F. Barciela/ F. G. Ljubetic | Labour costs in Spain stagnated during the crisis, but the idea that they eventually have to rise again has quite a few supporteres, including many businessmen. It would even be a postive driver for consumption and the economy general.
Ofelia Marín-Lozano | Spain’s public deficit stood at 5.18% of GDP, missing the target set by Brussels (4.2%) by one percentage point. So the deficit should not be higher than nominal GDP growth, which can be estimated at around 3% in the long term.
In the early years of the crisis, Spain’s capital markets and banks suffered severe financing restrictions, but since then access to funding has been slowly re-established for big companies, as well as for SMEs and families. And analysts believe this is now functioning normally.
F. Barciela / F.G. Ljubetic | The crisis forced Spain’s banking industry to cut its number of branch offices from 46,000 in 2008 to 31,000 at end-2015, the lowest figure since 1983. But now it’s technology, the Internet and mobile which will force the banks to continue reducing their branch networks. This is a challenge facing banks across Europe and the US.
Spain overran its deficit goal by one full percentage point last year. While the caretaker government puts the blame on regions under opposition control, such as Catalonia and Valencia, rival parties adamantly attack its budgetary record.
Spain’s tourism sector is on course for another record year in 2106, if the January figures are anything to go by. It looks like Spaniards are going to be on the move at Easter, both at home and overseas, taking advantage of currency depreciations in tourism destinations like Brazil.
Spain’s public debt stood at 1.070 trillion euros in the fourth quarter, 7.562 billion euros more than in the previous one, according to Bank of Spain data. (datos del Banco de España).
M&A transactions in Spain soared 185.56% in February to 5.305,23 billion euros from a year earlier, according to consultancy TTR’s monthly report. The real estate sector has been the most active so far this year, with a total of 61 operations, followed by the Internet and technology sectors, with 20 and 17 transactions respectively.
The CNMC said 2015 was the first year that the electricity system posted a surplus after 14 consecutive years of deficit. The full-year surplus was 550 million euros which the regulator has said should be earmarked for paying down debt, in line with the guidelines included in the last electricity sector reform.