Articles by The Corner

About the Author

The Corner
The Corner has a team of on-the-ground reporters in capital cities ranging from New York to Beijing. Their stories are edited by the teams at the Spanish magazine Consejeros (for members of companies’ boards of directors) and at the stock market news site Consenso Del Mercado (market consensus). They have worked in economics and communication for over 25 years.
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Agencies trust Botín more than Spain

From Spain's best-seller newspaper El País | The rating agencies consider Banco Santander's solvency stronger than that of the Spanish state. Until now, the ratings given by credit agencies were slightly higher for the debt issued by the Kingdom of Spain than for the bonds issued by the bank that Emilio Botín presides. But the two step downgrade announced on Monday by Fitch, the third largest agency, tilts the balance…


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Merkel & Sarkozy Sunday Quotes’ Fest

Doom: “With the turmoil threatening to spiral into financial meltdown as the value of banks' sovereign bond holdings slide, Merkel and Sarkozy are likely to discuss in Berlin both how to manage Greece, prevent contagion and strengthen lenders.” Gloom: “German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy amid signs that some European banks are feeling the strain of the lingering debt crisis which has pushed Greece to the brink…


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Merkel & Sarkozy Sunday Quotes' Fest

Doom: “With the turmoil threatening to spiral into financial meltdown as the value of banks' sovereign bond holdings slide, Merkel and Sarkozy are likely to discuss in Berlin both how to manage Greece, prevent contagion and strengthen lenders.” Gloom: “German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy amid signs that some European banks are feeling the strain of the lingering debt crisis which has pushed Greece to the brink…


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BoE, ECB prepare field for the unstoppable Greek default

At Bankinter, analysts expect markets to register a further downward move in the coming weeks. In fact, they believe that markets right now “are probably too excited by the prospects of a coordinated and positive outcome for the euro zone. In reality, the only tangible factor one could be led by to optimism is the fact that the ECB has some unconventional measures taken, but these are not decisive in…


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The Guardian and NY Times wonder: “Where’s Spain’s Law of Transparency?”

From the Spanish newspaper El Mundo | During the last three years, the Spanish government has lashed out against the markets, the speculators, the rating agencies and even against the Anglo-Saxon press because of the ‘distorted image’ it believes they present of Spain and its economy. Spain’s financial minister and deputy president Elena Salgado, and the Secretary of State for the Economy José Manuel Campa have repeatedly had to travel…


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The Guardian and NY Times wonder: “Where's Spain's Law of Transparency?”

From the Spanish newspaper El Mundo | During the last three years, the Spanish government has lashed out against the markets, the speculators, the rating agencies and even against the Anglo-Saxon press because of the ‘distorted image’ it believes they present of Spain and its economy. Spain’s financial minister and deputy president Elena Salgado, and the Secretary of State for the Economy José Manuel Campa have repeatedly had to travel…


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JP Morgan to long-term investor: stock markets return to 30-year trend line

According to JP Morgan, taking the last 30 years, it appears evident that the S&P500 has an average annual return of 7.5%, which makes sense considering an average annual inflation of 3.5% coupled with an average GDP increase of 3% (as an average of the cycles), plus a modest risk premium added. “The greatest deviations in the last 30 years from this trend occurred during the tech bubble and the credit…




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Agreement on collateral for Finland’s contribution to the second Greek bailout

Step by step, European authorities may believe that they’re getting on with the job, but capital markets clearly dislike the speed; actually, the lack of any speed at all. The euro-group has requested further adjustment measures for 2013-2014 from Greece and wants an acceleration of privatisation plans, too. Unfortunately, it has been decided to delay the release of the €8bn sixth tranche of the first rescue of Greece beyond the initially marked date…