Eurozone Budget Deficit Shrinks, Dollar Bears Return
It was reported earlier today by Eurostat that the Eurozone's aggregate budget deficit was lower in 2010, attributed primarily to significant cost and budget cutting efforts by the various economies which make up the bloc. While that comes as encouraging news and is likely to restore the public's, and more importantly the market's, confidence.
According to the data release, the Eurozone's budget deficit for 2010 was 6.0% of GDP, a 0.3% decline from 2009 figures. With the exceptions of Austria, Luxembourg, Germany and Ireland, all of the Eurozone's member countries showed improvement in their 2010 budget balance. Ireland, which is one of the Eurozone nations recently helped with a bailout, had a budget deficit that nearly doubled from the previous year, going from 14.3% of GDP in 2009 to 32.4% in 2010.
Also notable, Greece, which had enacted highly unpopular budget cuts in an attempt to rein in its debt, reduced its budget by 4.9% in 2010, dropping to 10.5% of GDP from 15.4% the previous year. In spite of their efforts, however, most analysts agree that the Greek government will need to soon restructure their debt, as their debt load is still well above the 9.6% level mandated by the E.U./IMF.
Eurostat also reported that aggregate public debt rose by 5.8% in 2010 to 85.1%; in 2009, that figure was 79.3%. With the exception of Estonia, all of the Eurozone member countries saw their debt rise in 2010, with Greece's public debt skyrocketing to 142.8% of GDP from the 2009 level of 127.1%. Fiscally troubled Ireland also had a huge increase in public debt, rising from 65.6% in 2009 to 96.2% in 2010.
In accordance with our weekly Euro coverage we continue to believe sentiment among analysts' for Eurozone growth and the Euro is bullish over the long term. So long as the the Eurozone twin economic drivers Germany and France will continue to improve,while debt risk continues to fall for Spain and Italy, the Euro will benefit.
On the eToro trading floor the Euro is under crowded buying pressure with 3 time more buyers then sellers on EUR/USD and EUR/JPY.Overall the Euro bulls camp on the eToro trading floor remained unshaken for most on the month with most heavy weight traders crowding their investments in response to every glimpse of positive news from the German growth engine.