With more than just rumours abound that Italy is soon to be led by ‘a coalition of concern’, after talks between the Five Star Movement and Northern League leaders saw a complete outsider, law professor Giuseppe Conte, being proposed as a contender for the prime minister’s seat to lead what would be a self-proclaimed Euro-sceptic government .
The plot thickens further as simultaneous detail from a leaked document also suggests an exit from the Eurozone is on the table of possible actions by this new Italian government, that in tandem with a request their debt of 250 billion euros be cancelled by the ECB cancel.
So what next for Italy? What next for the EU? Despite Italy currently being one of the largest economies within the EU, with potentially populist yet dangerous policies afoot, will we see a run on the Italian banking system followed by a fast exit from the Eurozone?
Euro (EUR) exchange rates held firm on Friday despite Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy losing a vote of no confidence.
Markets are hopeful that the departure of Rajoy will not prompt any major shift in policy, with political turmoil limited by the speedy takeover of a leftist prime minister elect.
A resolution to the Italian deadlock also helped to support the Euro, even though doubts remain over the populist coalition. A stronger US Dollar, however, knocked EUR exchange rates back during Friday’s European session.
An uptick in the Eurozone producer price index could give the Euro cause to climb today providing the data points towards rising inflationary pressure within the currency union.
