http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/http://mediaserver.fxstreet.com/images/fxstreet-provider-logo1-en.gif7http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/26/Easy title for a complicated scenario: the EUR heads towards the ends of April easing against most of its rivals, as over the past few weeks, market players have been listening ECB officials bluffing on the benefits of a rate cut, and pricing it in. Market players already expect the Central Bank to take rates down from current 0.75% to 0.50%, a measly 0.25% cut. With the economy on recession, and the OTM program accumulating dust, one should wonder how beneficial could be such rate cut. InFri, 26 Apr 2013 14:50:28 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/26/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/25/After several years living the crisis, the European citizens are asking themselves how far the situation will worsen. Unemployment levels are at record highs across the zone. Spain (27.2%), France (11.5%), Italy (11.6%), Greece (27.2%), Portugal (16.9%) and the whole eurozone with 12% are in a desperate situation. The misery index in the area remains at highs at 13.8 pts and the Eurozone Consumer Confidence just improved in April from 'comatose', at 23.50, to 'dramatic' at -22.30. JosephThu, 25 Apr 2013 21:37:18 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/25/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/19/The latest spark of optimism regarding the EU and a crisis that is here to stay since late 2009 was triggered by the ECB in its September 2012 monthly meeting, when Mr. Mario Draghi announced the OMT. The pompous Outright Monetary Transactions’ name stood for yet another form of bond buying, this time unlimited but of course, only available for those willing to submit to austerity measures. Following previous facilities programs, OMT came to provide sterilized bond purchases and not just plainFri, 19 Apr 2013 06:36:33 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/19/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/18/The financial crisis, which has been tormenting the world for the last six years, does not seem to be loosening its grip as we enter the second quarter of 2013. Whenever hopes for an imminent onset of a recovery are spurred by upbeat data in the US or the EU, they are soon undermined by some sudden downturn, such as the disappointing March US employment numbers, or by another Eurozone country imploding under the weight of debt, such as the recent escalation of the Cyprus crisis. Even thoughThu, 18 Apr 2013 12:58:36 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/04/18/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/03/18/Back in May 2012, fears that Greece may leave the EU triggered bank runs in the country, and many economist speculated with the possibility of the country establishing a “corralito”- the economic measures taken in Argentina at the end of 2001 that almost completely froze bank accounts and forbade withdrawals from U.S. dollar-denominated accounts. Bank runs extended then to Spain and Italy, although they finally come under control. But revival came back this weekend: Cyprus bail-out approvalMon, 18 Mar 2013 02:03:04 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/03/18/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/03/04/Cyprus is well on track to be bailed out by the Euro-zone, after the bloc's finance ministers made a determined pledge this Monday to extend the much-needed final assistance to the cash-strapped country. The decision should be made official by the end of March, with details on how it will be rescued still unknown. Official Eurogroup statement on Cyprus The Eurogroup welcomed the new Cypriot Finance Minister, Michalis Sarris, and the information he provided on the situation in Cyprus followingMon, 04 Mar 2013 23:51:41 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/03/04/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/25/Italians are leading the country to the ungovernability, and after a neck-to-neck battle to take control over the lower house between the center-left Bersani's party and Mr. Grillo's five star movement, with the first claiming a marginal victory, the big problem now lies in the advance from the center-right Berlusconi's group and Mr- Grillo in the Senate, where there is no majority by any party. According to the latest reports, which show a 99.9% ballot scrutiny conducted, Italy's center-leftMon, 25 Feb 2013 23:14:40 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/25/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/22/On 24 and 25 February Italy heads to the polls to vote in the general election, called two months before of the end of the statutory five-year term. The outcome is rather uncertain as many voters remain undecided as to who to choose. Before the opinion polls blackout on 8 February, surveys showed that the center-left party had the most support. The frontrunners in the election are the head of the center-left Democratic Party (PD) Pier Luigi Bersani and center-right People of Freedom (PDL)Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:32:44 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/22/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/21/European Commission to press France for more austerity French media, which obtained information about European Commission's growth projections for the EU, due out on Friday, said that France is expected to miss its 2013 deficit target and that growth will most probably be between 0-0.1%. "Even though the European Commission believes that France is on the right track and acknowledges the positive effects of the structural reforms implemented so far, it will have some recommendations for theThu, 21 Feb 2013 15:11:50 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/21/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/20/Greece and Bulgaria are in the main focus on Wednesday as dissatisfaction with the tough austerity measures pushed the people in both countries to protest in the streets.S&P warned that Cyprus might be downgraded to CCC+ and finally default. BoE Minutes revealed that Governor Mervyn King was outvoted on QE extension. Angela Merkel and Mariano Rajoy were also on the wires. Greek workers took part in the first general strike of the year. They protested