Hedge funds are betting against Rome’s liabilities as S&P Market Intelligence data indicates investors have amassed a $37 billion short bet against Italian debt. The hedge funds are betting large against Italian bonds and investors haven’t bet this high against Rome since 2008, as Italy faces political uncertainty, an energy crisis, and an inflation rate of 8.4% in July.
Italy’s economy has been volatile in recent times as the Ukraine-Russia war has wreaked havoc on the European country adjacent to the Mediterranean coastline. The country is dealing with a significant energy crisis and Italian residents are being asked to turn down the heat this winter. The Italian economy has people speculating that it’s only going to get worse and reports show a massive number of investors are shorting Rome’s liabilities.
Bond borrowing schemes highlight how investors borrow the Italian liabilities in order to bet that values will decline before the debt buyback is due. S&P Market Intelligence data shows €37.20 billion of Italian bonds were borrowed by August 23. The sum of bonds borrowed is the highest since January 2008 during the Great Recession. Italy has continued to print high inflation rates as well, with May posting 7.3%, June recording 8.5%, and July printing 8.4%.
The $37 billion in shorts suggests market speculators believe Rome will default and the financial shock will spread like a contagion across Europe. Italy is traditionally known for having a strong economy but the country has a dependence on Russian gas. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned last month that Italy’s economy would see a 5% contraction due to Europe’s tensions with Russia over the Ukraine-Russia war. Italy’s economic downturn is taking place amid India surpassing the U.K. as the world’s fifth largest economy.
Reports noted in July that Italy and the country’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, have not done enough “to kick-start growth.” Despite Draghi’s pledge to save the euro in July 2012, Italy is struggling and the country pays the highest premium to borrow bonds after Greece. Holger Schmieding, an economist at Berenberg, said: “Draghi is trying, has done a little bit here and there but neither I nor the market are yet convinced that trend growth in Italy is strong enough.”
What do you think about the hedge funds betting against Italy’s debt? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 5,700 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Central Bank of Brazil Confirms It Will Run a Pilot Test for Its CBDC This Year
The Central Bank of Brazil has confirmed that the institution will run a pilot test regarding the implementation of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital real. Roberto Campos Neto, president of the bank, also stated that this ... read more.
Hedge funds are betting against Rome’s liabilities as S&P Market Intelligence data indicates investors have amassed a $37 billion short bet against Italian debt. The hedge funds are betting large against Italian bonds and investors haven’t bet this high against Rome since 2008, as Italy faces political uncertainty, an energy crisis, and an inflation rate of 8.4% in July.
Italy’s economy has been volatile in recent times as the Ukraine-Russia war has wreaked havoc on the European country adjacent to the Mediterranean coastline. The country is dealing with a significant energy crisis and Italian residents are being asked to turn down the heat this winter. The Italian economy has people speculating that it’s only going to get worse and reports show a massive number of investors are shorting Rome’s liabilities.
Bond borrowing schemes highlight how investors borrow the Italian liabilities in order to bet that values will decline before the debt buyback is due. S&P Market Intelligence data shows €37.20 billion of Italian bonds were borrowed by August 23. The sum of bonds borrowed is the highest since January 2008 during the Great Recession. Italy has continued to print high inflation rates as well, with May posting 7.3%, June recording 8.5%, and July printing 8.4%.
The $37 billion in shorts suggests market speculators believe Rome will default and the financial shock will spread like a contagion across Europe. Italy is traditionally known for having a strong economy but the country has a dependence on Russian gas. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned last month that Italy’s economy would see a 5% contraction due to Europe’s tensions with Russia over the Ukraine-Russia war. Italy’s economic downturn is taking place amid India surpassing the U.K. as the world’s fifth largest economy.
Reports noted in July that Italy and the country’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, have not done enough “to kick-start growth.” Despite Draghi’s pledge to save the euro in July 2012, Italy is struggling and the country pays the highest premium to borrow bonds after Greece. Holger Schmieding, an economist at Berenberg, said: “Draghi is trying, has done a little bit here and there but neither I nor the market are yet convinced that trend growth in Italy is strong enough.”
What do you think about the hedge funds betting against Italy’s debt? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Jamie Redman is the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News and a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open-source code, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 5,700 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Central Bank of Brazil Confirms It Will Run a Pilot Test for Its CBDC This Year
The Central Bank of Brazil has confirmed that the institution will run a pilot test regarding the implementation of its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital real. Roberto Campos Neto, president of the bank, also stated that this ... read more.
