U.S. financial markets experienced a volatile week, largely influenced by geopolitical developments in the Middle East and fluctuations in energy prices. Investor sentiment was driven primarily by external events rather than domestic fundamentals.
The orthodoxy across much of the world has been that only markets should decide what things cost, as argued by influential economists like Friedrich Hayek.
Spain will hold the unique distinction of being the only country worldwide where the final phase of a total eclipse can be observed. Occurring in the summer months, these eclipses also benefit from a higher likelihood of clear skies, ensuring optimal viewing conditions.
Weak performance in several service sectors offset gains in retail and wholesale trade, reinforcing concerns about the pace of economic recovery. Japan relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East, making it particularly sensitive to disruptions in the region.
For years, Americans had a handful of "soft" ways to stay in Spain longer than a normal vacation, or to turn a property purchase into a residency plan. Spain did not slam the door shut. But it did remove shortcuts, tighten the math, and make border time much easier to track.
Our position has been very clear from Day 1. The facts are clear. The Spanish government is not going to authorize the use of the bases in Rota and Moron for these military actions. No single country should act as a guardian of the world. We have international rules.
More than 30,000 hectares of land are covered in plastic, a geometric labyrinth five times the size of Manhattan, where 3.5m tons of vegetables are produced every year from tomatoes to cucumbers, peppers to courgettes, aubergines to melons, enough to feed half a billion people and generate a turnover of more than 3bn euros.
From April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, the law will progressively increase the tax for holiday rental guests to a maximum of €12.5 per night, up from €6.25. Hotel guests would pay a maximum of between €10 and €15, up from the current €5 to €7.5, depending on the category of the hotel. Luxury establishments will be able to charge more per guest, according to the law.
House prices in Spain rose by 1.8 percent month-on-month and 19.9 percent year-on-year, bringing the average price of homes February this year to 2,950/m, according to data from the Fotocasa Real Estate Index. Buying a home in Spain now costs 40,000 more than it did a year ago.
"Madrid "is on fire", said Eduardo Corda, founder of estate agency Mi Piso en Madrid, which specialises in high-end properties. Spain's most populous city has become "a leading city to invest and live in", and house hunters with deep pockets want "to be a part of this boom", Corda told AFP. The city has topped for the second year running an annual index by the real estate firm Barnes, considered a reference to measure investor appetite in luxury properties."
- Outsider Art Fair has announced 68 exhibitors for its 34th edition at Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion this March 19-22. First-timers include Gagné Contemporary (Toronto), Embajada (San Juan), and Nanjing Outsider Art Center. - A long-lost Renaissance portrait has resurfaced at the Winter Show at New York's Park Avenue Armory. The portrait of a preacher by Sofonisba Anguissola can be found on the booth of Old Master dealer Robert Simon. ( Artnet News)
U.S. financial markets began the year on a positive note, with major stock indexes reaching new highs despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and emerging signs of economic cooling. Investors showed renewed confidence, particularly in smaller and value-oriented companies, which outperformed the large technology-driven stocks that dominated returns in recent years. This shift suggests broader participation in the market rally and growing optimism beyond a narrow group of companies.
Markets were closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, compressing the week's activity into four sessions. Early in the week, stocks fell sharply after renewed concerns about a potential global trade conflict. Investor sentiment weakened following comments from President Donald Trump about imposing tariffs on certain European nations in connection with negotiations over Greenland. However, midweek optimism returned when the president signalled a softer stance and postponed the planned tariffs.
Do you remember a time in your city in Spain when bar and restaurant terraces were not packed with locals having fun (except for during the Covid-19 lockdown, of course)? No matter how tight finances are, Spaniards always seem to have the money for eating and drinking out. Some would say this carpe diem attitude is to be admired rather than sniffed at. After all, it goes hand in hand with the much-admired Spanish lifestyle - outdoors, in the company of others, enjoying the moment.
After acknowledging that maintaining this link currently requires great patience and diplomatic courage, in an implicit reference to the unpredictable and arbitrary behavior of U.S. President Donald Trump, Felipe VI stressed that it is an indispensable framework [] that emerged from the ashes of the Second World War and has fostered the flourishing of democracies, stability, growth, and the development of multilateralism.
Spain will provide a legal pathway for residency for migrants already living in the country. Spain's government will grant legal status to undocumented migrants currently living in the country. The decree, passed after years of grassroots campaigning, will potentially impact about 500,000 migrants and comes in stark contrast to the anti-immigration sentiment in other EU countries. Why has the Spanish government decided to embrace its migrant population now?
Some say we've gone too far, that we're going against the current, he said. But I would like to ask you, when did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional? It comes days after the Socialist-led coalition government approved a decree that it said would regularise half a million people. The initiative, expected to come into effect in April, made headlines around the world for its rejection of the anti-migration policies and rhetoric seen across much of Europe and the US.
After losing his left arm in a farming accident, Joel Caceda struggles to work delivering packages. His tough job is typical of many that migrants are forced to take when they arrive in Spain without any legal papers. So, the 30-year-old Peruvian welcomed the news that Spain plans to regularise about 500,000 undocumented migrants, in a break with harsh policies on immigration elsewhere in Europe, in countries like Denmark, Germany and Austria, and in the United States.
