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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Thanks to all of you who commented on my article last week about discounted properties in Spain. There were some great suggestions, and there certainly seems to be an interest in discounted properties in Spain. We’re currently investigating developing these new features: Search for discounted properties Discounted properties highlighted in search results Displaying the price [...]

British drivers in the Costas face £500 on-the-spot fines for speeding in a new scheme by Spanish authorities aimed at foreign number plates. Traffic chiefs have installed hi-tech traps to identify vehicles with foreign vehicles travelling over the speed limit and ensure the fine is paid before they return home. The new system of fixed [...]

Spain said on Wednesday it would restore €500m cut from the state infrastructure investment budget for next year in a slight easing of its austerity plans, but would fulfil its promises to keep cutting the annual budget deficit in line with agreed targets. Elena Salgado, finance minister, made the announcement in Madrid at a joint [...]

Britons are the least likely to retire at home, according to a new survey revealing that more than half of us plan to desert the UK in favour of a sunnier climate. Better weather and a fiesta lifestyle have obvious appeal, but does this come with any nasty surprises? Only 43 per cent of Britons [...]

The annual Anglo-German race to be first to the coveted Mediterranean sun lounger with the beach towel looks set to be resoundingly won by Teutonic tourists this year, as it seems growing numbers of hard-pressed British holidaymakers are forgoing their annual package holiday. Almost one in three Britons who took a package break in the [...]

Spain maintained a feeble pace of growth in the second quarter, data showed on Friday, but analysts warned even that may be hard to repeat in the final half of the year as austerity measures take effect. The economy grew by 0.2 percent quarter on quarter between April and July, as expected by economists and [...]