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Ucrania

The Prime Ministers Of Slovenia, Poland And The Czech Republic Are Already In Kiev

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called from Kiev for “an end to the tragedy” in Ukraine, as he arrived in the country’s capital along with his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Pietr Fiala, and Slovenia, Janez Jansa. “We must stop this tragedy as soon as possible,” said Morawiecki, according to the Polish news agency PAP, on his arrival in the Ukrainian capital, where he plans to meet the country’s…


Mapfre

Mapfre flags average premium growth of +5%/+6% between 2022-2024; warns its strategic plan does not include the current scenario

Bankinter | Mapfre has delayed its Investor Day (planned for 23 March) to the beginning fo the summer. Whatsmore, it is presenting a new strategic plan 2022-2024, although it warns that this is susceptible to revision. The strategic lines are: Spain, Brazil and the US as its main markets, average premiums growth of +5%/+6%, ROE 9%/10%, combined ratio 94%/95%, solvency 200% and a payout superior to 50%. Analysis team’ opinion:…


pedro sanchez reflexiona

Sánchez Rules Out Sending Arms Directly To Ukraine And Avoids Clarifying Whether It Is An Imposition From Podemos

Spain, after being one of the last European countries to close its airspace to Russian airlines, will limit the sending of offensive weapons to Ukraine just to the agreement adopted by the European Union. It does not plan to increase the defence budget, as other EU governments will do in response to the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory. This was announced on Monday by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in an…


Putin

Putin Returns To Brezhnev’s Interventionist Doctrine

Luis Alcaide | Early morning of 26 February 2022. Invasion of Russian troops. I don’t know whether I’m in Madrid or in the Bucharest of that morning on 21 August 1968. At that time, 170,000 Warsaw Pact soldiers were invading Czechoslovakia, and the Prague Spring was a political and economic threat to the communist bloc. Czechoslovakia, which was a developed pre-World War II society and economy, offered in 1968 economic…


Stock Markets

Stock markets’ performance in previous times of war suggests there are usually slumps of short duration

Diego Fernández Elices (A&G) | Russia’s determination to go all the way leads us to expect there will not be a quick solution to a complex situation. It will continue to fuel volatility and NATO’s reaction will be particularly relevant. The stock markets’ performance during military conflicts in the past suggest that there are usually periods of slumps which are of short duration. Then a few months later, the markets…


Brazil

Brazil’s Vicious Cycle: Breaking Out Of It Will Be Hard To Do

Crédito y Caución | In March 2021, Brazil’s central bank started its rate hiking cycle. This has raised investors ́ concerns thatgovernment finances will deteriorate, as they are highly sensitive to shifts in interest rates.•Worries about the credibility of a constitutional spending ceiling, a key fiscal anchor, are adding to those concerns.•The risk of higher fiscal deficits and a depreciating currency have increased inflationary pressures, forcing thecentral bank to lift…


President Macron

French Republicans Do Macron A Favor

Nick Ottens (Atlantic Sentinel) | French Republicans have thrown away their two best chances of denying Emmanuel Macron a second term. Party members eliminated Michel Barnier and Xavier Bertrand from the center-right’s presidential primary on Thursday, giving the men 24 and 22 percent support, respectively. The more right-wing Éric Ciotti and Valérie Pécresse qualified for the runoff on Saturday. Neither polls well against the president. Besting Macron Bertrand, the conservative…


Iberdrola Avangrid

Iberdrola is hitting problems with its acquisition of PNM in the US

Renta 4 | According to the press, 3 of the 5 members of the public regulation commission of New Mexico have agreed with the examiner’s conclusion recommending not to accept the deal, because the potential damages outweigh the benefits. Concern has been expressed over possible conflicts of interest, ethical issues and Avangrid’s poor track record with the public services in the north east of the country. Avangrid is Iberdrola’s subsidiary…


The weight of investment in intangible assets draws attention in modern world

Digital Asset Networks Are Like Train Lines

Digital asset networks are like railway lines. They share the same need for interoperability and developers are working on solutions. The networks that are able to create ‘bridges’ and ‘speak’ to one another will ultimately deliver greater utility to their users – and thus create greater value.


USA reflation

US Inflation Stays Put

Fernando González Urbaneja | The thesis defended by the US Treasury and the Fed that the upturn in inflation this year will be temporary is losing momentum by the week. The latest data for October brings the year-on-year rate to 6.2%, a figure that has not been seen for the last thirty years. What is more worrying is that core inflation, excluding energy and unprocessed foods, is above 5%. It…