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Articles by Julia Pastor

About the Author

Julia Pastor
Julia Pastor has broad experience in business writing for Consejeros Media Group at Consejeros, Consenso del Mercado and The Corner. Previously, she worked for the financial news agency GBA and contributed to El País Business. She holds a Master's in Financial Journalism and a degree in English from the Complutense University in Madrid.
china in greece 2

In Europe 21st June 2014

Chinese investments in Greece to be boosted by new agreements

ATHENS | Via Macropolis | Greece hopes to sign agreements for investments worth 6-7 billion dollars during the three-day visit of the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. This is the first visit to Greece by a top Chinese official for four years. Two thirds of the plannned investments relate to the shipping sector and mainly involve financing from from the China Development Bank for the building of Greek ships in Chinese shipyards. The remainder is mainly related to investments in the energy and real estate sectors.

Spanishinvestments

In Europe 18th June 2014

Spanish businessmen are the eurozone’s most investment-friendly

MADRID| By The Corner | Spain is to lead the EU economic recovery until 2018, according to Morgan Stanley. External sector, capital spending and internal demand would be the factors pushing the country’s growth. Regarding capex, Spanish businesses are the most inclined to rise their investment expenditure in manufacturing during year 2014 in order to boost production capacity. 

uk house prices

In Europe 12th June 2014

Why are UK home prices rising? Check the sector’s lack of capacity

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | The evolution of the UK’s real estate market is one of the major risks assessed by the BoE in recent months. In fact, the demand has gained great traction since 2013, backed by better credit lending conditions, the increase of confidence and the oficial program Help to Buy.

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Markets 5th June 2014

ECB takes the reins in a historic move- but where’s the QE?

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | In a historic move, the ECB cut the benchmark rate to 0.15 percent from 0.25 percent, and reduced the deposit rate to minus 0.10 percent from zero, becoming the world’s first major central bank to use a negative rate and pushing entities to increase credit lending. Spanish Ibex35 reacted to the news with a 0,8% increase. 

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Markets 4th June 2014

Falling EZ inflation makes it tricky for Draghi

MADRID | By Francisco López | Markets are taking for granted that ECB’s chairman Mario Draghi is going to act tomorrow. What is not that clear is to which extent he will do it. The last inflation figures on the euro area -a greater fall than the expected in May, standing at 0.5% and thus worsening deflation risks- represent a convenient opportunity for those ECB’s members claiming immediate bold measures.

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Spanish economy 3rd June 2014

Spanish Stock Exchange’s trading volume grows by 49.8%

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | The operator of all Spain’s stock markets and financial systems BME has a couple of good reasons to celebrate. The company’s trading volume increased by 49.8% on a y-o-y basis to €72.2 bn in May, as the so-called Tobin tax on foreign exchange transactions has recently been postponed by 2016. This tax could cut BME’s volume by near 10%.

Taj Mahal

World economy 1st June 2014

Spanish companies take Modinomics pace

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | What can small countries’ firms do in the world biggest democracy, built on 28 nations more than regions? Some Spanish companies in India have been able to manage big four toll roads (Isolux), control 80% of its airspace safety (Indra), excel in the olive oil market (Borges), or even list in the Bombay’s stock exchange (CIE Automotive). After the historical victory of Narendra Modi their prospects are even better, considering that India’s middle-upper class ranges between 50 and 300 million people.

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In Europe 28th May 2014

IMF’s dual formula for Spanish SMEs: debt haircut & lower wages

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | The key for a Spanish sustainable economic recovery are the country’s SMEs. Considering they mean about 90% of the national corporate landscape, the IMF’s last report on Spain provides two main recipes for helping them survive: extending aids for insolvent companies, which would “preserve Spain’s strong payment culture,” and also increasing wages cuts.

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Markets 26th May 2014

The non-impact of EU elections on the markets

MADRID | By Julia Pastor | The rise of nationalist political parties in the new EU Parliament “could tighten the euro, but only transitorily”, according to analysts at Bankinter, but the reality is that “from a practical point of view everything will remain the same,” experts at Link Securities say.