Business

The Barcelona International Boat Show begun last weekend and will run until the 14th of November. This year’s exhibit features ecological and sustainable boats.

Criteria CaixaCorp is the holding company of La Caixa savings bank. Criteria had a profit of 1,529 million euros in September. Profits from investments in foreign financial companies increased by 72%

Passenger traffic increased 12.7% and freight traffic 5.66% during the first 9 months of 2010. The Tarragona's harbour has also received good news: its passenger traffic increased 26% and freight traffic 63% for the same period.

Gas Natural Fenosa made 4,000 million euros more than in 2009, with a profit of 1,117 million euros.

Seat will invest 300 million euros in investigation, development and innovation this year, 6 to 7% of its profit. Seat’s ambitious project ‘Forma 0’ aims to create lighter, safer cars.

Unemployment has increased in the service and agricultural sectors. However, it decreased in the industry and construction sectors. Unemployement has increased throughout Catalonia, although Lleida is the most affected province. Unemployment has also increased in the rest of Spain.

The president of the multinational Catalan clothing store Mango, Isak Andic, affirmed, “We are not even at 30% of our capacity. “In 4 years, Mango will be twice what it is now”. Mango currently operates 1,200 stores in 105 countries and hopes to open 400 new establishments in 2011. They plan to become one of the top 3 clothing companies in the world.

The 3rd term (July-September) ended with less people unemployed in Catalonia, concretely 6,700 people less. The unemployment rate has decreased 3 decimals and is now 17.41% of the active population. In addition, Catalonia represents half of all the new jobs created in Spain this term, with 34,500 jobs created. It is the first time in the last year that unemployment has dropped for the whole of Spain.

The motorbike, made by Rieju, will cost around 4,500 euros. The company hopes to sell 2,500 electric motorbikes in 2011.

Transportation, clothing and footwear are the products that have seen the greatest drop. The family expenditure figures reflect the state of household economies in the context of the economic crisis: high unemployment rates and high levels of private debt.

25 intercontinental destinations will be available from the Barcelona airport starting the 31st of October. In addition, many flights to current destinations will increase their frequency. However, this increase is not shared with the Girona and Reus airports, which are seeing their destination variety and frequency decrease now that Ryanair is flying out of Barcelona. Besides, operating from Girona in 2011 will be 27% cheaper, as airport taxes have been modified.

The “export vocation” and “good management of economic, tourism and trade competences” will ease Catalonia’s recovery from the crisis. This is the opinion of José Manuel González-Páramo, member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Board.

In the first 9 months of 2010, more than 10 million tourists chose Catalonia as their vacation destination. After the Balearic Islands, Catalonia is the most visited territory on Spain.

Banc Sabadell received 27.4% less profit compared with the same period in 2009. The net profit has been calculated after deducting a provision to cover a potential increase of debtors. The financial entity saw credit loss provision increases of 38% until its third trimester.

The difference between what an autonomous community produces in terms of revenues and what it finally receives, once the Spanish State has redistributed those revenues among all the communities, has only officially been quantified once in history. It was in 2005, following an agreement of Prime Minister Zapatero with the Catalan nationalist forces. Catalonia’s political and business class have called for the systematic publication of the “fiscal balances” several times.