By Tommy Stubbington
The euro slipped and Greek markets were rattled Monday as tense
negotiations between Athens and its creditors renewed concerns
about Greece's future in the eurozone.
The common currency fell 0.6% against the dollar to $1.1154 as
eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels to discuss the terms of
future financial aid for Athens. Few analysts were expecting a
breakthrough.
"Uncertainty over Greece is back to the forefront," said
currency strategists at Citigroup.
Greece's Athex Composite index fell 2.5%. Bank stocks led the
decline, with Alpha Bank AE down 5.5%, and National Bank of Greece
SA losing 3.3%.
Germany's finance minister said a referendum in Greece on the
country's bailout program may be a good idea as he arrived at the
meeting Monday. The comments underline doubts among Greece's
creditors about the government's ability to agree on divisive
overhauls without endorsement by voters.
Adding to the nerves, a senior IMF official said on Sunday the
fund is working with authorities in some of Greece's neighbors on
contingency plans for a Greek default, a rare public admission that
talks could fail. Another Greek payment to the International
Monetary Fund is due Tuesday.
"The talks between the Greek government and its international
partners are entering a crucial phase, overshadowed by a precarious
fiscal situation, heavy debt redemptions, and concerns about the
stability of the banking system," analysts at UBS said.
The bank expects a deal between Athens and its creditors to be
reached but added that failure to hammer out an agreement in the
coming weeks could put Greece on a "slippery slope" toward an exit
from the euro area.
In equity markets, the Stoxx Europe 600 closed 0.3% higher, as
investors weighed Greek concerns against a Chinese interest rate
cut that boosted stocks in Asia. The European index had risen
sharply on Friday, helped by an unexpectedly clear outcome to last
week's U.K. general election and a recovery in U.S. job growth.
Germany's DAX index lost 0.3% and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 closed
0.2% lower. France's CAC 40 fell 1.2%, weighed down by a sharp
decline in Airbus shares after a military transport plane built by
the firm crashed in Spain on Saturday.
Mining shares, which are highly sensitive to Chinese demand,
were the best-performing sector on the Stoxx 600, rising 1.6% after
the policy easing from the People's Bank of China.
In bond markets, short-term Greek debt weakened, pushing
two-year yields 0.9 percentage point higher to 20.8%.
German 10-year yields climbed 0.05 percentage point to 0.59% as
markets remained jumpy after last week's selloff in eurozone bond
markets.
U.K. government bond yields were also higher after the Bank of
England kept interest rates on hold, as widely expected.
In commodities markets, Brent crude oil was down 1.3% at $64.58
a barrel, while gold was down 0.8% at $1,179.10 an ounce.
Write to Tommy Stubbington at tommy.stubbington@wsj.com
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