The international economy showed remarkable resilience in 2024 and the available data suggest that world GDP may have grown slightly above 3%. The tailwinds that supported economic activity will likely continue to blow in 2025, albeit with less strength and in the face of significant challenges.
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We present the new CaixaBank Research economic outlook, with an upward revision of Spain’s GDP growth forecast and a modest deterioration in expectations for the international economy.
The Spanish economy is continuing to outperform expectations in 2025, with strong, balanced growth driven by investment and private consumption. This buoyancy is also evident in its sectors of activity: of the 22 sectors analysed in this report, 16 are undergoing an expansionary phase in 2025, compared to only 2 in 2023. The greatest momentum can be seen in industry, where growth is being led by the extractive, chemical, pharmaceutical and refining industries, thanks to high investment, productivity gains and adaptation to the energy transition. Construction and real estate activities are also performing strongly, boosted by residential demand. Although some sectors, such as the textile and wood industries, are facing structural challenges, the economy as a whole is moving towards a more sustainable and diversified growth phase. This climate, marked by a healthy labour market, lower interest rates and stimulus from EU funds, is strengthening the resilience of the Spanish economy in a global environment that is fraught with challenges.
The outbreak of the pandemic has changed the scenario for investment in retail-related property. On the one hand, severe mobility restrictions and social distancing measures have lowered prices and rents for commercial premises, reducing investor interest. On the other hand, COVID-19 has brought about a change in the habits of Spanish consumers that has benefited supermarkets, where investment reached record highs in 2020, and has accelerated the penetration of online commerce in the retail sector, boosting investment in the logistics required to support this sales channel.
Enric Fernández, nuestro Economista Jefe, nos acompaña en este episodio especial para explicarnos en primera persona cuáles serán las tendencias que marcarán la economía mundial y española en 2024. Pese a presentarse lleno de desafíos, 2024 será "un año que irá de menos a más" y hay señales positivas para la economía española: será la economía de la zona euro con más crecimiento, lo que servirá para seguir creando empleo, y la moderación de la inflación debería permitir encara una recuperación gradual del poder adquisitivo de las familias.
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En la mesa de expertos “Perspectivas económicas 2024: desafíos en clave económica”, organizada por El Periódico de España y El Periódico, con Judit Montoriol, lead economist de CaixaBank Research, María Jesús Fernández, economista sénior en el área de Coyuntura Económica de Funcas; Juan Pablo Riesgo, de EY Insights y People Advisory Services; Luciana Taft, consultora del área de Economía y Mercados de Analistas Financieros Internacionales (AFI), y Judith Arnal, investigadora senior del Center for European Policy Studies y del Real Instituto Elcano debaten los retos a los que se enfrenta la economía española en 2024.
As is tradition, the November edition of the Monthly Report includes the Dossier in which we analyse the economic outlook for the coming year. On this occasion, we have selected three topics that deserve special attention. Firstly, we look at the outlook for the global economy in 2025, as a year threatened by the division between economic blocs. Secondly, we focus on the easing of monetary policy that lies ahead, now that the disinflation process is on track and economic activity is showing signs of a slowdown. Finally, we analyse the state of the Spanish economy going into 2025, after several quarters with better-than-expected performance in the macroeconomic sphere that have forced us to revise our growth forecasts upwards.
El dólar cambia de ritmo: tras depreciarse un 13% frente al euro en el primer semestre, frenó su caída en verano y ha recuperado algo de terreno desde septiembre. En próximos trimestres, las previsiones de crecimiento e inflación apuntan a un dólar algo más débil, aunque persisten factores que podrían sostenerlo: la resiliencia económica de EE. UU., unos tipos reales más altos en EE. UU. (tras moderarse las expectativas de inflación) y una importante recuperación de su papel como activo refugio.
La libra se mueve entre dos aguas en su cruce frente al euro. Por un lado, el debilitamiento de la economía británica pone presión al Banco de Inglaterra para bajar los tipos más rápidamente de lo que se esperaba. Por otro, los planes fiscales del Gobierno supondrán unas necesidades de financiación elevadas, presionando al alza la rentabilidad de la deuda pública y atrayendo flujos de inversión, lo que debería dar cierto soporte a la divisa. Con todo, en el actual entorno de elevada volatilidad geopolítica, nuestra expectativa es que la libra se deprecie paulatinamente hacia final de año frente al euro.
The resilience of the Spanish economy in recent years has been underpinned by both quantitative (strong job creation) and qualitative (more stable employment) improvements in the labour market. Firstly, there has been a fall in temporary employment, a factor that has traditionally fuelled job insecurity and social inequalities and held back investment in human capital, constraining the economy's growth potential; secondly, in some key sectors of our economy this has been accompanied by an improvement in productivity. However, the incipient improvement in overall productivity that has been observed is not widespread across all sectors.
The agrifood sector continues to suffer from the sharp rise in production costs and the impact of the drought. However, the decline in agricultural commodity and energy prices on international markets from the peaks reached in 2022 should help contain agricultural production costs and thereby moderate inflationary pressures on food. Nevertheless, the severe drought that has been affecting the Iberian Peninsula since last year has reduced the yields of a large number of crops such as cereals and fruits, impacting both prices (up) and the volume of exports (down). All in all, in value terms agrifood exports continued to grow at a good rate in S1 2023 due to the rise in prices, reflecting the high competitiveness of Spain’s agrifood sector despite the adverse conditions.
En este nuevo episodio de "Economía Exprés", explicamos las principales cifras y razonamos los motivos de la reciente revisión del escenario económico que CaixaBank Research ha publicado en su "Informe Mensual" de junio. A grandes rasgos, las nuevas previsiones recogen una mejora del crecimiento del PIB en 2023, y una revisión a la baja en 2024 por la subida de los tipos de interés y el endurecimiento de las condiciones financieras.
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Año nuevo, ¿economía nueva? Ricard Murillo Gili y Patricia Esteban repasan las cinco hipótesis que marcarán la economía en 2024: desinflación, menores tipos de interés, fortaleza del mercado laboral, desequilibrios en China e incertidumbre geopolítica. Además, la bolsa estadounidense, el mercado laboral español o los efectos del cambio climático son otros de los temas con los que arranca el año "Economía Exprés".
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The CaixaBank Research Sectoral Indicator is a synthetic indicator that encompasses information from 17 variables into a single indicator. It is a monthly indicator and it compiles data dating back to January 2011. It is calculated for 24 economic sectors, including the four major ones: agriculture, forestry and fishing, manufacturing, construction and services.
The population over 65 years of age is consolidating itself as a strategic segment of the Spanish tourism sector, with ample room for expansion. The demographic weight of this group has grown steadily in Spain and its purchasing power now exceeds the national average, reinforcing its strategic importance. Analysis of CaixaBank’s card payment data confirms that this group represents a significant part of tourist spending, particularly for domestic tourism. However, their share remains lower than their weight within the population, which suggests considerable growth potential if the supply is better adapted to their preferences and needs. Furthermore, this group acquires special importance in rural provinces and contributes to deseasonalisation.