Raimundo Poveda | Strong increases in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities (of the order of 7% in prices and apparently more in rents) coincide with stagnation in the rest of the country, and even falls in five autonomous communities. Also, the 45,000 transactions per month last year still pale in to the 75,000 per month of 2004-2007. It makes no sense to talk about a bubble.
Bankia Estudios | For a second successive year, the arrival of immigrants has invigorated the Spanish population, otherwise stuck in organic stagnation. Although the increase is modest, in the end it is hopeful as it means an intensification of the rhythm identified in 2016 (0.2%).
In countries such as Germany and Austria, the unemployment rate has remained relatively low for a long period of time. As noted by CaixaBank Research experts, one of the keys to their success are apprenticeships, or dual vocational education and training. To what extent can this formula be applied to other countries in Europe like Spain?
The recovery of the Spanish economy has shown strong growth in more than just GDP. Exports of goods and services have grown considerably from 25.6% of GDP to 34.4% between 2010 and 2017, while employment has also shown notable growth (1.9 million more people in work since Q2 2014). This increase in exports is not only helping to create jobs, but whatsmore, to improve the quality of employment.
William Chislett (Elcano Royal Institute) | Spain was ranked 11th out of 110 countries in the 2017 Elcano Global Presence Index, which measures the results of internationalisation, up from 12th in 2016
J. L.M.Campuzano | Spanish household debt continued to reduce in 2017, reaching 61% of GDP (down 3%), according to the Bank of Spain. It has fallen 24% since its máximum level reached in 2010. Company debt at the end of the year amounted to 78% of GDP, with a fall of 5% over 2016. Company debt has fallen 39% since its maximums.
After reaching a low point in 2014, house prices in Spain have now been on the rise for several years. As noted by CaixaBank’s strategists, this notable increase in house prices in major cities, especially if compared with the price trends in other areas, is a common phenomenon in many countries.
Luis Alcaide | Pedro Sánchez will be monitored from every corner to see if he can count on the collaboration of a Spanish administration more independent than in the past. He will have to manage budgetary imbalances and growth of public debt. Furthermre, his fellow citizens rate corruption, after unemployment, their greatest concern.
Guy Hedgecoe | Fixation with electoral numbers is one of the most unhealthy obsessions of contemporary Spanish politics. It’s a mindset that places enormous emphasis on victory at the ballot box, in the belief that it will bring with it not just political power, but moral righteousness.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | Mariano Rajoy has left the Moncloa to be replaced by the socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, who 10 days before couldn´t have imagined a substitution so rapid or so brutal. However, Spain’s problems remain: whether the demands for Catalan independence and other nationalist forces that threaten the constitution and national unity, or the urgent need for profound reforms in the welfare system and the management of public accounts, threatened by the deficit and the debt.