Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Spanish borrowing costs rocketed yesterday as investor fears about the nation's public finances came roaring back and the head of the central bank warned that the country's ailing banking sector might require further official support.
The yield on 10-year Spanish sovereign debt breached 6 per cent at one point in trading yesterday, the highest level since the beginning of the year, as markets signalled concern that Madrid could be forced to follow Greece, Ireland and Portugal and seek a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
The cost of insuring Spanish debt also increased, with five-year Credit Default Swap rates widening to 4.78 per cent. On Monday, the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, announced a further €10bn (£8.25bn) of spending cuts, on top of the €27bn package of austerity measures and tax rises for 2012 his government unveiled earlier this month. But some analysts fear the large cuts in spending will undermine demand and push the Spanish economy, which is already forecast to contract by 1.7 per cent over 2012, still deeper into recession and make it impossible for the country to service its debts.
Market alarm over Spain's fiscal position was exacerbated yesterday by a warning from central bank governor Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez that prolonged recession would undermine the solvency of Spain's banks, forcing them to seek more capital from the Spanish government.
"If the economy worsens more than expected, it will be necessary to continue increasing and improving capital as necessary in order to have solid entities," he said.
There was further discouraging news for Spain yesterday in a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) study showing that recessions which follow large increases in household debt levels tend to be especially severe. Spain - along with the Iceland, Ireland and the UK - experienced a significant asset price boom in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments