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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.
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Markets 1st October 2014

Greek debt viable, no haircut needed

MADRID | The Corner | As Greece and its euro-area creditors meet on Thursday to review its progress ahead of another round of talks on repayment terms for its public deb, the worst for Athens seems to be over. The Mediterranean country doesn’t need a haircut, its debt is sustainable, as head of the EFSF ESM Klaus Regling commented in Brussels on Tuesday. However, and despite the profound, painful reforms the country has been through, recovery is hampered by private debt of households and companies: about 164 billion euros ($208 billion), 90% of GDP.

BCE's QE

In Europe 30th September 2014

ECB’s QE: how it can really work (or fail)

MADRID | By Javier Arce |  The true danger of a third recession in the eurozone can dissipate, and quickly. Only if after the stress test and the banking union, the euro’s depreciation, the EQ, the takeover of Juncker and its new Commission… we realize that we live in El Ejido, and not in Hernani. Let me explain that.

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World economy 30th September 2014

Steady progress toward US full employment

LONDON | By Rajiv Setia and Anshul Pradhan at Barclays | Developed rates markets rallied globally over the past week, led by the long end, largely in response to the across-the-board underperformance of risk-assets. Figure 1 shows changes in ED-implied rates on the day of the September FOMC meeting, as well as the change from pre-FOMC levels to now. 

catalonia independence

Spanish economy 29th September 2014

Catalonia independence: not a divorce, but a fiscal pact

MADRID | The Corner | There is nothing better than politics to add volatility to the markets. After Catalan leader Artur Mas formally convoked a Nov. 9 referendum for Catalonia independence, the Spanish government is holding an emergency cabinet meeting Monday to launch a lawsuit aimed at blocking the vote. In the short term this clash could widen spreads in Spain and affect domestic banks with exposure to Catalonia, Morgan Stanley pointed out. The most probable scenario is a fiscal agreement, they believe.

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Markets 29th September 2014

Are central banks correctly assessing macro data?

MADRID | The Corner | The divergence between the different central banks’ monetary policies is increasing tension in Western financial markets (variable, fixed-income and forex) , leaving many investors clueless. Volatility is expected to increase in the coming months, which will add tension to the picture. In the short term, investors will want to determine if central lenders are correctly interpreting the macro scenario. That is why macro economic indicators which will be published in the coming days have so much relevance. 11 a.m. final reading of euro-area consumer confidence, which remained unchanged at minus 11.4 in September.

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In Europe 29th September 2014

Inflation: A monetary cancer metastasizes in Europe

VIENNA | By Keith Weiner via Truman Factor | The European Central Bank again cut the interest rates it controls. Notably, the deposit rate was moved deeper into negative territory. It is now -0.2% (minus 20 basis points, that is not a typo). The ECB says it’s trying to nudge prices higher, but it’s actually feeding the cancer of falling interest. The linked article above, like most, is focused on the quantity of euros and the presumed direct relationship to price. The following bit of editorializing from that article is uncontroversial in Frankfurt, London, New York, Mumbai, or Shanghai.

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World economy 28th September 2014

Economic growth is not enough

By the RSA | Two-thirds of the world’s population live in countries that are now more unequal than they were in 1980. Our politicians are hung up on keeping the economic growth curve rising. But does GDP really tell us all we need to know about a country’s wealth and well-being? In this Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) Short, Kate Raworth makes a powerful argument to look beyond economic growth alone for a true measure of prosperity and progress.

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In Europe 27th September 2014

Does Greece need a third programme?

By Jens Bastian via MacroPolis | During his visit to Berlin this week, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras repeatedly emphasised that Greece does not require a third financial support programme. In his conversation with Chancellor Angela Merkel he highlighted that the Greek sovereign was able to successfully return to international bond markets in April after a three-year forced hiatus.