Business News & Financial News

In Spain 10th March 2026

Utility companies suspend fixed-price electricity and gas contracts due to the Iran crisis

The wholesale price of gas has surged from less than 30 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) just a few weeks ago to over 60 euros per MWh, representing an increase of more than 100%. Consequently, several energy-intensive companies have recently received letters from their gas suppliers warning that the sudden spike in wholesale market prices—stemming from the U.S. and Israeli offensive against Iran—makes it impossible to maintain the previous pricing conditions….

In Europe 9th March 2026

Fitch maintains Portugal’s rating at “A” and upgrades outlook from stable to positive in anticipation of further debt-to-GDP reduction

Bankinter | Fitch maintains Portugal’s rating at “A” and upgrades the outlook to positive from stable, pointing to the possibility of a future upgrade if the trajectory of public debt reduction continues. The agency explained that the change in outlook reflects its expectation that the public debt-to-GDP ratio will continue to decline significantly in the coming years, supported by a fiscal policy considered prudent and budget deficits lower than those…

In the World 10th March 2026

US job creation surprises negatively, falling to minus 92K and pushing unemployment to 4.4%

Bankinter | Non-farm payrolls in February surprised negatively, falling to negative 92K (compared to the expected positive 65K and the previous positive 126K). The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% (versus the expected 4.3% and the previous figure). Non-farm payrolls in February surprised negatively, falling to negative 92K from the previous positive 126K (revised from 130K), a figure well below market expectations (65K). This is the weakest job creation figure since…

“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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