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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.
royal navy

In Europe 18th March 2019

Britain’s long history of trying – and failing – to gain independence from European trade partner

Giada Pizzoni via The Conversation |More than 400 years later, the UK is once again dreaming of the unimaginable riches that could be had by breaking away from the old continent. Brexit would have globalisation in trade as the answer, but over the past four centuries as its empire has risen and fallen, it is Europe that provided the UK with many of its most sought after commodities. It’s hard to imagine this changing much in the future.

housing sales

Spanish economy 18th March 2019

House sales in Spain: First Slowdown in Three Years

Bankinter | The sale of houses in Spain fell in January (-0.2% yoy). It is the first drop in the last 11 months and shows a slowdown (from +3.8% in December, +2.8% in November, +15% in October). It is the third time in three years the rate has been negative.

 

insurance

Markets 18th March 2019

Sunflower seeds, sweets and chewing gum! Insurance, washing machines, investment funds!

Manuel Moreno Capa | Axa, Mapfre, Mutua and other big insurers have spent years settled solidly in the collective investment market, with their powerful fund managers. But today they are taking a step further: as insurers they are confronting what the experts call a structural fall in profits in their traditional business, they want to grow in others, but not only offering funds through their managers, but directly buying parts of the market, in other words other managers who bring their funds and their clients.

windmills spain

Spanish economy 17th March 2019

Rural Spain faces a new electoral scenario

Eduardo Moyano Estrada via The Conversation | Spain is an urban country, as shown by the fact that more than 80% of the population live in less than 20% of the territory (and four out of five Spaniards live in municipalities of the more than 30,000 inhabitants). But it also has an extensive rural space, given that around 80% of its territory has an average demographic density of 18.4 persons/km2, with more than half od its municipalities in serious risk of depopulation.

The Corner recession warnings

Markets 16th March 2019

Recession warnings at a glance

It is impossible to predict a recession with precision, even less when the scenarios are constantly changing and with variables still unknown. But indicators exist that let us calibrate where the risks are accumulating.

 

Ibex

Ibex 15th March 2019

Ibex 35 closes 2018 with an increase in net profits of 4.3%

Santander | The publication of the 2018 results have practically finished, and Europe´s company profits have shown their resilience in a global scenario dominated by the uncertainty generated by the fear of a “trade war”, volatility in emerging markets, currency weakness, Brexit, the increase in populism in the South of Europe…

FRANCISCO GONZALEZ BBVA

Ibex, Markets, Spanish economy 14th March 2019

BBVA honorary chairman Gonzalez leaves board amid spying probe

One day before the General Shareholders’ Meeting, the former president of BBVA announced on Thursday by letter that he is temporarily leaving the positions that bind him to the entity (he is the honorary president of the bank and the Foundation) until the end of the investigation of the Villarejo case, in which BBVA is related to a supposed espionage of politicians, businessmen and journalists when González occupied the presidency.

The Spanish economy in 2020: things are not looking so bad

Spanish economy 13th March 2019

Spain’s Rating, From Less To More On 22 March?

Yann Le Pallec, global head of ratings at S&P Global Rating (S&P), says that the ratings agency will upgrade Spain this month if current trends are maintained. The executive said that Spain’s current rating is A- with a positive perspective, which implies that if certain conditions are fulfilled there will be a rise in credit rating.

Spanish R&D spending grows again in 2017 after 2016 slowdown, but still in pre-crisis levels

Spanish economy 13th March 2019

Spanish R&D Spending Grows Again In 2017 After 2016 Slowdown, But Without Reaching Pre-Crisis Levels

According to FEDEA, the total expenditure on R&D grew 6% compared to 2016. Companies increased their expenditure on R&D by 8% and the public sector slightly more than 2%. These growth rates recall those of the years before the crisis but are still not sufficient for Spain to escape the small group of European countries who still have not recovered pre-crisis levels of R&D spending.