Merkel and Troika reject Cyprus’s ‘Plan B’

FXStreet Team FXStreet

FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - Chancellor Angela Merkel told German lawmakers in the European morning that Cyprus’s proposition to nationalize pension funds in order to prop up its finances was unacceptable. She insisted that Cyprus should rather concentrate on debt sustainability and bank restructuring in order to secure a bailout. She also added that she would like the country to remain in the Eurozone.

Meanwhile, it is possible that the Troika has already rejected Cyprus’s proposition to create an investment solidarity fund, as a way to raise funds required to finalize the bailout negotiations. The EU, ECB and IMF are said to have objections as far as the nationalization of state pension funds is concerned as well as the use of revenues from the country's natural gas reserves as collateral.

According to a source close to the negotiations: “There was some discussion of going back to the original plan of a bank levy, but there are objections from the central bank.”

Cyprus government’s spokesman Christos Stylianides is due to make an official statement on the situation around noon local time.

Author

FXStreet Team

FXStreet

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

AUD/USD sticks to positive bias above 0.7100; lacks bullish conviction

AUD/USD trades with a positive bias for the second straight day, holding above 0.7100 in the Asian session on Friday as softer US bond yields keep US Dollar bulls on the back foot. Furthermore, hawkish RBA Governor Bullock's comments boost rate hike bets and support the Aussie. However, the Fed's hawkish outlook, along with geopolitical uncertainties, limits USD losses and caps the pair.

USD/JPY retreats below 157.00 as Ueda speaks on outlook

USD/JPY reverses the uptick to two-week highs near 157.30 in the European session on Friday as the Japanese Yen finds some respite from BoJ Governor Ueda's comments at the post-monetary policy meeting press conference. Earlier in the day, the central bank hiked the interest rate to 1.25%, with a surprise 7-2 vote.

Gold advances to fresh weekly top; eyes $$4,400 as softer US bond yields cap USD gains

Gold attracts some follow-through buying for the second straight day, and touches a fresh weekly high heading into the European session. US bond yields retreat further from multi-year highs as the recent pullback in crude oil prices helped alleviate immediate fears of runaway inflation. This caps gains for the US Dollar and supports the bullion.

Bitcoin extends recovery, Ethereum eyes $2,500, XRP holds $1.30

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) extend their recovery, trading above $76,700, $2,400 and $1.300, respectively, on Friday. These top three cryptocurrencies now face key technical levels that could determine whether their recoveries extend further or pull back.

Cardano extends gains on bullish derivatives

Cardano (ADA) extends its recovery, trading above $0.210 at the time of writing on Friday, after finding support around a key zone earlier this week. Improving derivatives positioning and supporting technical indicators indicate growing bullish sentiment among ADA traders. Derivatives data shows a bullish tilt among Cardano traders.

How Japan became the World's Banker and why that era may be ending

Japan's ultra-low interest rates helped finance trillions of dollars in global investments for more than a decade, making the Japanese Yen one of the world’s cheapest sources of funding. With the Bank of Japan expected to tighten policy again this week, that advantage may be entering a new phase. While most major economies raised interest rates, Japan remained the world's outlier.