Spain - Out Damned Spot

Spain - Out Damned Spot | Zero Hedge

If you own the debt of Spain; sell it. If you are thinking about buying their sovereign debt; don’t. I hope that is clear enough. I don’t believe that I have left out any corner of my thinking or that there is any wavering on my part. All of the new Spanish debt will carry Collective Action Clauses which gives Spain the right to force bondholders to their knees. This is reminiscent of Greece and we should have all learned the lesson from that experience. Then there is what Spain certainly might do which is to retroactively pass CAC’s when expedient for the nation so that all Spanish debt could include these clauses. The clear signal here is that Spain is in serious trouble or CAC’s would not be an issue and that the State will put it to bondholders if necessary. Spain has benefited from Draghi’s “Save the World” plan which was by far the best move of the European Union in 2012. Yields are down, the central bank is the backstop and the ECB’s promise has limited the interest that each nation in Europe has to pay for their debt.