First the Greek tragedy, then the Irish joke...next the Spanish Inquisition?

(To increase the font size of this essay – hold down the Ctrl key and keep pressing +) Spain’s Santander bank (Ticker: STD) probably has the world’s funniest stock symbol - but investors don’t seem to be laughing.

Recently due to mounting fears (real or imagined…does it really matter?) of the Irish financial crisis threatening to engulf both Portugal and Spain; Santander’s shares have slid almost 5% and yesterday they gave up a whopping 6%!

A troubling picture seems to be emerging; one where developing concerns over the Irish economic troubles in the Iberian peninsula may prove bigger than even what’s panning out in the Korean peninsula as the US and S.Korea prepare for war games.

Although both Portugal and Spain vehemently deny they need help from either the EU or IMF; newspaper speculation rife that both economies are in trouble and it is only a matter of time before they will have to go with a coconut bowl to the European Union to seek a bailout plan – the market doesn’t seem to be convinced that all is well. And this little bit of askance may just be what it takes to transform perception into something that is real – so real, that if you really want an image of what is likely to hit both Portugal and Spain and probably the entire EU; if confidence goes right through the floor boards – try making a claw with your hand and just imagine that you have razor sharp nails (The rest of this essay has been withdrawn from general circulation due to Measured Response)