UBS | Global trade in goods and services has risen to a record share of the world economy in real terms. In nominal terms it has stagnated – which basically tells us that the price of traded goods and services is falling relative to the price of non-traded goods and services. Hardly surprising given where oil is.
In the seven months to July, Spain’s trade balance registered a new record high since registers began in 1971.
LA CAIXA RESEARCH | Spain will need higher surpluses in the balance of trade of goods and services if it wants to lower its net debt position.
Not everyone wins in trade, and winners have to compensate losers who might end up selling sex or worse to survive.
LONDON | June 1, 2015 | By Sigrún Davídsdóttir | Austria was one of the eleven founding members of the Eurozone in January 1999, but the Austrians never quite put their money where their mouth was: Austria is the only euro country where households flocked to take out foreign currency loans. About three quarters of these loans are coupled with repayment vehicles.
The Corner | March 20, 2015 | There may be some volatility on European markets in the day ahead, as late night talks between the Greeek government and members of creditor nations, the European Commission and the European Central Bank failed to unlock funds for Athens’ faltering economy.
MADRID| Sean Duffy | Nobody knows how the Greece debt negotiations will turn out, but aren´t we all getting a little tired of the saga?
LONDON | By Barclays analysts | The Japan macro trade has been off the radar in 2014, but that should change (for better or worse) in the coming few months. US yields have likely bottomed, while the effect of Japan’s VAT increase appearsmanageable. More important, PM Abe has unveiled more details of his 3rd Arrow (the structuralreform program), including a long-anticipated cut in the corporate tax rate.
BERLIN | By Alberto Lozano | It’s not all about the deficit. If the eurozone wants to achieve the goal of sustainable growth, Germany also needs to shorten its chronic current account surplus, the world’s largest, which has led the country to accumulate capitals abroad amounting 100% of its GDP. Although this means dismissing one its economic miracle recipes -wage moderation-, Merkel will increase public workers’ salaries by 3% this year, +3X inflation.