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China economy

Markets 12th July 2013

China, free fall?

Iris Mir | By mid-June the National Audit Office of China released a report unexpectedly detailing the debts of 36 local governments. It unveiled the chilling figure of 3.3 trillion dollar in debt, by the end of 2012. A 13% higher than in 2010. Furthermore, the lack of stimulus investment plans is fuelling scepticism among those who expected the Asian dragon to keep the world economy afloat. Mostly because the priority for China now is to reorient its model of growth with ambitious programs like the new Co2 emissions exchange.

Ibex 35

Markets 1st July 2013

Ibex 35 companies ready for foreign investors

MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Guell | The days of over-protection and unflinching pride are a thing of the past. At this stage, the curtains have been lifted for good in Spain. Corporations with a good level of international exposure, sound cash generation, proven growth and sustainable sales cannot escape the net of foreign investors.

Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi

Markets 26th June 2013

Is Mario Draghi bothered?

MADRID | By Luis Arroyo | Monetary policies are a by-product of politics, after all, and in Europe, politics are tightly controlled from Berlin, which will probably use the Fed’s reaction as example of what the ECB must do.

Financial integration in the euro area

Markets 26th June 2013

Financial (re)integration in the euro area

BARCELONA | By CaixaBank research | In spite of improvements, access to financing is still a problem for the periphery’s business sector. Specifically, 22% of SMEs in periphery countries state that access to financing is their main problem compared with just 11% in the core.

Banking Union 2

Markets 24th June 2013

Banking Union fails to fly

MADRID | By JP Marín Arrese | Depriving the ECB of the capacity to deal with ailing entities does undermine its authority as a supervisor in a Banking Union.

Basel regulations

Markets 21st June 2013

Liquidity ratios may be Basel next error

MADRID | By Raimundo Poveda, former director general of banking regulation at Bank of Spain | Liquidity ratios may be Basel next error: a compulsory ratio of liquidity that shall enter into force in 2015.