against the reduction of wages and taxWed, 20 Feb 2013 14:57:36 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/20/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/19/French President Francois Hollande met with Greek PM Antonis Samaras in Athens on Tuesday in order to discuss the debt crisis. He also spoke about the situation in France, where the economy would most probably grow less than initially projected. The French leader offered the distressed country support and stressed the importance of stimulating growth in the Eurozone. "We must make sure that growth and jobs come back in Greece," he said. "We need more growth in Europe. That's how we'll reachTue, 19 Feb 2013 13:02:02 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/19/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/04/Italian voters have braced for the impact of an upcoming onslaught of tax-cut promises and attacks on the European Union as the four leading candidates begin the final stretch of the campaign, taking to airwaves and a mad scramble to visit to all corners of the republic before the polls are opened. After a prolonged period of suspense and campaigning, Italy goes to the polls February. 24-25 in the first parliamentary election since Europe’s sovereign debt crisis roiled the politicalMon, 18 Feb 2013 15:55:47 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/04/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/03/ECB head Mario Draghi visited the European Parliament on Monday to take part in two hearings before the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, one on the central bank’s monetary policy and the second on systemic risk. He assured that the exchange rate is not the central bank’s policy target, but that it is important for the evaluation of price stability and growth. This way Mario Draghi referred to the G20 meeting held last weekend, which focused on the issue of currency manipulation andMon, 18 Feb 2013 15:42:19 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/03/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/02/The president of the European Council Herman van Rompuy will appear before the European Parliament Monday in order to present the agreement on the 2014-2020 EU budget, estimated for 959 billion euros. Meanwhile, the president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz declared that the budget is not centered on the common interest of Europe as a whole. Shulz argued in an article written for the Financial Times that the budget rather tends to the needs of the 27 Member States rather than to theMon, 18 Feb 2013 11:18:11 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/Debt stricken Cyprus held the first round of presidential elections on Sunday in which pro-bailout candidate Nicos Anastasiades secured over 45% of votes, while two anti-bailout candidates Stavros Malas and George Lillikas saw a 26.9% and 24.9% support, respectively. The runoff election will take place on 24 February and right-wing Nicos Anastasiades is expected to defeat left-wing Stavros Malas. The newly elected president will have to face a difficult task of mending the distressed country’sMon, 18 Feb 2013 10:19:31 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/18/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/15/The G20 weekend meeting and its final statement settled again on generalities, with key passages posing little risk to neither discredit nor criticize ongoing Japanese polices, where no specific mention was noticed. As Sean Callow, Westpac FX strategist, notes: "G20 statements always reflect the difficulty in reaching agreement among nations with often quite diverse policy approaches, settling on generalities with little risk of shaking up markets. Once again, for FX markets, the MoscowFri, 15 Feb 2013 10:00:40 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/15/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/14/The preliminary Eurozone GDP numbers for the fourth quarter of 2012, published in the European morning, paint a rather gloomy picture of economic activity in the area: growth declined sharply by 0.6% , which makes it a third straight quarterly fall. GDP in the three largest Eurozone economies shrank more than expected. Germany saw a 0.6% decline , France contracted by 0.3% and Italy by 0.9%. Portuguese GDP plunged by 1.8%, which makes the country the worst performer in the Eurozone. OnlyThu, 14 Feb 2013 11:32:46 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/14/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/12/Following several weeks of back and forth monetary easing and tinkering that has seemingly roiled currency markets, the G7 recently issued a statement regarding the bourgeoning currency weakness, known colloquially as the "currency war." "We, the G7 Ministers and Governors, reaffirm our longstanding commitment to market determined exchange rates and to consult closely in regard to actions in foreign exchange markets. We reaffirm that our fiscal and monetary policies have been and will remainTue, 12 Feb 2013 11:06:47 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/12/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/11/Propositions of alternatives to the full bailout for Cyprus, which were included in the European Commission’s confidential memorandum mentioned by the FT in the European morning, were rejected by the country’s government which said that imposing losses on bank depositors would be against its law and constitution. "I would say that the bail-in of depositors is a grossly exaggerated possibility, unlikely to happen, we will not accept it under any circumstances and I don't think it creates anyMon, 11 Feb 2013 10:18:31 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/11/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/11/02/The Standard and Poor's rating services has maintained its Ireland rating at BBB+ but has revised upward the Irish outlook from negative to stable on the back of promissory notes exchange. Earlier on the day, BUBA’s J.Weidmann took ECB president Mario Draghi’s relay and is ‘verbally’ pushing the cross to the proximity of 1.3430 in the European evening. Weidmann commented that the euro would not be overvalued at current levels, and he emphasized than a lower exchange rate could derail in higherMon, 11 Feb 2013 18:09:26 