Some of Europe’s most eminent finance, trading and political speakers assembled at Bloomberg’s European Headquarters in London on September 13 to discuss whether this is the End of The Euro As We Know It. In anticipation of the German election, Saxo Markets held the sell-out event to consider whether the euro dream has become a nightmare and to debate the precarious future of the single currency.
We would like to offer our thanks to all of our esteemed speakers, bloggers and attendees, and express our gratitude to Bloomberg for hosting the event.
Over 450 guests experienced a captivating event with insights from industry experts who highlighted Eurozone tensions and studied the long-term consequences of the German election. An introduction by co-CEO of Saxo Bank, Lars Seier Christensen, was followed by a keynote speech by Václav Klaus, former President of the Czech Republic, on the demise of democracy as nation states cede independence to the EU.
This was followed by a debate on whether growing deficits and unemployment levels will trigger the beginning of the end of the euro project. Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist at Saxo Bank; Bloomberg Economist David Powell; Steven Saywell, Head of FX Strategy for Europe at BNP Paribas; and Roy Sher, Founder of ISAM Fusion Hedge Fund discussed policy shortcomings which have provoked social unrest across southern Europe and derisive reactions to the EU’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Guy Johnson, Bloomberg TV anchor, moderated the next discussion on the impact of quantitative easing and governmental monetary policy on the financial markets. Panellists also deliberated the benefits and risks of ‘forward guidance’, contemplating the hazards of enacting policies in order to drive economic ‘certainties’.
The day’s second keynote address was delivered by Nigel Farage, MEP and leader of the UK Independence Party, on why a withdrawal from the EU would benefit the UK, saving British taxpayers up to GBP 60 billion a year and relaxing heavy regulation on businesses.
Rakesh Shah, Advisory Fund Manager at Kingly Capital, closed the session with a speech on managing foreign-exchange strategies in volatile financial markets.
The event triggered a huge social media reaction, as #TradingDebates not only passed #EuroCrisis in the number of tweets on the day, but also eclipsed Twitter attention of the German election. In total, the event prompted over 500 tweets on September 13, drawing in social media users from 72 different worldwide locations, including contributors from Finland, the US, South Africa and Mexico.
