Banks are displaying considerable resilience, with their profits growing, in an economy that is climbing out of recession.By Peter Wise.Portuguese banks are nothing if not resilient. This will be the fifth year in which the economy has underperformed average EU growth. Recovery since a deep recession in 2003, when GDP growth contracted by 1.1%, has been weak and the outlook for the coming two years is less than buoyant.
The Banco de España, Spain’s central bank, has been praised for balancing a forward-looking attitude to market liberalisation with a prudent approach to risk management. Governor Jaime Caruana talks to Peter Wise.Q What are the main drivers for – and possible threats to – medium-term economic growth in Spain?A The Spanish economy has maintained a pattern of growth in recent years based essentially on domestic consumption and construction.
Having been left in the dust of other countries racing to be at the economic forefront of the EU, Portugal is fighting back to reclaim its rightful place among the leaders in global investment, says Peter Wise.Since 1993 more immigrants, most of them from the Ukraine and other east European countries, have been arriving in Portugal each year than emigrants have been leaving.
Portuguese banks have proved themselves buoyant in a challenging economic environment, diversifying and cost-cutting to achieve good results. Peter Wise reports.Recession? What recession? Despite six successive quarters of economic downturn, Portuguese banks are achieving robust growth. Most of them outshone analysts’ forecasts by a wide margin in 2003 and several recorded their best annual results ever.