MADRID | February 27th, | The Corner | Negative inflation is likely to be of more concern to German policy makers than it is to their Spanish counterparts today, with low prices being seen as good news for Spanish consumers and the economy as a whole. Elsewhere, attention will focus on Greek GDP, with the possibility that the latest data may underline some of the lingering difficulties between Greece and its EU partners.
MADRID | The Corner | February 25, 2015 | Spanish telecom giant Telefonica reported a drop of 34.7% in net profit, although investors celebrated revenue picture brightening up. Elsewhere, the Spanish Producer Price Index falls again, registering a drop of 2.8% for January.
ATHENS | By Nick Malkoutzis via MacroPolis | Is Friday’s agreement at the Eurogroup a good deal for Greece? In some respects it is but in more respects it is not. Above all, the four-month agreement leaves Greece walking an economic and political tightrope over the next four months without knowing what lies at the end of it.
NEW YORK | By Peter Tchir via Truman | Much has been made of the “Game Theory” behind the Greek Debt Negotiations. It is complex as it is not just Greece versus Germany, but other countries have a say, and then there are the purely EU level politicians, making this all very complex. I have been thinking a lot about one of the classes I took in college that had some element of “Game Theory” to it.
MADRID, February 23,2015 | By JP Marín Arrese | The agreement reached on Friday averted a full-fledged crisis but did not dispel mutual mistrust and acrimony. EU partners remain far from convinced the Hellenic government will honour its commitments. Irritation accumulated in the days following the deal, which Mr Schäuble underlined with his the grossly impolite and scathing remarks that “ Greeks certainly will have a difficult time to explain the deal to their voters”. This acrimonious climate points to further clashes flaring in future. The last-minute truce will not entail a stable peace.
MADRID, February 23, 2015 | By Sean Duffy | Friday´s deal was a relief for all involved, yet it remains to be seen if a frantic weekend of number cruncing from Greek officials will meet the strict criteria outlined in the agreement. German bank Berenberg cut the chances of a Grexit to 25% from 35% on Monday.
Via www.macropolis.gr | By Yiannis Mouzakis & Nick Malkoutzis | With talks surrounding a bailout extension ongoing, it is time to set the record straight about some of the myths that surround the Greek narrative.
MADRID | By JP Marín Arrese | With the request for a six-month extension of the current bailout being flatly rebuffed by the German Finance Minister, hopes for a compromise at the Eurogroup meeting today are dwindling. Even if talks collapse, keeping Greece afloat lies almost entirely in Mario Draghi’s hands.
MADRID | Sean Duffy | Today´s meeting of the Eurogroup brings Finance Ministers Varoufakis and Scauble head-to-head. Germany are unimpressed with Greek proposals,meaning that the Greeks face the prospect of being cut off from extra bailout funding.
MADRID | Sean Duffy | ECB tightens the squeeze on Syriza government ahead of today´s proposals from the Greek Goverment for a loan extension.