On Portugal, PSI and a national salvation pact | Macropolis

O xeque-mate já foi jogado há muito, mas os partidos do regime estenderam uma cortina de fumo que não deixa ver o colapso que aí vem :(

A circunstância de David Salanic, presidente executivo e fundador da Tortus Capital, ser um especulador profissional não retira valor aos seus argumentos. Muito pelo contrário. Na realidade, o caminho da União Europeia e da sua moeda é estreito, e Portugal continuará a viver em permanente sobressalto durante os próximos anos. O melhor, pois, é aprendermos a desconfiar metodicamente do Estado e da nomenclatura partidária enquanto não aparecer nenhum sinal de verdadeira mudança e verdadeira esperança no horizonte. O melhor mesmo é defendermos o que temos e buscarmos entre os familiares e amigos estratégias de partilha e colaboração.

Troika reviews, and particularly the IMF DSA (debt sustainability analysis), although considering that the debt overhang is highly vulnerable, concluded for its sustainability. You refer that the main arguments for that conclusion are misconceptions. Can you summarize the main reasons why the Portuguese debt is not sustainable?

A sovereign, just like a corporation or an individual, needs to be able to service its debt at some point in the future. Today, servicing Portugal’s debt costs €7.2 billion in interest payments a year and this number will grow every year. In order to service its debt, Portugal would need to be able to generate cash flow before interest expense (called a primary budget surplus) of €7.2 billion a year or whatever amount the interest will have grown to in the future.

Will it be possible?

That will never happen. This would imply a primary budget surplus of 4.3% of GDP. Portugal has had a negative primary budget balance for over 15 consecutive years. The highest primary budget surplus ever realized over the past 36 years for which we have data is 3% of GDP. Portugal’s current primary budget balance is negative 1.6% of GDP. In order to get to a 4.3% primary budget surplus, Portugal would need to improve its annual primary budget balance by €10 billion. Any attempt by the Portuguese government to extract an additional €10 billion annually from the economy, would destroy the economy and the social fabric of the country. - See more at:

Troika
reviews, and particularly the IMF DSA (debt sustainability analysis),
although considering that the debt overhang is highly vulnerable,
concluded for its sustainability. You refer that the main arguments for
that conclusion are misconceptions. Can you summarize the main reasons
why the Portuguese debt is not sustainable?

A sovereign, just like a corporation or an individual, needs to be able
to service its debt at some point in the future. Today, servicing
Portugal’s debt costs €7.2 billion in interest payments a year and this
number will grow every year. In order to service its debt, Portugal
would need to be able to generate cash flow before interest expense
(called a primary budget surplus) of €7.2 billion a year or whatever
amount the interest will have grown to in the future.


Will it be possible?

That will never happen. This would imply a primary budget surplus of
4.3% of GDP. Portugal has had a negative primary budget balance for over
15 consecutive years. The highest primary budget surplus ever realized
over the past 36 years for which we have data is 3% of GDP. Portugal’s
current primary budget balance is negative 1.6% of GDP. In order to get
to a 4.3% primary budget surplus, Portugal would need to improve its
annual primary budget balance by €10 billion. Any attempt by the
Portuguese government to extract an additional €10 billion annually from
the economy, would destroy the economy and the social fabric of the
country.

- See more at: http://www.macropolis.gr/?i=portal.en.the-agora.928#sthash.E9WsPrji.dpuf

Troika
reviews, and particularly the IMF DSA (debt sustainability analysis),
although considering that the debt overhang is highly vulnerable,
concluded for its sustainability. You refer that the main arguments for
that conclusion are misconceptions. Can you summarize the main reasons
why the Portuguese debt is not sustainable?

A sovereign, just like a corporation or an individual, needs to be able
to service its debt at some point in the future. Today, servicing
Portugal’s debt costs €7.2 billion in interest payments a year and this
number will grow every year. In order to service its debt, Portugal
would need to be able to generate cash flow before interest expense
(called a primary budget surplus) of €7.2 billion a year or whatever
amount the interest will have grown to in the future.


Will it be possible?

That will never happen. This would imply a primary budget surplus of
4.3% of GDP. Portugal has had a negative primary budget balance for over
15 consecutive years. The highest primary budget surplus ever realized
over the past 36 years for which we have data is 3% of GDP. Portugal’s
current primary budget balance is negative 1.6% of GDP. In order to get
to a 4.3% primary budget surplus, Portugal would need to improve its
annual primary budget balance by €10 billion. Any attempt by the
Portuguese government to extract an additional €10 billion annually from
the economy, would destroy the economy and the social fabric of the
country.

- See more at: http://www.macropolis.gr/?i=portal.en.the-agora.928#sthash.E9WsPrji.dpuf

On Portugal, PSI and a national salvation pact | Macropolis