By Juan Pedro Marín Arrese, in Madrid | Economics is not a science but rather a common sense attitude. An open mind approach is vital to grasp its core meaning. Policing it shouldn’t be handed over to people too fond of rigid rules. Let the Germans have a go at it and you’ll end up with a neutral fiscal and monetary stance all year around. No policy at all, in fact….
By Tania Suárez, in Madrid | “Greece must make up its mind”, warns the federal minister of Finance in Germany, Wolfgang Schäuble, from an interview for The Wall Street Journal. Schäuble states that the euro zone could refuse to grant Greece a new bailout and, if it did so, it would be pushing the Greeks to a default. Schäuble has decided to demand the permanent presence of a EU Commissioner…
By Alfredo Aranda, in Madrid| The proposal to centralise fiscal policies in the euro zone is perhaps the only initiative that has received the almost unanimous agreement of the EMU members, although it remains to be seen how it can be articulated. At Agenbolsa, analyst Paula Hausmann considers that this is a good option to restore confidence in the euro and stabilise shaken bond markets. But the big question remains: will…
By Consenso del Mercado | After the difficulties Germany experienced in placing its bonds last week, it seems to have somehow relaxed its official position and be willing to let the ECB buy the required massive amounts of sovereign debt, even though under certain conditions. In this regard, Spanish Bankinter analysts argue that Germany is the country that would be the least interested in a euro breaking down. Here´s why….
The newspaper El Economista alluded in its Wednesday edition to an article appeared in the magazine Der Spiegel, in which the German publication criticises the German government “because it likes to pride itself of its solid finances, when Germany’s budget management is not exemplary and the national debt could be above the EU limit.” These are some of the most direct statements made in Der Spiegel to chancellor Angela Merkel:…
On Thursday Spain had to pay 6.975% interest to borrow money at 10 years: a spread of 480bp against the German rate. It is the highest rate Spain has had to pay since it became part of the euro zone. However, analysts at JP Morgan remarked that France’s differential compared to Germany’s “is not only the highest since the euro exists, but the highest of all time.” On the other…
NEW YORK | Debt market turmoil and Spain’s borrowing squeeze is now hot news in the US. Experts are talking about investors fears, record-high interest rates and credit freeze but some of them are also lining up for an idea: Berlin and others with big surpluses need to save less and spend more. For The Huffington Post Business editor, Peter S. Goodman, “Germany’s inflation fetish is a major global economic…