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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.
Azkoyen

Companies, Relevant News Item 7th September 2026

CNMV admits takeover bid for Azkoyen at €10 per share

Spain’s National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on Friday admitted for processing the application by Ohmnia Electronics to launch a voluntary public takeover bid (OPA) for Navarra-based group Azkoyen. This follows the offer submitted in August by Ohmnia—a company backed by Clerbil (the entity chaired by José Antonio Jainaga, chairman of Talgo and Sidenor), alongside the Basque Government, the BBK Foundation, and Kutxabank, among others—for the specialist in vending machines, payment…

AfD

In Europe 7th September 2026

Landslide victory for AfD in Saxony-Anhalt

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved a landslide victory in Sunday’s regional elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the vote, more than double its result in 2021. Shortly after the first exit polls were released, party leader Ulrich Siegmund declared the result a “clear” mandate for AfD to govern. However, AfD fell short of an absolute majority, securing 39 out of 83 seats in the regional…

unemployment spain

Spanish economy 7th September 2026

Spain pays 2,000 million euros a month in unemployment benefits, up 22% from four years ago

Official figures indicate a drop in unemployment; however, rising wages—driven by higher contribution bases—the upward adjustment of maximum benefit ceilings set by law, and the impact of inactive discontinuous-fixed workers (fijos discontinuos) are driving up total expenditure on unemployment benefits. The cumulative bill between January and July—the latest available data—amounts to 14,695 million euros, representing an average monthly outlay slightly exceeding 2,000 million euros. As a result, over the first…

Spanish Seat in China

Spanish economy 4th September 2026

Volkswagen aims to phase out SEAT

The Volkswagen Group aims to close down SEAT, Spain’s only automotive brand, by the end of 2029. This move would involve phasing out the brand to focus exclusively on the premium Cupra brand, although the group does not appear to intend to close its Spanish subsidiary or the Martorell plant, which employs around 12,000 people. This was reported by the German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche, ahead of the Volkswagen Group Supervisory…

solar panels

World economy 3rd September 2026

Solar energy is now the primary source of installed power capacity in China, overtaking coal for the first time

Solar power has become the leading source of installed electricity capacity in China, surpassing coal for the first time in a major milestone for the Asian giant’s energy transition, according to information reported by Bloomberg. As of the end of July, China reached 1,286 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, accounting for 31.5% of its total generation capacity—just one month after solar was still 1 GW behind coal. According to the…

Precios Vivienda

Spanish economy 3rd September 2026

Housing in Spain: the gap between asking prices and final sale prices stands at 29%

This difference serves as a solid indicator of the discount demanded in the market. Idealista.com, Spain’s largest property listing platform, projects the seller’s asking price—which is almost a wishlist—whereas notary records (notaries are always present at the closing of a deal) record the actual final price paid, which sits roughly 29% below the original listing price. According to the chart compiled by spainhousing.eu: Left axis (line): Housing price in euros…

unemployed august

Spanish economy 2nd September 2026

Spain: Unemployment rises by 44,419 people in August

According to official figures from the SEPE, unemployment rose by 44,419 people compared to July (+1.92%), reaching a total of 2,355,918 people. The year-on-year decrease stands at 70,593 people and is largely due to the extraordinary immigrant regularization process, which has mitigated the negative impact of the end of the summer season. The spike in unemployment affected all 17 autonomous communities, particularly Catalonia (+14,594), Madrid (+6,881), and the Valencian Community…

cirsa

Companies, Relevant News Item 2nd September 2026

Lottomatica buys CIRSA (at 6x 2026E EV/EBITDA)

Lottomatica Group (LTMC-IT) and CIRSA have agreed on the principal terms of an all-stock combination that will create a global leading sports betting and gaming operator, through a cross-border merger by absorption of CIRSA into Lottomatica (LTMC-IT). The transaction is subject to approval by their respective General Shareholders’ Meetings and the fulfillment of relevant regulatory and corporate conditions. The combined company will have a pro forma Adjusted EBITDA of approximately…

Sacyr2

Companies, Relevant News Item 1st September 2026

Sacyr obtains Investment Grade from S&P Global Ratings with a ‘BBB-‘ rating

S&P Global Ratings has assigned Sacyr a long-term corporate credit rating of ‘BBB-‘ with a ‘stable’ outlook, placing the company within the ‘Investment Grade’ category. According to a company press release, this is the first time Sacyr has received a rating from S&P. The company emphasized that this milestone “recognizes the transformation of its business model, its financial strength, and its evolution toward an increasingly concession-focused and international profile.” S&P…