The Debts of the Spenders: Bond Vigilantes Place Bets on Eurozone

It is a universal truth that nearly everyone enjoys the benefits of government spending but balks when the bill arrives. Here is a spotlight on 2 of the Eurozone PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain) the group containing the fiscally weakest EU members.

Despite harsh spending cuts Irish bond yields are creeping higher. The situation in Greece however, continues to worsen.

The Irish government announced draconian spending cuts of 6 billion Euros in order to stave off a debt crisis in the worst modern-day downturn in the nation’s history. Even so, Irish government bond yields have been rising relative to German government bond yields, the benchmark for the Eurozone. Over the past five years the spread had averaged about 40bps. Now it is 170bps. But, the Irish seem to be making the necessary cuts forced on them by lower tax receipts and currency union.

The Greek government, on the other hand, is not taking the same tack. Witness comments by the country’s Premier as reported in the Telegraph by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard:

Salaried workers will not pay for this situation: we will not proceed with wage freezes or cuts. We did not come to power to tear down the social state.

http://www.creditwritedowns.com/2009/12/greece-risks-financial-armageddon-while-ireland-makes-cuts.html