MADRID | Analysts at Barclays in Spain felt so shocked by how little knowledge some market participants can display about the actual situation of the Spanish economy, that decided to act. Why Spain does so poorly compared to the rest of Europe? Well, does it? This is the quick note they wrote on Friday aimed at lending a hand to “some brokers and fund managers, mostly foreign, [who] seem to…
MADRID | According to Alberto Vigil, analyst at Barclays in Madrid, the peripheral euro risk and particularly Spain’s has been exaggerated by the markets, which would be discounting an economic situation perceived as poor and with a very limited range of choices. Yet, Vigil maintained an optimistic opinion and said investors will reconsider their position when reviewing the strengths of the country. “Spain could have done its reforms much better, but…
LONDON | Another day spent with the euro area teasing markets’ anxieties, another voice in the background alerting of a wall of trouble building up on the other side of the Atlantic. The US budget deficit is reaching a size many feel uncomfortable about: in Wednesday’s fundamentals briefing, Legal & General Investment LGIM suggested that the outlook for US debt is actually worse than most people currently believe. “Not many…
LONDON | Budget Battle began Wednesday after midday in the House of Commons at the rhythm of Hollywood action blockbuster-like slogans, with which chancellor George Osborne wrapped his delivery speech. The Coalition government aimed at convincing Britons in and out the Parliament that it will be able to reduce the deficit while supporting growth. “Britain is going to earn its way in the world,” Osborne shouted at the traditional belligerent level…
LONDON | UPDATE | Unanimously. The International Swaps & Derivatives Association resolved Friday evening the last unknown about Greece’s restructuring debt process. The Greek government used collective action clauses to drag a small group of investors into accepting losses under the nation’s laws. The association ruled that this could be considered as a credit event that triggers payouts on credit default swaps or CDS, a market whose participants were anxious while waiting…
By Julia Pastor, in Madrid | Spain’s government is about to attack another of the ills afflicting the country’s economy: the debt that regional governments and municipalities owe to their service providers. The minister of Finance Cristóbal Montoro announced Tuesday that the cabinet will finalise a macro financial operation to cancel this debt, which has reached the €35bn level and has been suffocating Spanish SMEs’ liquidity for years (SMEs’ weight…
By Juan Pedro Marín Arrese, in Madrid | When it comes to conditions imposed on Greece, they are not so fierce as usually depicted. Axing 25% of minimum wages might seem a harsh therapy. But salaries pegged to this standard would still be 15% higher than in Portugal. As to supplementary pension schemes and holidays bonuses, ask the Portuguese how they feel on that. Closure of more than 100 state-controlled entities…
Mariano Aldama of the Royal Bank of Scotland and responsible for capital market origination for financial institutions in Spain and Portugal, has given an interview to the business daily Cinco Días in which he admits that, despite the critical situation of Spain because of excessive financing costs, it is possible to restore market confidence. We offer an excerpt of the interview. How long can the banking system resist without financing itself? The rejection in the markets can not last much longer but first there are pieces of the puzzle that…
