BERLIN | Alberto Lozano | The Portuguese government splits BES into two banks. On the one hand, it will inject €4.9 billion of capital in a new company called “Novo Banco”, which will get all the assets and employees from the crisis-hit bank. On the other hand, all toxic assets mostly related to its exposure to the Espirito Santo family will stay in the current Espirito Santo’s “bad bank”.
MADRID | By Alex García
MADRID | The Corner | The fall in inflation in July to 0,4% YoY and a still high unemployment rate of 11.5% in the Eurozone show that the policy measures the ECB announced in June are going to take some time to reach the real economy.
MADRID | The Corner | The ECB reported on Thursday the data of interest rates applied in banking corporate loans in June, which have been reduced by 18 bp in loans worth up to €1M for the EZ (up to 3.57%). Moreover, these discounts have been widespread and even higher in peripheral economies’ banks: -21 bp up to 4.3% (weighting by GDP of rates applied in Spain, Italy, Ireland and Portugal).
BERLIN | By Alberto Lozano | Despite of the growing concerns following the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine towards the end of the month, the EZ manufacturing PMI index remains expanding in July (51.8), according to Markit data published today. Netherlands (53.5), Germany (52.4) and Austria (50.9) saw an acceleration of the growth, while Greece (48.7) continues depressed and France (47.8) keeps being the “Europe’s sick man” and the main brake to the European growth. With the worst figure in Europe, the French manufacturing sector even contracted in July at the fastest rate since December. Meanwhile Ireland (55.4), followed by Spain (53.9), registered again the sharpest rate of growth, supporting the eurozone manufacturing recovery.
ATHENS | Via Macropolis | Greece has decided to nominate current Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos as its representative for the new European Commission after he proved to be the most appropriate compromise candidate. Avramopoulos’s nomination was confirmed on Sunday after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras spoke to one of the frontrunners for the job, ex-Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis to inform her that she would not get the nod.
MADRID | The Corner | Despite the slow recovery, unemployment in the eurozone has fallen faster than expected. According to the Labor Force Survey, the rate of jobless population has gone from 12.5% in 1Q13 to 12.2% in 1Q14. The reason? The single currency club is ageing. Also, immigration is playing a secondary role, as unemployment rate for non-EU citizens notably higher than for nationals in the EU28.
ATHENS | By Yiannis Mouzakis via The Agora | No matter what overall opinion you have of the Greeks, you really ought to hand it to us for tolerance. Over the last year and a half one of the three key players in Greece’s crisis management team has repeatedly and openly admitted that the prescription for addressing the country’s predicament was wrong.
MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | Still digesting their historic-low European election results, the Spanish socialists (PSOE) are trying to recover people’s trust by publishing their accounting in a quarterly report. This is the least that we can ask from parties, trade unions, employers and any others living on the State and the taxpayers. Without passing any law, the PSOE –who lost millions of votes in the last general polls- is taking the lead amid corruption scandals affecting numerous Spanish public figures.
BRUSSELS | By Alexandre Mato | The last Eurobarometer after the european elections showed that the EU’s image is improving among its citizens. 35% of them have a positive image of communitarian institutions. Austerity measures to fight the economic crisis or the unresolved unemployment problem have not erased this ‘popular feeling’. But more than 40% think that in a national or European level the economy will remain “the same” for the coming 12 months. Only 24% see an improvement.