John Raymond

BBVA Profit Jumps as One-Time Gains Offset Property Loss

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Spain’s second-biggest bank, said first-quarter profit jumped as one-time gains offset a drop in Spanish loan revenue and bigger losses from real estate.

Draghi’s Depositor Preference Call Risks Stoking Borrowing Costs

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s call to make deposits safer than bank bonds risks pushing up lenders’ borrowing costs.

Spain Deposits Rose in November, Easing Pressure on Bank Funding

Spanish deposits gained in November, suggesting pressure on bank funding is easing as the country’s second-largest lender is raising money from bond investors.

European Banks to Shrink as U.S. Peers Set Pace: Euro Credit

European banks, including Deutsche Bank AG and Standard Chartered Plc, have less equity relative to assets than their U.S. peers, and will have to shrink or boost capital as regulators demand reduced leverage.

Germany Backing Italy Seen as Key to Europe’s Bank Crisis

Italian media reported last month that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had been caught on wiretaps making disparaging sexual comments about German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Invisible Bank Run Becomes Conversation With 7% Italy Yield

Italy’s highest bond yields since the birth of the euro are reverberating through the financial system of Europe’s biggest debt issuer, driving lenders to seek record amounts of central bank financing.

Spain's Santander Funds at Higher Rate to Inferior Banks

Anyone wondering why the most profitable bank in the euro region pays more to borrow than some of the worst performers can find the answer in Spain, where high unemployment and a sputtering economy pushed up funding costs at Banco Santander SA .

Popular Defying Oliver Wyman Tests Allianz’s Spain Appetite

Banco Popular Espanol SA is defying the findings of Spain’s bank stress tests as it seeks new money from Allianz SE and other investors to plug a capital shortfall.

European Banks Must Pay Up to Borrow $100 Billion: Euro Credit

European banks with more than $100 billion of cash to raise by year-end will have to pay up because investors perceive them as the worst credits they’ve ever been.

Spanish Banks’ Bonds Slide After Moody’s Downgrades Ratings

Bonds of Spanish banks fell after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded 16 of the nation’s lenders and said it may cut seven of them again because of the state of the economy and the government’s deteriorating credit.

"The obvious message is that things are tough in Spain."

- John Raymond on May 21, 2013

London

Europe

Spain

Portugal

S&P 500 Returns to Record While U.S. Treasuries Advance

Mother’s Action Saved Daughter as Tornado Neared School

Apple IPhone Loses Ground to Samsung in Consumer Survey

U.S. Stocks Rise as Bullard Says Stimulus Should Continue

Oklahoma Tornado Death Toll Cut to 24 by Medical Examiner