What Happens If Greece Defaults?

source :  http://www.cnbc.com/


Greek Banks Get Nationalized

The banks of Greece are heavily exposed to the sovereign debt of their country. A default would require many of them to seek new capital to make up for the losses, and could trigger a run on banks by Greek depositors.

It's very likely that the Greek government would be forced to declare a "bank holiday" to prevent a run. Eventually, the most exposed Greek banks would likely have to be.

Europe's Banks Rocked

Europe's banks are big holders of Greek debt. They have something like $53 billion outstanding. France, Germany and the U.K. are the most exposed.

"If bondholders were required to take a 40 percent 'haircut'—a figure thrown up by many analysts—this would translate to losses in the order of €15.6 billion," or $22 billion, according to one report.

Credit Default Swap Guessing Game

It's unknown what the exposure of various financial institutions to a Greek default through credit default swaps might be. But someone has been selling lots of protection on Greek debt over the last few years, and a default would trigger a "credit event" payout on these insurance contracts.

A Global Credit Crunch

Doubts about the stability of financial institutions with direct and indirect exposure to Greece are likely to spread. Banks may hesitate to extend credit to each other out of fear about exposures. Many will require counter-parties to hand over additional collateral, forcing assets sales. In a repeat of the aftermath of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, global credit markets may seize up. Get ready to hear lots of talk about LIBOR

U.S. Money-Market Funds Challenged

Analysts say that U.S. money-market funds have more exposure to the short-term debt of European banks than many investors realize. If European banks cannot roll over their commercial paper, some of these money-market funds may find they have capital shortfalls.

Ireland And Portugal Tempted to "Just Walk Away"

The Irish and the Portuguese are facing years of slow economic growth as their governments attempts to bring down debt levels and stabilize their banking systems. A default by Greece—especially if brought about by a popular uprising in the streets of Athens—could encourage these countries to default. If Greece can force creditors to take a haircut, why should Ireland and Portugal pay in full?

The European Central Bank in Crisis

The European Central Bank is massively exposed not only to Greek sovereign debt but to the debt of Irish banks. If Greece and Ireland's banks do not make good on their debts, the ECB could be rendered insolvent, according to some analysts. Of course, the ECB is a central bank—which means it can always inflate its way back into solvency.

A Political Crisis in Germany

The turmoil across Europe may shake the government in Germany. The German people strongly oppose bailouts of what they view as less responsible countries. Any moves by the German government to alleviate the crisis caused by Greece could be met with a political revolt in the already shaky government of Angela Merkel.

U.S. Consumers Hit the Mattresses

Consumer confidence is already at a near nadir . A global credit crisis would likely convince U.S. consumers to reduce spending and increase savings. This could drag the already slowing American economy nearer to a recession

Politicians Say 'Don't Panic'

One thing is certain: Political leaders around the globe will attempt to reassure their constituents and prevent financial panics. The appearance of politicians paraphrasing Franklin D. Roosevelt's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" line is unlikely to make any difference whatsoever.

Protectionism Arises

Rob Subbaraman, an economist at Nomura, has warned that if Germany and France are burdened with the debts of southern Europe, “it is conceivable that to support these economies, a new form of protectionism takes house, whereby countries such as France and Germany buy more goods from them at the expense of Asian exports.”

China's Hard Landing

If U.S. consumers retreat and Europe goes protectionist, the weaknesses in the Chinese economy may become more evident. A slowdown in demand for goods from China could force the government to abandon its fight against inflation in order to keep the economy growing.

The alternative could be a "hard landing" scenario for China, in which years of over-investment in housing and infrastructure are revealed to be costly mistakes.

The U.S. Debt Ceiling Debate Ends

Following the chaos likely to result from a default by Greece, it's unlikely that U.S. politicians will be willing to tempt fate by pushing for political gains in connection with the debt ceiling of the U.S. government. Politicians will quickly fall in line and support raising the debt ceiling.