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/11/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/03/Fitch ratings has affirmed Spain sovereign debt at BBB with negative outlook. The agency forecasts that Spain's economy will begin to recover in 2014 "as headwinds from fiscal austerity and financing conditions ease," says the statement. "As is currently the case, the recovery will be primarily driven by net exports; domestic demand will remain subdued for a longer period. The agency maintains its assumption that medium term potential growth is 1.5%." Fitch projects that "public debt will peakFri, 08 Feb 2013 17:33:12 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/03/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/02/After more than 24 hours of negotiations, European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, announced Friday that the 27 members of the European Union have reached agreement on the EU budget framework for the next seven years. "Deal done! #euco has agreed on #MFF for the rest of the decade. Worth waiting for", wrote Van Rompuy on his twitter account. Van Rompuy's plan proposed to limit new spending commitments by Brussels to €960 billion, versus the €1.03 trillion originally sought by theFri, 08 Feb 2013 16:51:12 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/European officials, gathered in Brussels to design a draft proposal of the long-term EU budget, finished the first day of negotiations in the small hours of the morning. The initial deal anticipates reducing the November budget proposal by 12 billion euros to 960 billion which will be allocated to agriculture subsidies, aid and scientific research over a seven year plan (2014-2020). The final agreement hasn’t been reached yet but EU officials hope it will happen on Friday, as the framework forFri, 08 Feb 2013 09:34:39 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/08/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/07/The ECB Governing Council decided to keep the main interest rate unchanged at 0.75% at their December monetary policy meeting. Speaking at the press conference following the meeting ECB head Mario Draghi commented on the considerations underlying the decision. The president suggested that inflation should fall below 2% in the coming months and assured that inflationary pressures should remain contained. He said that economic growth would remain weak in the “early part” of 2013 and recover veryThu, 07 Feb 2013 13:48:08 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/07/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/06/Much is at stake in the Eurozone should the fabled 'currency war' be ultimately waged as the price will be paid in both growth and jobs amidst fresh tensions about the future of the bloc itself. Few would doubt the euro area has been routed in the latest monetary battles between countries printing reserves and depressing home currencies in part to retain an acute trade advantage in a world sapped of growth. In Asia, Japan's plan to aggressively weaken the yen has been the proverbial warningWed, 06 Feb 2013 12:41:38 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/06/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/05/02/Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Kingdom of the Netherlands' AAA rating. In the same action, the agency has revised outlooks on the country' ratings to Negative from Stable according to a press release. This revision and the rationale adds concerns over a possible rating cut from the AAA status in Netherlands. "The Outlook revision to Negative from Stable reflects Fitch's view that the leveraged Dutch economy has suffered a number of shocks." Housing declining prices, housing worst-than-expectedTue, 05 Feb 2013 17:33:32 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/05/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/05/Eurozone political group leaders, together with French President François Hollande and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso gathered at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday to discuss the future of the European Union and the Eurozone, the economic crisis and the EU budget for 2014 to 2020. President Hollande spoke about the necessity of creating an exchange rate policy for the Eurozone in order to prevent “irrational movements” of the single currency. He warned thatTue, 05 Feb 2013 10:59:42 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/05/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/04/Spanish President Mariano Rajoy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a joint press conference on Monday in Berlin, during which the Chancellor assured she had not lost confidence in the governing Spanish People’s Party, which currently faces corruption allegations. “We have a relation of full trust in the Spanish government... I have the impression that the whole Spanish government is working to drive down unemployment, to push through structural reforms,” the Chancellor said. MarianoMon, 04 Feb 2013 04:08:32 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/04/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/01/In regards to the potential imminent threat of a triple-dip recession in the United Kingdom, the Bank of England officials (BOE) will likely discuss and posture today as a looming change of governor overshadows the remainder of Mervyn King’s term. While the calendar still reads five months before Mark Carney takes over, the Monetary Policy Committee is awaiting results of its credit-boosting program after stymieing bond purchases and signaling no additional interest-rate cuts for now. It isFri, 01 Feb 2013 10:14:47 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/02/01/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/31/Italian PM Mario Monti had a busy meeting agenda on Thursday, first speaking in Brussels with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, then flying to Berlin where he appeared at a press conference together with Chancellor Angela Merkel. In Germany Monti commented on the next EU long-term budget saying that it shouldn’t focus solely on austerity but rather on “boosting growth, jobs and social cohesion in Europe.” He also added thatThu, 31 Jan 2013 05:49:20 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/31/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/30/Spain’s malignant recession deepened more than economists forecast in the fourth quarter as the government’s struggle to rein in the euro region’s second-largest budget deficit weighed on domestic demand. The Gross Domestic Product fell 0.7% in the three months through December from the previous quarter, when it declined just 0.3%, the Madrid-based National Statistics Institute said today. That is more than the 0.6% contraction the Bank of Spain predicted on January. 