Crisis

The layoffs have unquestionably impacted the personnel of the French banks but a greater malaise reigns. A top ranked outgoing senior executive considers the current situation as symbolizing an unprecedented weakening of French banks…

According to Jeremy Bell, business lawyer and associate at Ashurst in London, some firms are making sure that their euro deposits are in bank accounts located in strong Eurozone countries instead of accounts in weak ones.

Investors should not allow negative market sentiment to dissuade them from investing in US banks, says Ryan Brist, head of US Investment Grade Credit at global fixed income manager Western Asset Management, who argues that ‘now is not the time to give up on the sector’.

Several opinion leaders have started a public debate regarding the possibility to breakup the Euro and return to the former local currencies. In light of this debate, we look at the possible implications of this break-up scenario for companies active on the Euro capital markets.

Global Macro managers explicitly follow defensive strategies: short exposure to equities (around -20%) and long exposure to the US sovereign debt. On their side, CTAs managers are more aggressive...