Peter Isackson | Until January 31 of this year, there was both a tunnel linking Britain to the continent and a powerful (metaphorical) bridge called the European Union. Now the tunnel is all that connects England and Europe. Johnson’s engineers are hard at work dismantling that symbolic bridge, which may explain why Boris feels the still-united kingdom needs a new physical bridge — a symbol to replace a symbol.
The credit quality of Spanish banks looks solid, despite the pull-back in reported profits. Solvency ratios sitting comfortably above requirements offer greater leeway for capital distribution and will result in higher returns, benefiting investors, says Scope Ratings. Spanish bank creditors should see the banks’ improved capital-generation capacity as a sign of strength, even if capital ratios have peaked for this cycle.
BBVA Research / Stocks reversed yesterday’s gains with the technological sector underperforming as investors weighed the fall in coronavirus cases, after China changed once again its counting methodology to report infections. Additionally, both Iran and South Korea announced their first fatalities from the epidemic, while two more deaths were confirmed in Japan, raising investors’ concerns.
Aneeka Gupta, (Director, Research, WisdomTree) Palladium prices are on a tear, as safe-haven demand coupled with forecasts of a widening supply deficit supports its record-breaking rally. Palladium’s demand outlook (nearly 80%) is closely linked to the automotive market, as it is used heavily in catalytic converters in gasoline powered vehicles.
Abengoa will not complete the partial monetization of the arbitration filed by one of its subsidiaries against Spain for the cut in premiums to renewables applied by the Government in the previous years, after having received a financing offer of up to 50 million euros.
The draft law for the digital transformation of the financial system is a long-awaited measure by the banking sector. The project anticipates the implementation of a test bench or regulatory sandbox, which is instrumental in promoting innovation in financial services. It is also a tool for the competition authorities, as it allows for synchronization between supervisory practices and financial regulation and the current pace of innovation and digital transformation.
The Al Shoula consortium (Renfe, Adif, Ineco, Cobra, OHL, Indra, Consultrans, Copasa, Siemens, Imathia, Abengoa and Talgo) for the construction and operation of the Mecca-Medina high speed train would have sent a first contract termination notice due to the delay in payment by the Saudi Railway Organization that could amount to about 200 million euros.
Mari Pinardo | “Loyalty shares, which confer additional voting rights to investors who have held shares for two years, strengthen the position of majority shareholders and produce a gap between their economic commitment and their voting power. They can make a takeover bid more difficult, reduce liquidity and the value of a company less attractive,” says Maria Rotondo, co-director of the IE executive sustainability program.
David Kohl, (Chief Currency Economist, Julius Baer) / US growth superiority continues for longer than expected. The economic headwinds caused by measures to contain the spreading of the coronavirus are stronger for the Eurozone than for the US and support safe-haven currencies. We have adjusted our 3-month euro forecast down while being slightly more constructive for the JPY.
At its cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the government gave the green light to the implementation of new taxes on digital business and stock market transactions, following similar steps by other European countries. The agreement reached between Spain’s PSOE and Podemos coalition government included the approval of the two taxes, with which the Administration expects to collect about 2.050 billion euros (€1.200 Bn with the digital tax and €850 M with the financial transactions tax).