Bond Prices on the Rise in Europe as Fears of Contagion Spread Across the Euro Zone.

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European Commission President Manuel Barroso says that the euro zone is facing a “systemic crisis,” while Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean Claude Junker reiterated his call for the formation of euro bonds to save the continent from economic calamity. The interest rates on bonds rose dramatically in France, Belgium, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands, demonstrating lack of investor confidence in future growth and in the euro zone as a whole. In spite of the European Central Bank’s program of buying Italian and Spanish sovereign debt, the prices on their bonds continues to rise. Some even speculate that there are investors looking to profit from the bankruptcy of entire nations. While the euro has brought prosperity to many members of the euro zone, the costs of maintaining a supranational currency have proven to be great in terms of sovereign capability and domestic policy options. The true test will be the austerity measures and whether not they are passed and implemented by their respective governments.

 

[Deutsche Welle]