MADRID | By The Corner | PMI manufacturing in the Eurozone was weaker than expected (51.8 versus 51.9), except for Spain, whose PMI picked up to 54.6 from previous 52.9. The negative note was the French data, which plummeted 1.4 points to 48.5 thus maintaining the country in the economic contraction zone.
MADRID | By Francisco López | The need for goverment to increase income allocated to saving was among the major aims of the tax reform passed on June 20 in Spain. That’s why experts were surprised when knowing about the end of the tax exemption on the first €1,500 of dividend, which goes clearly against small savers. The government insists it is balanced out by other deductions on all brackets taxing savings.
MADRID | The Corner | Spanish mortgage business continued down the road and registered 13.4% less than last year in April’s property records. According to the National Statistical Institute (INE), the loaned capital for housing reached €1.5 billion, which is 8% less than the 2013 figure. Thus, the average amount of mortgages on dwellings in Spain is €100,394, i.e. +6.2% more than the previous year. The boards of technical architects awarded 11,680 building licences for new houses in the first four months of the year (4M2014), 9% less year-over-year. This construction visa remain far away from September 2006 maximum where they were beyond 255,000 in four months.
MADRID | The Corner | The production of vehicles in Spain exceeded one million units in 2014, after the 7% growth recorded in May, according to the Spanish Association of Car and Lorry Manufacturers (ANFAC). Thus, during that month, the level of manufacturing reached 232,762 units and the total annualized was 1,065,879 vehicles. During the first five months of the year, the production of vehicles in Spain grew by 11%. ANFAC estimates that the recording of production will reach 2.4 million by the end of 2014.
MADRID | The Corner | Spanish national tourism starts to reactivate: the number of travellers residing in Spain grew at the same rate than the number of residents abroad. The recovery in tourist expenditure of the Spanish households suggests that the private consumption may grow in the 2Q14 –although probably at a slower pace than in the previous quarters (+0.4%). The evolution of the heavy traffic in Spain’s toll motorways also points at a recovery in the domestic demand, which is a necessary component to compensate for the loss of pulse of the external sector and allow a new quarterly advance in the 2Q14 activity (+0.4%).
MADRID | The Corner | After reducing public subsidies to renewable energies sector from €8.7bn to €7bn a year, Spanish government is not considering a bail-out plan similar to the one rescuing the financial sector with a bad bank as some were longing to.
MADRID | By Carlos Díaz Güell | Spain has become one of the countries facing more arbitration claims from investors due to the bonus cuts to renewable energy, only behind Venezuela, Argentina and Egypt. And yet the government feels quite calm about it, according to official sources. The last one to sue has been British fund InfraRed Capital Partners. It also litigates for the bonus cut to renewable energy companies,claiming that Spain hasn’t respected legal safety of investors, violating the Energy Charter and expropiating them of their rights.
MADRID | By The Corner | Spain’s public debt grew 7.12 percent in 1Q14 to 989.9 billion euros, which is 96.8 percent of its GDP. The government’s debt went up 8.4 percent from the first three months of 2013 to 864 billion euros, accounting for by far the largest share of the total, according to Bank of Spain figures published Friday. Morgan Stanley analysts emphasize the changes of macroeconomic prospects and the increase of forecasts in peripheral countries. From its analytics department, growth levels for Spain, Portugal and Ireland were raised on Monday.
MADRID | The Corner | Spain will complete a first payment of the EU loan for the rescue of its financial system amounting to 1.3 billion euros, even if the first payment of interests was scheduled for 2022. Severely hit by the economic crisis, in 2012 the country took a nearly €42 bn loan of the €100 bn line arranged by the EU to bail its banks.
MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | May unemployment and social security registration data in Spain are the best monthly as well as yearly, and even regarding the end of current year since 2007. Although jobless rate is still painfully high, more than 26%, the trend is changing.