The idea of motorways which would help decongest access to Madrid began to take shape in the first half of the 1990s and the project was completed in 2000. At that time it was a win-win situation for both investors and citizens. Now these highways have gone bankrupt and will need to be rescued, which could cost the public coffers nearly 900 million euros.
OPEC’s first cut in production in eight years is not good news for the Spanish economy. Spain imports almost all the oil it consumes and has benefited enormously from the slump in the price of a barrel of this “black gold”. It’s estimated that every 10% drop in the price of oil allows for one-tenth of a percentage point improvement in Spanish GDP (1 billion euros). And the reverse is true when the price increases.
Households have improved their debt levels, but the state has compensated for this. So Spain remains the most indebted country in the world, with public and private debt representing 300% of GDP. Another reason which helps explain the fact that investment is still not taking off. But what are very popular are “stock market games”.
Spain’s GDP grew 3.2% year-on-year in the third quarter, easing from the 3.4% registered in the previous one. But consumption slowed on a year-on-year basis from 3.2% to 2.8%, while gross fixed capital formation also showed a significant deceleration from 3.6% to 3.1% in the third quarter from a year earlier.
Rajoy’s minority government will face the first big challenge of its new term in office with the presentation of the 2017 State Budget. This could be a good opportunity to start from scratch and implement much needed reforms.
Since the beginning of 2014, the Spanish economy has been recovering from a very tough crisis – unemployment jumped from 8% in 2008 to 26% at the start of 2014 and has now fallen to 18.9%. This is in part thanks to the ECB’s extremely expansionary monetary policy and low interest rates. Now after Donald Trump’s victory, everything could become unstable.
From its pre-crisis maximum level, the real value of salaries has fallen 43 billion euros, mainly in the construction sector. On the other hand, in the services sector they have risen by some 5 billion euros. Since the start of the economic recovery, wages have increased below productivity rates. This has been particularly noticeable in the manufacturing sector.
Energy sector analysts have received Spain’s new Energy Minister with a sense of satisfaction, pointing out that most of the electricity reform has been implemented, although there are a few aspects still to be regulated. This is too simple a version coming from a sector accustomed to having a low profile. And one which, despite the latest modifications, charges Spaniards one of the most expensive electricity tariffs in Europe, according to Eurostat.
There is a lot of talk at the moment about Spanish pensions. But, it would appear, not enough. At least it is by no means clear that public opinion and voters are very aware of what is about to land on top of them: that in 2017 the pension piggy bank will be empty. And what will happen then?
Spanish companies like Santander, Zara, Freixenet, ACS, Repsol, Roca, Iberdrola, Abertis, Telefónica, Melia or Ferrovial, to mention only a very few, are the companies which are behind this internationalisation of our country’s economy. Over the last few years, they have given a considerable boost to the Spanish economy’s presence across the globe.