MADRID | The Corner | Spain is to be one of the first beneficiaries of the European Commission´s Investment Plan for Europe, with €3.2Bn being allocated to the country to support the SME sector.
MADRID | The Corner | With a downward euro (11-year-minimums) and commodities in free fall too, investors are turining again to the housing sector. In Spain, it could become a safe haven again given the low return on deposits and the stock markets’ high volatility.
MADRID | By Sean Duffy | Victory for the left-wing party of Alexis Tsipras has brought the European project into unchartered territory. The result has given the new Government a mandate for change, but the game of poker may be just beginning.
MADRID | The Corner | Non-performing loans (NPL) in the financial sector may have reached their highest rate in Spain, according to Moody’s, thanks to the new economic fundamentals, the slightly better employment data, home prices’ stabilization and the last consumer confidence numbers.
By Gabriel Sterne via MacroPolis | It is easier to write down big questions on Greece’s future; harder to answer them: (1) Will Syriza win with an overall majority?; (2) Will a new programme be agreed in time?; (3) To what extent will it stay on track?; (4) How much additional debt relief and financing will the Troika give to Greece, and in what circumstances?; (5) If and when the wheels come off the programme, is an exit inevitable? Would it be managed or chaotic? One thing we can be sure about though. The scene is set for a political showdown, the likes of which the Euro-crisis has not yet seen.
PARIS | By Francesco Saraceno via MacroPolis | It is most likely that from the elections of January 25 will emerge a SYRIZA-led government, the main uncertainty being how large a coalition Alexis Tsipras will have to gather to obtain a comfortable parliamentary majority. This is seen with a fair deal of preoccupation in Europe. A preoccupation that does not seem warranted. SYRIZA is no longer the radical party of the beginning, which called for the exit from the euro and for a default on Greek public debt.
PARIS | By Francesco Saraceno | I think it is important to clarify once more that QE and the OMT (welcome to the wonderful world of EU acronyms) are not the same thing. If Mario Draghi manages to rally the Governing Council behind him, QE will consist of a vast program of sovereign bond purchases, in order to try to lift the European economy out of deflation. A European version in short, of what was done three years ago by the Fed and other major central banks in the world.
ZURICH | UBS analysts | ETF flows continue to reward positive economic data from the US with spectacular equity inflows for the second consecutive month. Europe was once again a laggard in both economic terms and in flows: Germany, Spain, Italy, and France, saw net outflows in December due to a combination of growth, Grexit and deflation concerns.
MADRID | By Ana López-Varela | Some analysts believe the Spanish oil company has been extremely punished by the markets. Repsol’s announcement of its pulling out of Canary Islands exploration on Friday, along with the fall in oil prices and the purchase of Talisman Energy (for more than for $8.3 billion), has put the firm under the spotlight.
MADRID | The Corner | Financial entities need to submit allegations on the European Central Bank’s solvency ratios recommendations next week. As expected, due to their systemic nature the ECB is asking the biggest lenders (Santander and BBVA) a 9.0% ratio versus the 8.0% required for their smaller peers such as Caixabank, Bankia and Sabadell.