Business News & Financial News

In Spain 18th February 2026

Chinese New Year 2026: Spain surpasses other European destinations in attracting Chinese travellers with high purchasing power

Alphavalue/ Divacons | Observations during Chinese New Year 2026 suggest that Spain, especially Madrid, has surpassed other European destinations such as France in attracting Chinese travellers with high purchasing power. The strong presence of the ‘Chinese New Year’ brand in key areas such as Gran Vía and the official events at Barajas Airport reflect a deliberate strategy to position Spain as China’s main gateway to Europe, supported by a sharp…

In Europe 17th February 2026

Eurozone industrial production falls 1.4% in December, confirming downturn at end of year

CdM | Eurozone industrial production fell by 1.4% in December on a monthly basis, below the 1.5% decline expected by consensus, according to the first estimate published by Eurostat on Monday. Across the European Union as a whole, the decline was 0.8%. Compared to November, when production had grown by 0.3% in the eurozone, the data confirms a deterioration at the end of the year. In addition, the previous figures…

In the World 17th February 2026

US CPI surprises in January with overall rate moderating to 2.4% and core of 2.5%

Bankinter | The CPI surprised on the upside in January. The headline rate moderated more than expected to 2.4% (-0.3pp), while the core rate of 2.5% (-0.1pp) was in line with expectations. Bankinter analysis team’s view: The good performance of inflation allows for a dovish/loose monetary policy by the Fed, whose reference rate is currently in the 3.50% / 3.75% range. Despite this, the strength of recent labour market data…

“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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