The eurozone economy grew by 1% between April and June, official figures have confirmed. The initial estimate was published last month, showing stronger growth than expected, largely due to strong exports that were boosted by a weaker euro. The German economy, which grew by 2.2% over the three months, helped to drive the zone’s overall [...]

Most of this week’s news stories have a positive theme – albeit with some darker undertones. In Spanish Bonds Attract Global Banks we read that “The use of Spanish government bonds shows that confidence in Madrid has risen in recent weeks as fears recede that the country’s sluggish economy will trigger defaults on bonds and [...]

Spain’s deficit is down sharply thanks to an unpopular cocktail of tax hikes and austerity cuts — good news for a government fighting to ward off fears it might need a bailout like the one that saved Greece from bankruptcy. Still, with a fifth of the work force out of a job and Spanish businesses [...]

Spain hopes China will increase its investment in Spanish government debt, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said on a visit to Beijing, highlighting China’s importance as a source of global capital. Mr. Zapatero made the comments in a group interview with Chinese media Tuesday, during a brief stop in Beijing after visiting the World [...]

Euribor (12 months), the interest rate normally used to calculate mortgage repayments in Spain, has now risen for 5 consecutive months to its highest level in more than a year. Euribor reached 1.421% in August, an increase of 3.5% on the previous month, and 6.5% higher than August last year. As a result, borrowers on [...]

International banks used a record amount of Spanish government bonds as collateral to borrow money in the markets last week, sparking hopes that credit problems in the troubled eurozone are easing. The use of Spanish government bonds shows that confidence in Madrid has risen in recent weeks as fears recede that the country’s sluggish economy [...]

Seven out of ten Britons who have retired abroad are happy with their new country and likely to stay there, a survey said yesterday. Fewer than one in five who have gone to live in France, Portugal or Spain are considering returning home, it found. The poll also found that nine out of ten of [...]

Valencia has the weather, food and culture. Here are 10 good reasons to visit Spain’s third largest, most exciting and wonderfully diverse city. Paella The famous Spanish dish originated in Valencia and locals insist their recipe is best. Good paella must be cooked to order, be alarmed if it arrives in under 20 minutes, and [...]

Our programmers pulled out all the stops, and I’m delighted to announce that our new discounted property features are now live. When searching for property, check the box that says Discounted. You’ll find property results with a minimum discount of 10%. You can also sort them by the most heavily discounted ones first. All discounted [...]

Spain’s economic growth accelerated in the second quarter as consumers stepped up spending before a sales tax increase in July. House-hold spending grew 2 percent from a year earlier after a 0.3 percent contraction in the first quarter, the National Statistics Institute said in Madrid today in its breakdown of gross domestic product data. Investment [...]

A group of Spaniards from the finance sector on Tuesday announced plans to launch the country’s first alternative trading platform for securities, to compete against the near-monopoly of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME). Called Pave – for Plataforma Alternativa de Valores Españoles – the project is still in its early stages, but those launching it [...]

The British holiday maker’s flirtation with the ‘staycation’ appears to be over with holidays to Spain enjoying a late upsurge in popularity. Britons had been staying at home as the recession led to a rise in summer holiday belt-tightening. But it appears the wash-out summer we’ve experienced this year and the strengthening of the pound [...]

The most famous luxury train in Spain is El Transcantábrico. It has been chugging through the Cantabrian Mountains and following the Galician coast for more than 20 years. With itineraries of eight days and cabins with double beds, it costs nearly £2,500 a person. Now, if you fancy a similar experience but don’t have the [...]