spainspain news property featuresCelebrating 10 years online - 1999-2009
1.54 million unique visitors in 2008
Last Updated: Jul 4, 2009 - 9:33 PM CET
Spain Forum Spain Forumspain rss

spain directory



Advanced Search | Latest Links
spain features

spain news
Typically Spanish - Spain Business

Spain Business Brief - Friday November 7 2008
larger | smaller
By h.b. - Nov 7, 2008 - 12:43 PM
Archive Photo EFE
Archive Photo EFE
enlarge photo
Cut in mortgage payment rates planned for new year.

The latest half point cut in interest rates by the European Central Bank announced yesterday, has led to a reduction in the Euribor mortgage rate, down to 4.59%. It’s not been down at that level since March. Experts consider that the rate will continue to fall and that mortgage holders will only start to benefit in the first quarter of next year.

France is expected to announce later today that they are giving their seat at the November 15 Washington summit on the economy to Spain. Sarkozy can do that as he is also invited as the current President of E.U. The EU countries are meeting today to try and present a common approach at the United States summit.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the Spanish economy will shrink by 0.7% next year. The IMF says that the developed countries will see their first annual contraction since 1945.

The merger plans between British Airways and Iberia air under threat following the new results from B.A.
The world’s favourite airline announced a loss of 51 million € compared to a profit of 612 million € for the same period, the first six months of last year.
The airline is justifying the loss with the end of industrial subsidies which has meant a cost to the airline of 97 million €. However passenger numbers were down 3.9% to 17.158 million.
Despite the numbers shares in both BA and Iberia have rallied on the markets today.

Nissan has confirmed that it wants to sack 1,680 workers from its factory in Barcelona. A meeting between the company and the regional government has ended without agreement.

Telefónica has been fined the Telecommunications Market Commission CMT for placing obstacles to Orange. The fine of 20 million € is for blocking the rental of its lines to Orange, and comes following a complaint placed by the French company in December last year.
Meanwhile the number of new broadband lines in Spain contracted in September was down 27.3% on the same month last year. There are now a total of 8.79 million broadband lines – a penetration of 19.5 lines per 100 inhabitants. 71% of the broadband lines are from Telefónica.

The Ministry for Work and Immigration is to increase the number of work inspectors working across Spain from 2,000 to 3,000 over the next four years. The number was given by the Sub-secretary at the Ministry, Leandro González Gallardo, who was speaking in Burgos.

A court in Málaga has recognised that Granada based constructor and promoter, José Ávila Rojas, is bankrupt. The case was heard in Málaga as the company has its official residence in Marbella. The decision means that current judicial embargoes against the constructor are now halted, and it will be an administrator who will decide who is paid off from the assets, how and in which order.

And finally,
A new ranking in The Times newspaper has named Emilio Botín, the President of Santander, as one of the winners in the economic crisis. Also named in the Top Ten report are Marx and Ronald McDonald; Marx as sales of his book ‘De Capital’ have increased by 300% since the crisis began, and Ronald McDonald as burger sales are up.


 mobile |  email this article |  printer friendly page

 del.icio.us |  digg |  technorati |  yahoo | StumbleUpon Toolbar Stumble It!
Add to Facebook Facebook | Reddit Reddit | Seed it! Newsvine | Meanme Meneame | Wikio Wikio
Blink Blink | Google Bookmarks Google | Fresqui Fresqui | msn reporters MSN reporters | live spaces Live Spaces
Nt Space My Space | Fark Fark | Mixx Mixx | Twitter Twitter



Readers' comments:
Miguel Sanchez
07 Nov 2008, 16:38
It must now have struck the minds of even the most dim-witted person that the reason The prime minister of Spain is not being welcomed to Washington is his gross rudeness to the parading of the US flag.

Nothing probably to do with his policy towards Iraq. Nothing to do with his relationship with G.W Bush.A great deal of diplomacy is in play to avoid Spanish embarrasment.

Sarkozy will look like an IDIOT, if he takes Zapatero to Washington. Does Zapatero, strike you as a capable leader of a proud Spain.- begging to be let in? Sarkozy will have to back down.

Could Zapatero REALLY be the leader of the eighth richest nation in the world?
Perhaps he needs to work on his Social skills.

Please keep to the subject. Opinions published here are of our visitors, not the Typically Spanish team. Comments which go against Spanish laws or which are libellous are not allowed. We reserve the right to delete any comment we wish.

Por favor, céntrate en el tema. Son las opiniones de los internautas, y no las de Typically Spanish. No está permitido verter comentarios contrarios a las leyes españolas o injuriantes. Reservado el derecho a eliminar los comentarios que consideremos fuera de tema.