Luís is an economist for the International Economics & Markets Department. He has a PhD in Economics from Cardiff University and a Master in International Economics and European Studies from Lisbon University. Before joining CaixaBank, he was Visiting Assistant Professor in Economics and the Public Sector at Pompeu Fabra University and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and Centre for Research in Health and Economics (CRES-UPF). His areas of study include public economics and macroeconomics and particularly international fiscal policy, specialising in monitoring China and the European Uninon.
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Spain’s agrifood sector is facing a new trade scenario marked by the US tariff hikes, with the rate currently set at 15% for European products pending clarification regarding possible strategic exceptions. In a context of increasing protectionism and weakening multilateralism, the sector is seeking ways to adapt by diversifying its markets and pursuing bilateral agreements through the EU. The agreement with Mercosur opens up opportunities for key products such as olive oil, wine and pork meat, but it also poses risks for competition in sensitive sectors such as beef and rice. Despite this, the competitiveness and diversification of Spain’s agrifood sector places it in a favourable position to tackle this challenging environment.
The full recovery of international tourism spending in Spain hides major changes in the structure of demand by region of origin. Using data on payments made with foreign cards on CaixaBank POS terminals, duly aggregated and anonymised, we see that Western Europe remains the main issuer of tourists, and that North America and Latin America significantly increased their share of foreign spending. In contrast, the recovery of tourism from the Middle East and Asia and Oceania has been more disparate, affected by geopolitical and economic factors. Overall, a stable but robust growth outlook for 2024-2025 indicates that international tourism in Spain will remain in good shape.
The agrifood sector has continued to perform well since the most critical months of the pandemic. Primary sector production remains at a high level, the food industry is recovering from the slump experienced in 2020 and demand indicators suggest food consumption patterns are gradually getting back to normal, both in and outside the home. Agrifood exports are also booming, a lever of growth that will continue to be vital for the sector’s future.
Made in Spain, Made in the USA and even Made in China labels make less and less sense in today’s world. Since firms decided to fragment their production processes and move them to other countries, the label Made in the World probably better represents the nature of most of the manufactured goods we consume. In this article we review the past, present and future of global value chains at a time when pandemic-induced restrictions on travel and supply disruptions have brought them back into the spotlight.
Executive summary. Expansion, resilience and new challenges for the Spanish agrifood sector
Stable economic outlook but with increasing risks: geopolitical instability, uncertainty and a lack of confidence.
In the context of our revision of the international economic outlook, the aim of this article is to clarify, on the one hand, the US’ current tariff policy and, on the other, to summarise the response from its main trading partners and the state of the ongoing negotiations.
La economía global mantiene el pulso, pero los focos de inestabilidad no desaparecen. EE. UU. afronta el impacto del shutdown’ más largo de su historia; la eurozona resiste, pero le falta impulso, y China acentúa su enfriamiento en el final del año.
Is the Trump administration’s strategic shift compatible with the United States’ role as a guarantor of the international economic equilibrium?
Since the beginning of 2018, the Trump Administration has adopted a more belligerent tone in trade policy: for example, it has increased tariffs on Chinese imports worth 250 billion dollars, it has added Huawei to the list of companies that require government approval to purchase US technology, and it is studying tariffs on auto imports. This can be seen in the following chart.
The wheel that lies at the centre of the Indian flag offers a symbol of progress and symbolises the values that the country must possess in order to become the new China, including the discipline and the wisdom needed to make the most of opportunities and correct weaknesses.
We outline the five assumptions that must be met in order for the factors that are holding back economic growth to dissipate and for the outlook with which the year has begun to be confirmed.
The recovery of investment should gain traction over the coming years and, in the case of the Spanish economy, the execution of the European NGEU funds is expected to exert ever greater traction on private investment.
maintaining the tone of recent quarters, we continue to see more lights than shadows in the complex transition that the business cycle is currently immersed.
Cautiously optimistic outlook for the international economy, but with a demanding risk map. The US stands out among advanced economies, while the euro area has not yet left behind its sluggish economic activity. Among emerging markets, India’s growth tops the BRICS, with China giving way to the new leader.