23. Leading up to theseWed, 30 Jan 2013 11:34:32 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/30/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/29/02/Much to the relief of several enthusiasts, European Union budget enforcer Olli Rehn signaled he might seek to ease Spain’s targets for cutting its budget deficit next month in a retreat from the austerity-first policy that seemingly provides the impetus for driving the economy further into recession. Indeed, EU officials will mull a calculated decision on the best pace for Spain’s budget consolidation process when they deliver a scheduled assessment of the program that is scheduled inTue, 29 Jan 2013 11:21:30 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/29/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/29/On its front cover, the Financial Times highlights the growing capital flocking back to Eurozone's peripheral countries, with the sum amounting over €100bn of private funds since late last year. From the FT: "The scale of the net inflows, equivalent to about 9% of the economic output of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Greece according to calculations by ING, highlight the revival in investor confidence in Europe’s monetary union after Mario Draghi, ECB president, pledged to preserve itsTue, 29 Jan 2013 00:21:47 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/29/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/28/02/On the same day as the European Stability Mechanism is due to approve the second, 1.865 billion euro tranche of aid for the four non-nationalized Spanish banks (Liberbank, Caja3, España-Duero and Banco Mare Nostrum), Troika inspectors arrive in Madrid to establish whether bailout conditions have been fulfilled. The inspectors will meet with EBA (European Banking Authority) as well as ESM experts to determine if Spain meets the requirements set by the EU in exchange for the 40 billion euroMon, 28 Jan 2013 11:31:09 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/28/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/28/The Euro-area unemployment data this week looks to articulate the true social cost of last year’s debt crisis and consequent recession amongst the southern EU Peripheral economies as the jobless rate across the region likely rose to a record in December. More disturbingly, unemployment in the 17-nation bloc grew for a fifth month to 11.9%, according to the median of 34 economists’ forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. That result, due on February 1, would likely illustrate the highest joblessMon, 28 Jan 2013 10:07:14 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/28/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/25/The European Central Bank announced on Friday that 278 Eurozone banks would repay 137.2 billion euro borrowed in December 2011 under the 3-year Long Term Repo Operation (LTRO). The first early paybacks would take place on January 30. This is a larger amount of early repayments than the market consensus of 100 billion euros and approximately 30% of the December 2011 loans, “but it continues to leave open the question of how much will be repaid when the next €529.5bn becomes eligible forFri, 25 Jan 2013 13:47:36 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/25/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/24/The emblematic investor George Soros, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davo (Switzerland) told the audience that "the euro is now here to stay," according to Bloomberg. Soros was one of the main detractor of the shared-currency back in June last year, when structural problems in Europe were escalating, peripheral yields were going through the roof, and another long list resulting on a grey outlook for the currency. However, once the ECB President Mario Draghi sent the famous messageThu, 24 Jan 2013 23:07:40 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/24/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/23/In his highly anticipated speech on Europe delivered on Wednesday in London, British Prime Minister David Cameron proposed a referendum on whether the UK should or should not remain a part of the European Union. The vote would take place before the end of 2017, provided the Conservatives win the general election in 2015. David Cameron listed the three main challenges the EU is currently facing, which if unresolved might push the UK towards the exit: fundamental change in Europe caused byWed, 23 Jan 2013 09:32:07 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/23/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/22/02/Eleven Eurozone countries (Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia) have been authorized to start working on a financial transactions tax (the so-called Robin Hood tax). Eurozone finance ministers have given the green light to the measure today, during the Eurogroup meeting held in Brussels. The tax is based on an idea put forward by the economist James Tobin over forty years ago and its current application is aimed at controlling banksTue, 22 Jan 2013 13:18:41 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/22/02/http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/22/Ireland and Portugal are seeking better conditions on the repayment of the received aid. The aim is to extend the payment of maturities further down the road. Ireland's finance minister is looking for such an option in order to ease the country's near-term burden and accelerate the return to normal borrowing conditions in the financial markets, after being locked out of them back in September of 2010. As Reuters notes: "Ireland's Michael Noonan told journalists he and his Portuguese peerTue, 22 Jan 2013 09:21:28 GMThttp://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/forex@fxstreet.com (FXstreet.com)http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/market-view/european-crisis/2013/01/22/