LONDON/MADRID | Finance-wise, Italy is unnerving some of its neighbours in the periphery of the euro zone. Particularly in Spain, government officials wonder aloud about the unfairness of the whole situation: while yields of the Spanish 10-year sovereign bonds time and again cross the 7 percent frightening barrier, Italy managed last week to sell €5.25 billion in debt of various maturities at much lower interest rates in most of the…
how can i get my ex girlfriend back MADRID | The more Ms Merkel claims shoring up the euro to be her paramount goal, the less credible that pledge sounds. Real commitments should embody themselves into facts, words amounting to a rather futile substitute. Failing to address the current raging crisis casts serious doubts on how serious her voiced concern on keeping the common currency alive is. One has the impression…
MADRID | The Summit has just avoided the worst from happening. Super-Mario and an unexpectedly bold Mariano Rajoy achieved a coup d’état toppling Ms Merkel from her undisputed pedestal. Hollande’s support was vital in depriving her of her hitherto boundless power. Yet one has the impression we assisted to a rehearsed show meant to provide an excuse for Germany to cave in to pressure. Everyone was afraid of having to confront the…
LONDON | It is a raging war what today burns within the Madrid-Rome-Berlin triangle, and with the survival of not only the European common currency but the future of the United States of Europe at the epicentre of the negotiations. Painful obedience has evolved into a tense, dynamic partnership. The stiff stillness imposed by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the most powerful economy representative has for once been broken…
By Tania Suárez, in Madrid | José Luis Herrera, analyst at CMC Markets, considers that it’s necessary a Federal Europe in order to achieve economic policies with a combination of austerity and growth. In his opinion, authorities need to undertake growth measures that have an effect on the real economy, but avoiding a new bubble. You recently said in an interview that world central banks could take a joint action…
bank loans with bad credit LONDON | Italian prime minister may have to introduce in his country the labour market reform á la Spanish he much praised not long ago. Among the statistics that are increasingly flagging a red light in the Italian economy, unemployment is gaining some attention. Although Italy’s labour market underwent substantial adjustments over the past two decades, with the 1997 Treu measures and the 2003 Biagi reform,…
A curated selection of links we hope can enlighten us all; some come from our corner, some do from other corners of the net. And as always, our comment widgets are anxious to get your suggestions. Eurocrats, get your financial bazookas right now Markets are fast, but democracies slow –solving the euro crisis How investors can thrive as the eur ipad manual o zone burns Angela Merkel is drawing the…
By Julia Pastor, in Madrid | Merkel, Hollande, Monti and Rajoy. Four names for another crucial meeting in the euro zone, the one held today at Rome to smooth the path of next June 28-29 Summit. Christine Lagarde will not participate in this conversation but her name will surely loom large in the four European leaders’ minds. The International Monetary Fund’s managing director is raising the pressure for the European…
By CaixaBank research team, in Barcelona | As was expected, Italy saw a considerable drop in its GDP in the first quarter, namely 0.8%, higher than the one recorded in the last two quarters. This suggests that the recession is biting deeper and shows just how deep. The year-on-year rate of change in GDP therefore fell to -1.3%. This contraction in the level of the activity can be explained by…
By Julia Pastor, in Madrid | On Tuesday, financial analysts at Link Securities commented that “Spain would be in the spotlight of present week political contacts”, of course, in a clear reference to the G-20 meeting at Mexico. “Discussions held there will largely focus on the country’s situation.” And that is exactly what has happened. Spanish president Mariano Rajoy arrived in Mexico with the aim of putting on the table…