European Commission

Germany and France have begun preliminary talks about a possible break-up of the eurozone, according to reports, amid fresh fears about the future of Italy after the nation's cost of borrowing hit a new record.

European regulators may be given new powers to suspend credit ratings of countries seeking or undergoing bailouts to prevent the "negative spillover effects to other countries", according to proposals for tougher regulation issued by the European Commission....

The European Commission has proposed a tax on financial transactions to help fund the cost of the eurozone rescue package which could see investors in UCITS fund being hit with a triple blow.

The European Commission has revised down its economic growth forecast for the rest of the year, saying growth in the eurozone will grind to a "virtual standstill".

Jupiter's Guy de Blonay said markets may have to plunge a further 15% before "complacent" policymakers look to more QE.

The downgrading of Portugal's debt to 'junk' status by Moody's earlier this week has led to renewed criticism, this time from the European Commission (EC), of the role and behaviour of credit ratings agencies.

Asset managers may have to undertake a "root and branch" reassessment of business models amid a wave of European regulation set to trigger "huge upheaval", warns State Street.

The European Commission may be about to kill two very big birds with one stone. The ‘stone' it is casting from Brussels is the snappily named Regulation on Short Selling and Certain Aspects of Credit Default Swaps.

CONTRARIAN INVESTOR

SHORT OF THE MARK