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.
J.P. Marín Arrese | PM Pedro Sánchez will govern backed by a weak minority party. There will be little respite from either those who voted for him or those who voted against him. No one expects the new Spanish government can deliver any substantive policies. Yet, such an isolated and weak position can also be a valuable asset.
The number of jobless people registered in the public employment services’ offices fell by 83,738 in May compared to the previous month (-2.5%). The total number of unemployed stood at 3.25 million end-May.
Raimundo Poveda | The Spanish pension system is one more which exists in the OECD and, probably, not one of the worst. Neither are its problems very original. Just like in other countries in the club, the financial hardships which were the result of the Big Recession led to cuts. These were implemented in 2011 by the PSOE, with the PP causing a big scandal, then in 2013 by the PP, with the roles reversed.
The household savings rate lay below 6% of gross disposable income in 2017, a figure similar to 2007 just before the real estate bubble burst, and well below the peak reached in 2009 of 13.4%. What factors explain the sharp decline that has occurred in the last few years? CaixaBank Research focuses on this issue.
Adjustments to the number of employees and branches in the sector continue, despite the fact that the deleveraging of the private sector seems to be coming to an end. Spanish banks are feeling the effects of the resolution and sale of Banco Popular in June 2017 and posted after-tax losses of €3.92 billion for the year, although it achieved further improvements in solvency and asset quality.
The Treasury will impose a 5% tax on foreign and Spanish companies’ digital services. This new tax will be on the intermediary services and the publicity and sale of digital data up to 5% of the turnover of all companies which offer these services in Spain.
Spain’s three big television channels (TVE, Mediaset España and Atresmedia), have announced the commercial launch of their hybrid television for the end of 2018 or beginning 2019. It’s a service which combines traditional digital TV enhanced with content from the broad band connections in homes.
For a long time, Spain has had a “debt pending” in terms of budgetary stability. And, for the time being, the current scenario leads us to think that balancing the public finances is a difficult objective to achieve in the medium-term. Added to that problem is the high level of government debt.