Cyprus Bailout Prompts Muted Relief in Markets

(LONDON) — The rally in stock markets in the wake of the Cypriot bailout deal proved short-lived Monday as investors remained cautious following a crisis that laid bare the scale of problems surrounding Europe‘s single currency. In the immediate aftermath of the deal between the Mediterranean island nation and international creditors, stocks rallied strongly and the euro edged back up above the $1.30 mark. But as the day wore on, the optimism was running dry. Though Cyprus’ bailout deal will prevent it becoming the first country to ditch the euro, investor worries over Europe’s common currency remain, not least because the deal sanctions raiding bank deposits. (MORE: Cyprus Rescue: The Destruction of a Tax Haven) “The Cypriot bailout has a powerful legacy which may alter the security with which depositors elsewhere in the eurozone view the safety of banks,” said Jane Foley, an analyst at Rabobank International. “It has also reportedly uncovered a lack of harmony.” In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.2 percent at 6,403 while Germany’s DAX rose 0.1 percent to 7,916. The CAC-40 in France was down 0.2 percent at 3,761. Italy’s FTSE-MIB was the big underperformer, trading 1.5 percent lower, as political parties there still struggled to form a government. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.2 percent at 14,481 while the broader S&P 500 index was flat at 1,557. The focus will likely remain on developments surrounding Cyprus for a while yet. In particular, investors will be interested to see if the level of bank withdrawals from the country’s banks when they reopen. That’s scheduled for Tuesday. A longer-lasting concern is how the Cyprus deal plays out in other countries, notably those at the forefront of Europe’s debt crisis. Will depositors look to reduce their holdings in Spain, Italy and Greece? “It will set an unsettling precedent for future bailouts and investors will once again be concerned over the security of their bank deposits,” said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at Interactive Investor. In return for

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