Business News & Financial News

In Spain 9th January 2026

Sánchez Abandons Socialism to Strike Regional Financing Deal with Catalan Separatist Junqueras: The More You Put In, The More You Take Out

Astonishment, nonsense, absurdity… the Spanish press is running out of adjectives to describe the sensation caused by the announcement from Catalan pro-independence leader Oriol Junqueras (who was pardoned by the Government). Junqueras claims to have reached an agreement with Pedro Sánchez to launch a new regional financing system that would mean nearly €5 billion more for Catalonia. Upon leaving his meeting with Sánchez, the separatist leader boasted of having persuaded…

In Europe 8th January 2026

Eurozone unemployment rate falls slightly to 6.3% in November

CdM | The unemployment rate fell slightly in November in the Eurozone, to 6.3%, one tenth below the previous month’s figure, but one tenth higher than the previous year’s figure, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU). Across the EU, the unemployment rate stood at 6% in November, stable compared to October and higher than the 5.8% recorded in the same month in 2024. Compared to…

In the World 9th January 2026

US trade deficit falls to $29.4 billion in October, down 39% from September and lowest level since 2009

Singular Bank | According to the BEA, in October, US exports rebounded by 2.6% month-on-month compared to the previous month. At the same time, imports fell significantly by 3.2%. Year-on-year, exports grew by 12% and imports fell by 3.6%. Given this development, the US trade deficit fell by 39.0% compared to September to $29.4 billion (versus $48.1 billion in September), representing its lowest level since 2009. In October, the largest…

“We need to approach negotiations with the U.S. on terms that are completely different from those currently being proposed”

Says Antonio Bonet, president of the Club of Spanish Exporters and Investors. He points out that “Europe has a single tariff applied by all member states, but the U.S. applies a tariff to each country, meaning it can decide that the tariff applied to Spanish black olives is higher than that for Italian olives, as it did at one point. So there is a part of the negotiation between Europe…

“Fifteen years ago, the European economy was larger than that of the U.S. Today, the U.S. economy is one and a half times that of Europe”

“It is a shame that we are able to mobilize economic resources for large-scale projects abroad, but not in our Spanish market”

In an interview with Consejeros magazine, Sacyr’s coordinating advisor, Elena Jiménez de Andrade, explains that now “We have great capacity to win projects, a capacity that until now contrasted with a series of financial limitations and balance sheet size. However, in this strategic cycle, we are going to eliminate those barriers. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for 2033: to triple the value of our assets. We…

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