The Argentinian Tax Authority (AFIP) has won a historic case to seize taxpayer funds from a digital account. The case, which was won in an appeal in the Federal Chamber of Mar del Plata, might bring about more seizures of this kind and include cryptocurrencies as part of a stricter policy of the organization.
The eyes of regulators around the world have turned to fintech and crypto companies and their operations. The Argentinian Tax Authority (AFIP) has recently won a landmark case in the area, allowing it to seize funds from a digital account in the country to pay tax-related debts. The request, which was first denied by a judge and then accepted in an appeal at the Federal Chamber of Mar del Plata, may be the first of many seizures of this kind.
The institution will be able to confiscate the totality of the funds owed to the state, adding 15% more for interest and processing charges. The chamber states that it doesn’t find any reason to not consider these and future funds, which were held in a digital Mercado Pago account, as part of the heritage of the account holder.
Furthermore, the order declares that “the rise of economic and financial activity through the use of digital accounts imposes the need to interpret the law in accordance with the current circumstances,” and that these technologies cannot become evasion mediums for taxpayers.
The organization added this kind of wallet to its list of assets which can be confiscated in February.
In the eyes of analysts, the same criteria applied to digital accounts might be used to confiscate cryptocurrency. Eugenio Bruno, a crypto and fintech specialized attorney, told Iproup that cryptocurrency assets fulfill functions of units of account and stores of value, and can also be used to make payments.
In this way, they could be seizable due to their money-like capabilities. However, the management of these assets is determined by the possession of their private keys, and that’s when an eventual seizure can be difficult to execute.
Bruno states:
In cases where crypto assets are held through exchanges, the eventual AFIP order may indicate that the private keys corresponding to digital accounts of taxpayers affected by the embargoes cannot be used to arrange transfers.
However, when these keys are not held by institutions the applicability of the criteria gets tricky, as the user might not present the private keys of their wallet to the authorities.
What do you think about the seizure of digital accounts in Argentina? Tell us in the comments section below.
Sergio is a cryptocurrency journalist based in Venezuela. He describes himself as late to the game, entering the cryptosphere when the price rise happened during December 2017. Having a computer engineering background, living in Venezuela, and being impacted by the cryptocurrency boom at a social level, he offers a different point of view about crypto success and how it helps the unbanked and underserved.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, JopsStock / Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
SEC Risks Violating Admin Procedure Act by Rejecting Spot Bitcoin ETFs, Says Grayscale
Grayscale Investments' CEO explains that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could potentially violate the Administrative Procedure Act by not approving a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). SEC Approving Spot Bitcoin ETF Is 'a Matter of When and Not ... read more.
The Argentinian Tax Authority (AFIP) has won a historic case to seize taxpayer funds from a digital account. The case, which was won in an appeal in the Federal Chamber of Mar del Plata, might bring about more seizures of this kind and include cryptocurrencies as part of a stricter policy of the organization.
The eyes of regulators around the world have turned to fintech and crypto companies and their operations. The Argentinian Tax Authority (AFIP) has recently won a landmark case in the area, allowing it to seize funds from a digital account in the country to pay tax-related debts. The request, which was first denied by a judge and then accepted in an appeal at the Federal Chamber of Mar del Plata, may be the first of many seizures of this kind.
The institution will be able to confiscate the totality of the funds owed to the state, adding 15% more for interest and processing charges. The chamber states that it doesn’t find any reason to not consider these and future funds, which were held in a digital Mercado Pago account, as part of the heritage of the account holder.
Furthermore, the order declares that “the rise of economic and financial activity through the use of digital accounts imposes the need to interpret the law in accordance with the current circumstances,” and that these technologies cannot become evasion mediums for taxpayers.
The organization added this kind of wallet to its list of assets which can be confiscated in February.
In the eyes of analysts, the same criteria applied to digital accounts might be used to confiscate cryptocurrency. Eugenio Bruno, a crypto and fintech specialized attorney, told Iproup that cryptocurrency assets fulfill functions of units of account and stores of value, and can also be used to make payments.
In this way, they could be seizable due to their money-like capabilities. However, the management of these assets is determined by the possession of their private keys, and that’s when an eventual seizure can be difficult to execute.
Bruno states:
In cases where crypto assets are held through exchanges, the eventual AFIP order may indicate that the private keys corresponding to digital accounts of taxpayers affected by the embargoes cannot be used to arrange transfers.
