Articles by The Corner

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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.
The arrival of immigrants has invigorated the Spanish population

Tax burden on employment in Spain continues to rise, now stands at 40.2%, 5.4 points above OECD average

The tax burden in Spain has increased across the board, both on companies and on citizens, in contrast to a very small increase in the tax burden in most advanced economies. Specifically, the tax burden on average wages (including social security contributions and personal income tax) will rise to 40.2% of gross labour costs in 2023, six tenths more than the previous year, according to figures published yesterday by the…


acerinox industria acero

Acerinox’s profit falls 61% in 1Q24 to €53 M, but debt reduced by almost 100 M€ since end 2023

Bankinter: The main figures compared to the company’s own consensus for 1Q24 are: Revenues €1,481M (down 16.9% year-on-year; down 3.1% year-on-year) against €1,516M estimated; EBITDA €111M (down 50.9% year-on-year; up 15.6% quarter-on-quarter) fully in line with €111M estimate, giving an EBITDA margin of 7.5% for the group (7.2% in Stainless Steel and up 8.2% in High Performance Alloys). EBITDA of €53M (against €136M in 3Q 2022) against +€45M estimated. Net…


meta marcas

Meta achieves $12.369bn BNA, ad revenue rises, but guidance looks sluggish

Bankinter: 1Q2024 results good, but guidance weak. The stock falls 15% in the aftermarket. Key figures vs. consensus (Bloomberg): Revenues $36.455M (up 27% year-on-year) vs. $36.125M consensus estimate and $34.500M/$37.000M by the Company, EBIT $13.818M (up 91%) vs. $13.400M and EBITDA $12.369M (up 117%) vs. $12.070M estimate. Daily active users reached 3,240M (up 7% year-on-year) vs. 3,190M in the previous quarter and 2,114M estimated. Average revenue per ad up 6%…


vivienda venta eeuu

Housing sector still a headache for Fed: new home sales rebound

Intermoney | New home sales rebounded in March to 693,000, well above the 668,000 expected, but coming on the back of a downward revision of February sales by -25,000 (662,000). The point is that an acceleration was seen in quarterly terms with a March average of 667,000. For the moment, the housing sector looks set to remain a headache for the Federal Reserve. It is true that the supply of…


alemania reichstang

German government revises 2024 growth estimates upward from 0.2% to 0.3% year-on-year

Bankinter : The German government has improved its growth estimates for 2024. It revises upwards by one tenth of a percentage point to +0.3% YoY (vs +0.2% prev.) the GDP growth expected this year. Maintains the estimate of +1.0% for 2025. Analysis: Positive news. The German government expects both consumption and industrial activity to perform better than estimated this year. The good evolution of inflation (+2.2% in March), the likely…


Sanchez Gomez

Sánchez loves Gómez… and threatens to resign on the day a judicial investigation into his wife’s shady business dealings is opened

Yesterday morning, a judge opened an investigation into the shady business dealings of Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which we have already reported on in The Corner: “Something fishy in La Moncloa: Pedro Sánchez’s wife recommended two companies in a public tender for a €7-million contract” And in the afternoon, in a letter posted on his social networks, the president of the government announced that he…


RepsolImaz

Repsol posts net income of €969M in 1Q24 2024, 12.9% down on same period last year

Repsol invested €2.129 billion between January and March. In the 2024-2027 period, the company expects to invest between €16 and €19 billion net, with 60% dedicated to the Iberian Peninsula and more than 35% to low-carbon projects. On February 22, the company presented its Strategic Update 2024-2027, which laid out the priorities and objectives to bolster its profitable growth, consolidate its multi-energy commitment and achieve its decarbonization goals. In the…


Iberdrola

Iberdrola posts €2,760m profit in 1Q24 supported by capital gains from sale of assets in Mexico (€1,165m)

Bankinter: Key figures compared with consensus estimates: EBITDA ex asset sales €4,140m (+1.9%) vs. est. €4,073m. Total EBITDA €5,857M (+44%); EBITDA ex asset sales €1,595M (+7.3%) vs. €1,532M est; total EBITDA €2,760M (+86%); Funds From Operations (FFO) €3,145M (+5.9%); Net Debt €44,998M vs. €47,832M in December 2023. Results include capital gains from the sale of assets in Mexico (€1,717m in EBITDA and €1,165m in NAB). Opinion of Bankinter’s analysis team:Results…


japan death.penalty

BoJ preview: a still negative neutral rate calling for pause notwithstanding weak Yen

Alicia García Herrero (Natixis) | After the Bank of Japan (BoJ) terminated the key non-conventional monetary policy tools in March, namely the negative policy rate and the yield curve control (YCC), evidence on a strengthening virtuous circle between inflation and wages has been limited. However, real wages -which fell by -1.8% year-on-year in February – are unlikely to turn positive soon. Furthermore, services inflation excluding imputed rent softened to +2.9%…


cityscape at sunset 1

Bank of Spain warns government that housing policy – rent cap etc. – is having opposite effect to that intended

The Bank of Spain reviews the main real estate measures promoted by the Government, both in the purchase and rental segments, and concludes that they could end up resulting in an increasingly smaller market with higher prices. The BdE analyses rental price controls, a measure introduced temporarily by the decree on anti-crisis measures after the Russian invasion of Ukraine but made permanent by the housing law passed in April last…