The electricity distribution network in Portugal is going to be re-auctioned within an ambitous programme of liberalisation launched by the Government. The Portuguese electricity market, with more than 6 million connections, is a quarter that of Spain. Endesa looks to take advantage as it has 18% of the energy supply market in the country.
Ioannis Glinavos via Macropolis | Those at the receiving end of austerity policies and fiscal consolidation measures aimed at stabilizing the eurozone during and after the debt crisis of 2010 have sought redress in the courts, hoping to find an argument that can convince the law to come to their assistance.
Mari Pinardo | Neinor Homes is the first housing promotor to return to the stock market 10 years after the crisis. Its CEO, Juan Velayos, recognises that many things have improved since then: Four years ago no housing was being built, and now 90,000 units are being built”. But he admits there are deep rooted problems in the sector: “Spain is seriously bad at generating supply, we are paying far more for apartments than we could do if there were transparent criteria.”
If you thought social media’s challenge was limited to the US, then look further. Facebook, Twitter and Google face additional challenges while dealing with India. Their ability to stay relevant and monetize is based on three factors: a) the size of their user base; b) user interaction rates with the platforms; and c) how many users trust these platforms?
The exceptionally hot summer afflicting large parts of the planet has highlighted the precariousness of a finite resource – clean, consumable water. According to Allianz Global Investors, “by helping to bridge the gap between water supply and demand, investors can help address a critical structural problem while adding growth potential to their portfolios.”
One of the key supports for Spain’s economic growth during the recovery has been the strength of international tourism. CaixaBank Research predicts 3.4% growth in tourism-related GDP in 2018, outperforming Spain ’s economy as a whole (2.8% growth). This excellent performance has helped to create jobs: in the four years between Q1 2014 and Q1 2018, 396,000 new jobs were created related to tourism.
Gestamp, the multinational company specialising in the design, development and fabrication of highly engineered metal components for the car industry, has recently inaugurated its new plant in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands (UK). In fact, Gestamp counts with seven production plants in the country. Since 2012, the company has invested more than 200 million pounds in its installations in the UK.
The ratio which estimates the Spanish non-financial firms average cost of financial debt reduced between 2008 and 2016 (the last year for which data is available) by more than 50%, so that the average value want from 5.9% at the beginning of this period to 2.7% in 2016, according to the last data from the Bank of Spain.
“The unifying factor in the Italian coalition of two disparate political parties is firm agreement on the flaws of the EU’s deficit limits, and the risk is that any conciliation with the EU fronted by the Minister of Economy and Finances Giovanni Tria may amount to nothing more than political expedience,” commented today Neil Mellor Senior Currency Strategist at BNY Mellon.