sharpest drop since November 2008.

In Germany, whose strength has been keeping Europe afloat, industrial production dropped 2.7% in September, on the heels of a 0.4% drop in August.  German factory orders dropped 4.3% in September.

One of the most concerning trends last week was the rise in Italian bond yields, with the 10 year soaring at one point to 6.64% while at the same time German bund yields dropped 2 basis points to 1.79%.  Italy is rapidly approaching the levels that pushed Greece, Ireland and Portugal into bailout mode, but this time the stakes are markedly higher.  Italy’s economy is the 8th largest in the world and its bond market is the third largest!  That’s a bigger problem that all the aforementioned nations combined and it is highly unlikely that Berlusconi’s majority government will survive.  Contagion anyone?  Over the weekend Italy rejected an offer for IMF assistance, but conceded to intensive monitoring with published quarterly fiscal results.  Talk about too little too late!

It is amazing to think that just 11 days ago, on October 27th, the market soared on promises that the EFSF would magically be expanded and levered up by some as yet still unidentified sources and all would be well in the world!  Once again, China was touted as being keen on getting involved.  Is anyone really surprised at this point that they aren’t?  Then in what can only be described as irony on a global scale, the ECB left China after being rejected and headed over to Japan, who debt to GDP is nearing a mind-boggling 228%, with hat in hand looking for support.  That’s like going to the neighborhood crack dealer in search of rehab options!

Italy is now clearly being targeted as the next bailout candidate, but there just isn’t enough firepower to handle the land of linguine.  It needs to refinance $413 billion in the coming year with market rates currently at levels that it simply cannot afford.  How much more can the ECB take on?  They’ve already bought over $100 billion of Italian bonds since August, with very little impact on yields.

Greece’s default appears more likely and more imminent that ever before and there are entirely too many under-capitalized European banks, which means, systemic risk.  This coming at a time when Italy, (remember that this is the 8th largest economy in the world) will need to refinance $413 billion!  Ah fusilli!

For anyone who thinks that Europe’s woes won’t creep across the pond, keep in mind that between 15% and 20% of S&P500 sales and exports are derived from Europe.  Europe is also China’s largest export market, so this has significant global implications outside of the danger to credit markets.

Bottom line – there is no end in sight to the Eurozone debt crisis and the U.S. will not go unscathed.  To make it even more exciting, countries responsible for half of global GDP will be holding elections in the next year, and we all know how candidates love to take advantage of a crisis and stir the pot!  Volatility and fear will be the norm.  Invest accordingly.

How and Why of Greek Debt

How and Why of Greek Debt

When a nation has more debt than it can manage, it has two options (1) inflate its way out by printing more money or (2) restructure the debt.

Typically the most politically feasible solution is to inflate.  Generally wages tend to keep up to some degree with inflation, so the employed feel as if they are getting a raise and don’t gripe too much.  Those in the population who have debts prefer inflation as the relative “cost” of their debt decreases over time, e.g. with 5% inflation, debt declines in real terms by 5% every year.  It is the savers who suffer most as they watch inflation eating away at what they’ve built – in a converse to inflation reducing debt, savings declines in value by 5% every year.  This is why inflation is often referred to as a hidden tax.

The Europeans cannot inflate their way out of too much debt for the PIIGS as the U.S. is way ahead of them in the race to the bottom and they have conflicting needs across countries.  A monetary union without a political, fiscal and cultural union is complicated at best.  So why the continued kick the can?  The largest banks (German Deutsche Bank, the French BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Crédit Agricole SA among many others) have not increased their reserve capital, which would dilute shareholders, and do not want to take losses on their significant holdings of PIIGS bonds.  The euphemistic “restructuring” of these bonds would by definition require some sort of write down in value for the banks.http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Who-holds-Greek-debt.jpg

Bank’s hold these bonds as assets on their balance sheets.  They are required to maintain a certain level of assets relative to the amount of loans they give.  If the value of their assets were to suddenly drop, they could find themselves in violation of the regulations concerning this ratio.  As you can imagine – that is not good for the banking sector and lending!  We saw the last time this occurred the credit markets effectively shut down, any type of borrowing was nearly impossible, and the engine of the global economy geared way down.

So how did the U.S. get out of the bog in which the Eurozone is currently mired?  In the Spring of 2009, the U.S. banks were eventually forced to raise hard common equity that was then used to absorb losses on loans.  The fixed income market did bottom out in the Fall of 2008, but when banks sought this equity, their stocks did not wither on the vine, albeit life wasn’t exactly rosy.  Rather than taking this approach, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the German and French banks are giving Greece just enough liquidity to roll their debt, not the permanent equity investments that were made here in the U.S.  The Euro approach is just a temporary patch on a cracking dam.  Only when the European banks raise equity, as we did here, and the PIIGS debt is restructured will there be a true resolution.