Thursday, August 5, 2010

UPDATE 1-Moodys: Greece contingency lift out cuts plan ideally

Thu Mar 4, 2010 6:09am EST

* If not, a rating cut is on the cards - Moody"s analyst

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* Rating agency wants concrete evidence of implementation

(Adds more comments, bond yield spreads, context)

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Greece must implement itsausterity plan perfectly or face the prospect of a rating cut,Moody"s senior analyst Sarah Carlsson told Reuters Insider TV onThursday.

"Anything short of a perfect implementation would result insome form of rating action," Carlsson said. "The magnitude ofthat action (would be) proportionate to the kind of shortfallwe"re seeing."

Carlsson said Moody"s has Greece rated A2 with a negativeoutlook.

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Click on link.reuters.com/zev23j to watch theinterview.

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"One way we judge (the rating is appropriate) is whetherGreece can achieve a deficit reduction to 8.7 percent of grossdomestic product in 2010," she added.

"We want to see concrete evidence of implementation... Theausterity plan provides certainty for 2010. But what is going tohappen in 2011 and beyond is what we want to know."

Carlsson said that "the strike action we have seen thismorning (in Greece) is just a sign of how ambitious thegovernment"s plans are."

Greece needs to refinance about 20 billion euros of debtmaturing in April and May, and officials previously said itsfunding needs were met until mid-March.

Greece opened a much-anticipated new 10-year syndicated bondsale earlier on Thursday.

The order book was reported to have closed at 16 billioneuros at 1100 GMT, with a final pricing of midswaps plus 300basis points, according to a bank source.

The 10-year Greek government bond yield spread over eurozone benchmark German Bunds GR10YT=RREU10YT=RR was at 289basis points, compared with 287 bps at the European settlementclose on Wednesday.

(Reporting by George Matlock; editing by John Stonestreet)

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