Archives for December 2009

December 1st, 2009

One of Spain’s leading banks, Caixa Catalunya, has said that its stock of housing, taken on due to the recent financial circumstances, has almost completely been absorbed in some regions. The bank states that "we are very near the end, if not already finished". This has led to an increase ...

Continue reading Recovery in Some Areas of the Spanish Property Market

December 1st, 2009

In further economic debate primarily related to the Spanish property industry, the adoption of a draft Sustainable Economy Act has been discussed. And perhaps the most repeated comment heard was "things are heading in the right direction", although most with the caveat of "it is not sufficient." The adjustment in ...

Continue reading Increase in Spain’s Rental Market to Solve Property Surplus

December 9th, 2009

In an interesting report, the British bank HSBC has stated that the adjustment of the housing market in Spain will continue in coming quarters even though there have been signs that the "free fall" of the property sector is nearing the end. The report compares the current status of the housing ...

Continue reading How Valid is One Bank’s Opinion on the Property Market in Spain?

December 10th, 2009

Spanish home sales totaled 106,273 in the third quarter of 2009, while this is 13.6% less than the same period last year, it does represent the smallest decline in a quarter since sales began plummeting in mid 2007. Meanwhile, second-hand property has recovered by 11.5% as 52,299 homes were sold between ...

Continue reading An Improving Spanish Property Market

December 11th, 2009

Looking back at the archived article below, from 2004, it was difficult not to get tied up in thoughts of the world's property slump and financial problems. The Costa del Sol was home to a great deal of growth and it certainly has taken a hit now that a readjustment ...

Continue reading Spain’s Costa del Sol – Where would you Rather Live?

December 15th, 2009

Prices rose a half point in November and confirm the emergence of signs of recovery after eight consecutive months of decline that has placed Spain in a period of recession. This finding was confirmed by the National Statistics Institute (INE) and gives the cumulative inflation from January at 0.8% and ...

Continue reading Real Signs of Recovery from Recession in Spain

December 21st, 2009

About 400,000 workers in Spain on permanent contracts will have access to intermittent unemployment benefits without having to have contributed at least six months social security, in an amendment to made to the Employment Act tomorrow that will reduce the minimum contributions to just 4 months. However, there is great concern ...

Continue reading Unemployment Benefit to be paid after only 4 Months work

December 21st, 2009

The Second Deputy Prime Minister and Spanish Minister of Finance, Elena Salgado, said today that businesses will begin to see "some improvement" in the granting of loans. Salgado was speaking at a ceremony in which the Official Credit Institute (ICO) and ten financial institutions signed a collaboration agreement to support and ...

Continue reading Promised Improvement in Access to Loans for SME’s

December 21st, 2009

The national court judge Baltasar Garzon has set a bail of 500,000 euros for the former mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona), Bartomeu Munoz, accused in the urban corruption scandal known as "operation Pretoria". According to his lawyer however, the former mayor has no ability to pay this amount ...

Continue reading Corruption Scandal Mayor Released on Bail

December 21st, 2009

According to a report by the Spanish Institute for Family Policy, every day there are 333 broken marriages in Spai , making the total number of break-ups for the first nine months of this year 89,883 . This total includes 83,616 divorces, 6,145 separations and 122 annulments, the full total ...

Continue reading Marriage Break-ups Increasing in Spain