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Articles by Carlos Díaz Guell

About the Author

Carlos Díaz Guell
Editor at consensodelmercado.com and innovaspain.com, Carlos began his career in financial journalism as founding member of El País. He's been communications director of Bank of Spain, member of the ECC at the European Central Bank, Institutional Relations director at Iberia and editor at La Economía 16 magazine.
aguirre

Interviews 2nd May 2016

“Panama Canal Project Is Likely World Leader In Technology, Innovation”

After straightening out the disputes with the Panamanian authorities over the costs related to the Canal works, Sacyr will finally inaugurate it in June. Board member Juan Maria Aguirre points out that the company has succeeded in overcoming the property crash and has drastically reduced its debt levels. Now it has to contend with the unexpected consequences of having an 8.5% stake in Repsol after the oil price bubble burst.

Rajoy

Spanish economy 28th April 2016

Rajoy’s Government Chooses To Provoke Brussels

On the same day as Spain’s Economy Minister De Guindos announced new economic forecasts, which for some were completely off-the-wall, the government also announced that it will give civil servants back half of the extra payment which was suspended in 2012, worth over 550 million euros.

IMF's predictions on Spain

Spanish economy 26th April 2016

Spanish Tragic Sense Of Life Clouds Optimism

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s spring forecasts – progressively less optimistic – have nurtured the tragic sense of life (the theory expounded by Spain’s Miguel de Unamuno) or the Spanish art of flagellation. Or at least that is what the media headlines reflected, despite the fact that international observers were incapable of detecting any particularly destructive tone in the Washington-based organisation’s predictions.

caixa biutiful

Companies 22nd April 2016

Caixabank Installs Itself In A Portugal Facing Serious Economic Problems

The announcement that Santoro Financial (Isabel Dos Santos) will sell its stake in BPI to Caixabank is good news for the Catalan lender. But let’s keep in mind the economic backdrop to all this. The Portuguese economy is currently going through a particularly difficult time, with the existence of serious risks to its financial system.

banco españa

Spanish economy 21st April 2016

It’s Time For Spanish Companies To Go Big

Data from the Bank of Spain illustrates a turning point in the accounts of non-financial companies in 2015. That said, against the backdrop of political uncertainty there is a risk that the value of this will not be unlocked so that Spanish companies can face the current challenge of increasing their size.

OHL Mexico

Companies 13th April 2016

OHL’s dirty war in Mexico

Mexico’s Banking and Securities regulator (CNBV) has exonerated OHL Mexico from any evidence of fraud in its accounting practices, accepting the way the firm accounts for expected earnings from its motorway concessions in Mexico.

ECB's tapering

In Europe 12th April 2016

When the ECB can substitute national governments

Despite the ECB’s rigid protocol with respect to public declarations, its influential German chief economist, Peter Praet, broke ranks a few weeks ago by saying that the central bank could not just continue to lower lending rates, but also “print new money” and give it directly to households, presumably to increase consumption.

brexitTC 1

In Europe 5th April 2016

Brexit: The Cynical And Dangerous Taste For Referendums

Time is moving on. After the more than satisfactory agreement reached by Prime Minister David Cameron after renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the European Union, the countdown to the June 23rd referendum has begun. And as happened with the Scottish referendum, the British government is ready to bring out all the big guns.

Repsol

Companies 5th April 2016

Repsol: Undesirable Consequences

The drop in oil prices and the belief – rarely justified by experience – that things will never be what they were, have begun to set off alarm bells in some of the major sporting activities. These have provided an amazing bounty of triumphs thanks to Repsol’s generous patronage.