However, when these keys are not held by institutions the applicability of the criteria gets tricky, as the user might not present the private keys of their wallet to the authorities.
What do you think about the seizure of digital accounts in Argentina? Tell us in the comments section below.
Sergio is a cryptocurrency journalist based in Venezuela. He describes himself as late to the game, entering the cryptosphere when the price rise happened during December 2017. Having a computer engineering background, living in Venezuela, and being impacted by the cryptocurrency boom at a social level, he offers a different point of view about crypto success and how it helps the unbanked and underserved.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, JopsStock / Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Oman to Incorporate Real Estate Tokenization in Virtual Assets Regulatory Framework
Real estate tokenization is set to be incorporated into Oman Capital Markets Authority (OCMA)'s virtual asset regulatory framework. According to an advisor with the authority, the tokenizing of real estate will open investment opportunities for local and foreign investors. Real ... read more.
PRESS RELEASE. Zug, Switzerland, September 4, 2022 – The Everscale Foundation has been officially registered as a non-profit organization to facilitate the growth of the Everscale network’s ecosystem, attract new developers, and further expand the international community. The Foundation’s mission is to remove barriers between Everscale and the external world.
Back in late 2021, the Everscale community supported a DAO initiative to create a representation of the network in the real world. By the end of August this year, all the necessary registration procedures had been completed, and the non-profit Everscale Foundation has now officially launched in Zug, Switzerland – the gold standard location for international NPOs. In full accordance with the original vision, the major areas where the Everscale Foundation is starting to perform its duties are as follows:
Representation
The Everscale Foundation will increase the network’s publicity and provide a single entry point for journalists, developers, influencers, government bodies, etc. The Foundation will form professional working groups and develop the required interfaces. These may include PR, GR, and marketing initiatives.
Grant Program
The Foundation will be the prime destination for qualified projects that want to develop and create their products and businesses on Everscale. Those projects that bring the most value to the network may receive support from the Foundation. These might vary from core infrastructure developers (nodes, system utilities, etc.) to various projects in the DeFi, NFT, GameFi, metaverse, and IoT spheres, or other areas as decided through voting by Foundation members in accordance with the current market context.
Intellectual Property Management
The Foundation will be the place where the network’s crucial intangible assets like trademarks, domains, patents, etc. are stored and will protect such rights in courts if necessary.
Legal and Compliance Support
To provide a better understanding of Everscale and facilitate listings of ecosystem tokens on exchanges, trackers, and analytical resources, the Foundation will take the lead in preparing and keeping up-to-date versions of the relevant legal documentation, including but not limited to legal opinions, compliance policies, and so on.
Promotion and Popularization
The Everscale Foundation will act as a popularizer of the network and its ecosystem, which may include participating in various industry events, publishing content, forming public opinions on various industry topics, and taking part in industry working groups to represent the interests of the ecosystem and the industry.
Even though the Everscale Foundation is being appointed to perform a wide spectrum of critical duties, it will not become the centralized governance system for the Everscale network. As it is distributed by its nature, Everscale has many passionate and supportive individuals and institutions forming alliances and unions to boost the network’s growth, and the Foundation is only one of these. The Everscale Foundation will not in any way control Everscale – it will only perform the duties delegated to it by public consensus within the framework of the allocated funding. The only actual control possible in the Everscale network is the public consensus reached through voting with Everscale’s native tokens – EVERs. The Foundation’s decisions are not legally binding to Everscale community members; however, the Foundation can operate and sign any agreements on its behalf within its powers.
About Everscale
Everscale is a layer-1 PoS blockchain network of the 5th generation. It is blazingly fast and is the most scalable blockchain in existence. Everscale is one of the most technologically advanced blockchain networks, incorporating all of the blockchain innovations and concepts of recent years. Its versatility gives it the potential to become a decentralized hub for lots of blockchains and resource-demanding applications such as GameFi, DeFi, micro-transactions, real-time bidding, etc. Due to its dynamic multithreading and sharding technology, there’s always more room to add capacities to handle any load, so that the network can scale almost infinitely – that’s something that no other blockchain can offer.
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Ripple CEO: SEC Lawsuit Over XRP 'Has Gone Exceedingly Well'
The CEO of Ripple Labs says that the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against him and his company over XRP "has gone exceedingly well." He stressed: "This case is important, not just for Ripple, it’s ... read more.
Source From : News