World economy

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Panama Canal and Sacyr-led consortium, closer to a deal

The Corner Team | The Panama Canal Authority and the  building consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), led by Spanish construction company Sacyr, have both agreed to put up at at least $100 million each to keep the canal work running. The big question remains who should pay for $1.6 billion in cost overruns. GUPC has asked the canal administrator for a $400 million advance. Some Spanish analysts believe they’ll reach an intermediate agreement, in which the Panamanian Government covers half of the costs (circa $800 million), although the consortium would have to sacrifice some profit margin. The Spanish government insists they will not give money “in any case”.


Eurozone

After Austerity, Capital Inflows Will Ease Euro Zone’s Pain

THE CORNER TEAM | Although fiscal austerity and structural reforms implemented have inflected some euro zone countries a severe pain, they will bring them external capital inflows, Chinese rating agency Dagong Credit predicts for 2014. This combined with the potential increase in Germany’s import demand will mean that the euro zone economies will rebound a little and see pressure of sovereign debt crisis ease further.


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Interest rate moves are out of sync with inflation, what next?

LONDON | By Michael Gavin at Barclays | The 2013 sell-off in interest rates in the global currency areas has been driven entirely by perceptions that economic activity is on course to continue its recovery; inflationary pressures have been conspicuous only for their absence in all major currency areas except Japan, where the (still limited) pressure is welcome. This likely explains why equity markets in the advanced economies were so resilient to the backup in US and global rates and why the brunt of the 2013 bond sell-off was borne largely by the long end of the curve.



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Investors See Spain As No-Brainer, Juicy Risk

THE CORNER TEAM | As the euro zone crisis shakes off a recession, investment opportunities are mushrooming across the South of Europe. In Spain, banking and media sector as well as infrastructure are the preferred bets. “As maximum exposure recovery in Europe’s periphery, FCC is ideal. Just don’t think about the downside,” the Financial Times’ Lex argued on Friday, after millionaires George Soros and Bill Gates have both bought stakes in the indebted construction company in less than three months.






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A 2014 World News Tour by The Corner

As 2013 wraps up, we are looking at the most interesting economic stories and challenges ahead. We have asked our contributors and some of the best bloggers worldwide to tell us. Enjoy the read and happy new year.