Archive for the ‘European Union’ Category

European Stocks Are Mixed After Greece's Anti-Austerity Party Wins

LONDON ( The Deal) -- Greece's anti-austerity party, Syriza, swept to victory in Sunday's general election on a promise to renegotiate the terms of its European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout although it is still two seats short of a parliamentary majority.

But the major European markets seem to have taken this supposed threat to the eurozone in stride. That more relaxed mood was helped by the publication of a German business confidence index, showing a better-than-expected rebound from the lows reached in October. The Ifo Institute index reached 106.7 in January on the basis of a falling oil price and a weaker euro, which should boost German exports.

Must Read: 16 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks With 50 Years of Increasing Dividends and Market-Beating Performance

By late morning in Paris, the CAC 40 was trading up 0.22% at 4,651 and Frankfurt's DAX index was up 0.53% at 10,706. Even Greece's own Athens Stock Exchange index recovered sharply in early trading after a hefty slide at the open, and at one point even passed Friday's closing level of 840.44. By early afternoon local time it was down 1.8% at 825.16.

The first question facing Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras as he tries to form a new government is whether he brings in an even more radical anti-European party to his left or a more moderate pro-European partner to his right. Then the negotiations start with country's international creditors -- and that's possibly where the trouble will start.

Not everything on the markets was sweetness and balm this morning, however, as London's FTSE 100 edged downward by 0.33% to 6,812. The commodities heavy index was spooked by signs of a further slowdown in China as well as the sliding oil price. The biggest fallers were oil companies such as Tullow Oil (TUWOY) , down 3.42%, and miners such as Anglo American (AAUKY) , down, 3.4%.

In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 closed down 0.25% at 17,469, Hong Kong's Hang Seng finished up 0.24% at 24,909.90. In China, the Shanghai composite climbed 0.94% to finish at 3,383.18. Must Read: 10 Stocks Carl Icahn Loves for 2015: Apple, eBay, Hertz and More

Jim Cramer and Stephanie Link reveal their investment tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.

Access the tool that DOMINATES the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500.

Jim Cramer's protg, David Peltier, uncovers low dollar stocks with extraordinary upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.

Follow this link:
European Stocks Are Mixed After Greece's Anti-Austerity Party Wins

Ross: Greece may get debt relief

The European Union is unlikely to reduce debt owed by Greece but could lower the interest rate, billionaire distressed asset investor Wilbur Ross said Monday, after the anti-austerity party's election victory raised concerns about a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.

The chairman of WL Ross & Co. and other international financiers invested $1.8 billion in Eurobank this summerbecoming the bailed-out Greek bank's biggest shareholders.

Asked about his investment, Ross said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that it may be "more skin" than he wanted, given the circumstances. "It makes you feel scary," he said but added, "I don't think this will be the world's worst bucking bronco."

Read MoreNobel winner: Germany's the problem, not Greece

Ross said he's encouraged by the speed at which the new Greek government is starting to take shape. He noted outgoing prime minister Antonis Samaras had also talked tough before he took office but became more cooperative once on the job.

Describing the financial troubles facing Greece, Ross said, "By August, they need 15 billion euros of debt repayment and interest payments on those loans."

"Greece right now is paying about 8 billion euros a year in interest. The average rate is about 2.5 percent," he continuedfiguring if creditors were to cut that interest rate in half "that would save them 4 billion euros a year."

In one of his first major European investments after the 2008 financial crisis, Ross put money into the Bank of Ireland in 2011, which helped keep it out of state hands at the height of the euro zone debt fallout.

He told CNBC Monday he tripled his money there.

Ross also represents a group of investors that owns 17 percent of Bank of Cyprus of which he's vice chairman.

See more here:
Ross: Greece may get debt relief

Wilbur Ross: How Greece may get some debt relief

The European Union is unlikely to reduce debt owed by Greece but could lower the interest rate, billionaire distressed asset investor Wilbur Ross said Monday, after the anti-austerity party's election victory raised concerns about a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.

The chairman of WL Ross & Co. and other international financiers invested $1.8 billion in Eurobank this summerbecoming the bailed-out Greek bank's biggest shareholders.

Asked about his investment, Ross said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that it may be "more skin" than he wanted, given the circumstances. "It makes you feel scary," he said but added, "I don't think this will be the world's worst bucking bronco."

Read MoreNobel winner: Germany's the problem, not Greece

Ross said he's encouraged by the speed at which the new Greek government is starting to take shape. He noted outgoing prime minister Antonis Samaras had also talked tough before he took office but became more cooperative once on the job.

Describing the financial troubles facing Greece, Ross said, "By August, they need 15 billion euros of debt repayment and interest payments on those loans."

"Greece right now is paying about 8 billion euros a year in interest. The average rate is about 2.5 percent," he continuedfiguring if creditors were to cut that interest rate in half "that would save them 4 billion euros a year."

In one of his first major European investments after the 2008 financial crisis, Ross put money into the Bank of Ireland in 2011, which helped keep it out of state hands at the height of the euro zone debt fallout.

He told CNBC Monday he tripled his money there.

Ross also represents a group of investors that owns 17 percent of Bank of Cyprus of which he's vice chairman.

View post:
Wilbur Ross: How Greece may get some debt relief

Commissioner calls for standardised road pricing in member states

European Union Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc called for the introduction of a standardised European-wide road pricing system in comments she made to a German Sunday newspaper.

Bulc said there were many different systems in Europe at the moment and this was a burden on car drivers and an obstacle to their mobility.

Germany plans to introduce a controversial road toll in 2016 aimed at foreign drivers using Germany's Autobahn motorways. German drivers would also pay the toll, but would be compensated with a reduction in existing automobile taxes. The government and the EU are embroiled in a dispute about whether this is compatible with EU law.

Ahead of a planned visit to Berlin this week, Bulc told Welt am Sonntag it would make sense, in the medium term, to work on a European system for lorries and cars that could regulate road charges in a uniform manner for all EU countries.

>>Read: EUs transport infrastructure to be upgraded

"The amount of the fee should, in my opinion, be exclusively based on the number of kilometres actually driven and should not be time-dependent," she was quoted as saying.

"It doesn't matter where you come from - everyone will only pay for the distance they have actually driven and it will be billed on a device throughout Europe. We're currently investigating just such an idea."

>>Read: Germany's new road toll to cost foreign drivers up to 130 euros

Bulc did not say whether all EU states would be required to introduce a car toll related to distance travelled.

"There are many options - a fee could be obligatory but it's also possible to make it optional i.e. that countries decide themselves whether and on which roads they want to levy a road use charge based on kilometres driven."

Excerpt from:
Commissioner calls for standardised road pricing in member states

European Union Looks to Respond to Threat of Radical Islam – Video


European Union Looks to Respond to Threat of Radical Islam
EU foreign ministers pledged on Monday to counter radical Muslims returning from Syria and Iraq with a better strategy at home and abroad, but ruled out swee...

By: NTDTV

Read more here:
European Union Looks to Respond to Threat of Radical Islam - Video