Spanish consumers seeking credit again
MADRID |The Corner | Lending by Spanish banks to consumers is on the rise-albeit tentatively.
Spanish economy
Spanish car industry turning a corner
MADRID | The Corner | Things are looking up for Spanish car manufacturers, and with exports expected to remain strong,2015 looks like being another good year.
Spanish housing prices reach turning point
MADRID | The Corner | With a downward euro (11-year-minimums) and commodities in free fall too, investors are turining again to the housing sector. In Spain, it could become a safe haven again given the low return on deposits and the stock markets’ high volatility.
Spanish employment swimming in calmer waters
MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | The macro (and micro) piece of data tarnishing the image of Spain is that of unemployment, an anomaly for a developed economy. It is not new but a problem we have been suffering for the last three decades. Even during prosperity times, unemployment reached double digits (8% in the most favourable moments). The last great recession exacerbated the problem and jobless rate soared to 25%, bluffering analysts and market makers.
Spanish NPLs falls for 12th consecutive month
MADRID | The Corner | Non-performing loans (NPL) in the financial sector may have reached their highest rate in Spain, according to Moody’s, thanks to the new economic fundamentals, the slightly better employment data, home prices’ stabilization and the last consumer confidence numbers.
Spanish banks meet ECB’s capital ratios
MADRID | The Corner | Financial entities need to submit allegations on the European Central Bank’s solvency ratios recommendations next week. As expected, due to their systemic nature the ECB is asking the biggest lenders (Santander and BBVA) a 9.0% ratio versus the 8.0% required for their smaller peers such as Caixabank, Bankia and Sabadell.
Economic chief says Spanish households the winners from new tax cuts
MADRID | By Sean Duffy | Spain is on the path to recovery, and that recovery is to be directly felt by citizens in the form of tax cuts fuelled by the country’s improving economic situation. That was the message delivered by Spanish Treasury Secretary, Miguel Ferre Navarrete, in a speech delivered at Spain Investors Day.
Spain’s economic confidence at pre-crisis levels
MADRID | The Corner | Economic confidence in Spain reached its highest level in December since June 2007 (105.6 points from 104.2 the previous month), according to the European Commission. The figures show an improvement in trust from consumers, the services sector and retailers.
Spanish households’ savings rate continue to fall
MADRID | By Francisco López | Spaniards consume more and save less. Household saving rate continues to fall and in the third quarter of 2014 stood at 9.4% of disposable income, the lowest since the end of 2008.
For the Spanish economy 2015 may be a mini boom
BARCELONA | By Joan Tapia | We don’t know what 2016 holds for us, but we do know that 2015 will be economically positive. From an economic point of view, 2015 may even be a mini-boom. Apart from the GDP, which has been growing for five quarters, the tax collection is doing relatively well. The central government will stop containing the public spending, even for the Spanish regions, because 2015 is an electoral year. The fiscal reform will be a sort of increase in salary that will boost consumption.