Marbella, a city in southern Spain strategically located on the Mediterranean Sea, hosts a luxury real-estate market that is virtually recession-proof. Having survived the last financial crisis relatively unscathed, unlike other markets in the country, Marbella is giving rise to new-look and high-tech luxury properties with values that appreciate on average by 10 percent annually, with those priced above €20 million qualifying as “super properties”.
Catalonia’s drive for independence from Spain is nothing new, but it crystallized in the Catalan parliament’s recent vote for independence. On the surface, it may appear that this relatively prosperous northeastern region would be better off if free from its mother country, but the long-term repercussions may not be rosy; the most likely outcome is that the political row will settle on middle-ground.
Following a period of political turmoil and uncertainty in the UK, the new prime minister, Theresa May, has taken a stand on her views for business reform. She has vowed to enforce worker representatives on boards as part of her vision of “putting people back in control”.
On June 8, the European Central Bank (ECB) began its Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP), which was initially announced by the bank’s president, Mario Draghi, on March 10 as an addendum to the ECB’s quantitative easing (QE) program.