In the summer, when it was already clear that the Iran war was going to be a long one, at the register of a fairly well-known coffee shop chain in Washington, a discreet sign was framed in black. "A notice to our customers: from time to time, we have to adjust our prices to reflect the rising cost of ingredients and operations." In the pastry and cake display case, it was easy to spot the slight increase. The butter cookies with chocolate, which previously cost 90 cents each, now cost a dollar.

The Bank of Spain has increased its inflation forecasts, which it places, for this year and 2027, well above the targets set by the European Central Bank (ECB). The monetary body presented its quarterly macroeconomic forecast report this Friday, in which it also forecasts the growth of the Spanish economy.

The Valencian supermarket cooperative Consum will invest 100 million euros in the construction of a new logistics platform in the city of Barcelona, as reported in a statement issued this Wednesday.

The Catalan steel multinational Celsa continued to increase its profits in the second quarter of this 2026, after recovering to the black in the first three months of this year, as reported this Tuesday by the company's leadership in a press conference. The company is now beginning the search for new owners once the management team considers that the accounts are sufficiently cleaned up "without haste or urgency," said Rafael Villaseca, president of the group.

Two of the main Spanish telecommunications and technology multinationals, Telefónica and Indra, have reformulated their organizational structure this week, which has meant the restructuring of their management teams, while the Catalan pharmaceutical company Kern Pharma has appointed a general manager. Likewise, Airbus has made the appointment –announced last April– of Amparo Moraleda as the new chairwoman of the board of directors, and the German chemical company Covestro, with a significant presence in Catalonia, has announced the arrival of a new general manager in the State.

Catalonia has recorded this year the month of August with the most foreign tourists since the pandemic, but spending per visitor fell, according to the surveys of tourist movements at borders and tourist spending published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) this Friday.

"We will always be there for Japan". With these words, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, explained his government's intervention at the beginning of August to curb the fall of the yen, the Japanese currency, in the markets. The declaration of support and friendship, however, has been followed by certain tensions between him and the Asian country's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, as the White House considers that she is not doing enough to stop the decline of her currency.

The rise in fuel prices –provoked by the sharp increase in oil prices as a result of the war in Iran– gives no respite and triggers inflation in Spain. Thus, this September, the cost of living for families has stood at 4.9% above the same month last year, the highest rate since February 2023, according to advance data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI, the indicator that measures the evolution of the prices of goods and services consumed by families) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The Ponent regions, together with the Penedès, the Barcelonès and the Girona-Olot axis, were the engine of economic growth in Catalonia last year, according to data from the 2026 Regional Economic Yearbook published this Monday by BBVA. At the other extreme, the Ribera d'Ebre and the Terra Alta were the only two regions where economic activity decreased in 2025.

The Spanish economy maintained growth during the second quarter of the year, despite the impact of the war in Iran on energy markets and international trade. Household consumption and the role of construction allowed the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy) of the State to maintain the good figures of recent years, as reported this Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The Spanish government plans to increase the capacity of the electricity grid in Catalonia by 50% by 2030. Thus, an additional 3,800 megawatts (MW) will be added to the electrical system, which will allow for meeting the growing demand from both private individuals and various investments in public infrastructure. This increase is the portion assigned to Catalonia of the Pedro Sánchez executive's plan to improve the electricity grid across the entire State, which includes investments worth 17 billion euros in all autonomous communities over the next four years.

The European Union has announced a new trade agreement with the Philippines. Negotiators from the European Commission and the Philippine government have closed a "substantial agreement" to facilitate trade between the two territories, as explained this Tuesday by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic.

The tourism fair B-Travel, the supermarket chain Ametller Origen, and the health sector knowledge business association Catalonia.health have announced changes to their leadership this week, which has also been marked by new appointments in the transport and real estate sectors. Furthermore, Anthropic, one of the giants of artificial intelligence (AI), has landed in the Spanish market with the appointment of a new head in the country, while in the United States, billionaire Warren Buffett has announced that he is leaving the chairmanship of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway to his son Howard Buffett.

Bombarded energy infrastructures. Hydrocarbon exports at discounted prices. Public finances stressed by the war effort. High inflation. This has been, for four and a half years, Russia's economic outlook since the president, Vladimir Putin, ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has led to one of the longest conflicts in the history of a country that is no stranger to belligerence.

The cost of living for families continues to rise due to the increase in energy prices. In August, the prices of the set of consumer goods and services in Catalonia shot up by 4% annually, the highest figure since January 2023, but lower than the Spanish average, according to data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The consumption of households and public administrations maintained the growth rate of the Catalan economy in the second quarter at the levels of the last three years, when it has continuously exceeded the European average. Thus, the Catalan gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy) increased by 3% annually despite the difficulties added by the war in the Middle East, according to data confirmed this Monday by Idescat, the statistical institute of the Generalitat.

The former secretary of state and technology specialist Carme Artigas and the Empordà businessman Antoni Escudero are two of the prominent names in the Catalan business world who have been involved in appointments this week. Furthermore, the entry of new executives into the leadership of the tobacco company Philip Morris in Spain and the French automotive group Renault, which has a new vice president, also stands out.

Construction and services boosted the Catalan economy during the second quarter. Specifically, according to data from the Institute of Statistics of Catalonia (Idescat) published this Friday, the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy) grew by 3% in Catalonia compared to the same period a year ago. The figure places the Catalan economy above the increase experienced in the rest of the State. The numbers are remarkable in a complicated context marked by the effects derived from the war in Iran and, above all, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The top echelon of the Catalan economic and business world made an appearance this Thursday at noon at the funeral of Josep Vilarasau, president of La Caixa for 27 years died this Tuesday, which took place at the Sant Gervasi funeral home, in the upper part of Barcelona. Among the most illustrious attendees, however, was King Felipe VI's sister, Cristina de Borbón, who held various positions in La Caixa's Social Work for 26 years.

The Spanish economy maintained its high growth rate of recent years in the second quarter of 2026, above the European average. However, at the same time, the cost of living for families continues to rise, and this July will close at its highest levels since May 2024.