Surveys are often published asking the population, or specific groups, what issues concern them most. Rarely are the results surprising. This lack of surprise is basically due to two principles: media intensity and proximity. The media intensity principle states that the more coverage an issue receives in the media, the more relevant we perceive it to be. The proximity principle, for its part, operates when the problem directly affects our daily lives or those of someone close to us.

Two weeks have passed since the start of the war against Iran. A conflict that has upended international flight patterns, global diplomacy, and the global oil supply. The disconcerting thing is that neither the United States nor Israel has communicated what would need to happen for the war to be considered won. This uncertainty is centered on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes. Images of burning oil tankers summarize Iran's pressure strategy. If this passage is closed, the impact on the global economy is guaranteed, and Trump's promise to escort the ships—with a system that won't be ready until the end of March—only seems to confirm that the end is not as near as we would like. But it's not just oil: we must also consider its derivatives and other raw materials that pass through the strait. One of these is sulfur, essential for producing sulfuric acid, the most manufactured chemical in the world and indispensable for extracting copper and cobalt, which in turn are fundamental for electrical transformers, batteries, and data center infrastructure. Or nitrogen fertilizers, basic for global food production.

One of the most shameful statistics for a developed country is the percentage of children living at risk of poverty. And at the same time, child poverty is a bad investment for the future. Few long-term investments have a greater return than a happy childhood. This return is not only emotional but also economic. For decades, psychology and empirical evidence have demonstrated that growing up with significant material deprivation has individual and family consequences, extending beyond a single generation, and also impacts social cohesion and a country's future.

At Saturday's press conference, President Trump was quick to assert that the profits from the oil market would be sufficient to offset the cost of a military intervention in Venezuela and that American companies would clearly benefit. However, despite the rhetoric—and the seizure of ships carrying crude oil—a closer look at the facts reveals significant inconsistencies in the president's argument. First, the oil companies themselves quickly expressed their doubts. Modernizing facilities severely deteriorated by extracting heavy, dense, high-sulfur crude requires substantial investment. Such operations are only profitable if accompanied by strong guarantees of political and legal stability—conditions that are currently lacking. Furthermore, Venezuelan crude is not considered a critical or essential asset for the global energy supply. The United States has sufficient domestic production and guaranteed access to both Canadian and Arabian Peninsula oil. In fact, the collective intelligence of financial markets seems to have reached a similar conclusion: in the last week, oil prices have remained virtually stable, without significant upward or downward pressure.

One in five people in Spain prefers to pay in cash rather than using electronic means. That's low. In fact, it's the lowest percentage in Europe. This is according to [source missing]. a study by the consulting firm PwC Fresh out of the oven. And everything indicates that this trend can only grow, with the explosion in the use of Bizum and its future rollout on a European scale.

In a country like Spain, with a deficit close to 3% of GDP and a debt that breaks all records, it is relevant to know that the tax losses resulting from tax avoidance were... almost 30 billion euros Between 2016 and 2021. And yes, this period includes when we were buying face masks and thousands of people were on furlough. So, we know the total amount of tax avoidance, but not the identity of the multinational corporations responsible. Why don't we know? Because of political pressure from these same companies, the complicity of some politicians, and the acquiescence of others.

In just a few days, there have been two news stories related to Amazon: a workforce reduction substantial enough to require a collective dismissal procedure (ERE) and a multi-million dollar agreement with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. This is no coincidence. What is Amazon's long-term goal? To eliminate three-quarters of its staff through automation and artificial intelligence. In doing so, it joins other tech companies on the path already taken: leveraging technology to reduce labor costs and increase productivity.

This week was Financial Literacy Day. The headline? In Spain, it's low compared to other European countries, especially the Nordic countries. Financial literacy is measured based on knowledge of three key concepts: compound interest, inflation, and risk diversification. It's not just about knowing how to define them, but also knowing how to incorporate them into everyday decisions. People who are familiar with these concepts tend to have an emergency fund, save more for retirement, and make better decisions.

Spain has 246,000 super-net-worth individuals, defined as those with at least $30 million in convertible assets. This represents 0.51% of the country's population. Three-quarters of these individuals owe their fortune to the efforts, vision, or luck of an ancestor, who accumulated their wealth.

In the Minister of Labor and Social Economy's crusade to improve working conditions, reducing working hours is the focus of attention. But behind this lies another, less media-friendly and more delicate issue, which has yet to be addressed politically: compensation for unfair dismissals.

Feeling dizzy in the face of technological developments is stupid. That's how the techno-optimist manifesto that went viral in 2023 makes you feel. A document promoted by Marc Andreessen, a serial entrepreneur known for being the father of the Netscape browser and Facebook. This manifesto uses an epic tone to present a series of statements based on the premise that technological progress is the only hope for humanity's great problems. To save humanity, it is necessary to let entrepreneurs do their work, in complete freedom, trusting in the proper functioning of free markets that have proven over time to adapt and evolve. This manifesto enthrones money as the driving force of economic growth that cannot be stopped. From the perspective of the manifesto, thinking about the social consequences, possible inequalities, or injustices, are unjustified fears that only make it more difficult. In fact, the document describes regulation, sustainability, social responsibility, and ethics as "zombie ideas," a remnant of communism.

The social stakeholders who ensure Catalonia's economic dynamism welcome the agreement to expand the airport. A change that, for example, could allow nonstop flights from Japan. Or allow more direct flights to the United States. But the questions that still remain unanswered are: who will the passengers be and what will they bring to us?

As Walt Whitman says, "Every person contains a multitude." For this reason, always behaving ethically is heroic. It's a verified phenomenon: ethical values dissolve like a sugar cube when two or more values conflict. This process begins with a shift in perspective. We move from the ethical ideal to a more operational objective: achieving a short-term result. A contradiction arises between two objectives, and our brain can't handle it well. We end up rationalizing the choice with thoughts like "everyone does it," "it's too little," or "it's an exception," and we're left feeling completely at peace. An example: one day when we're in a hurry to get somewhere (operational result) we excuse ourselves from running amber lights (or even red lights) when we know we need to slow down.

The number of unemployed (people without work and available for work) increased by 47,200 in the first quarter. This significant figure has raised some alarm and prompted a search in historical data for other poor first quarters. The year 2012 has appeared, when unemployment rose by 61,500. But the contextual situation is not comparable, because that year closed with a staggering figure of over 26% unemployment, while now in Catalonia we are below 9%.

Total gross foreign investment in Catalonia accounts for 16% of the total Spanish state investment, approximately €4.9 billion. This is significantly behind the region of Madrid. This is confirmed by the data published a couple of days ago by the Ministry of Economy. However, in this context, it is worth highlighting Acción's investment fundraising efforts, which in 2024 attracted more than €1 billion in productive foreign investment (FDI). This type of investment, productive investment, is the most beneficial compared to capital investment. Productive investment takes the form of infrastructure and jobs, which require a higher level of commitment and a much longer life cycle than financial investments, which are more volatile and move with the winds of speculation.

March 8 will be packed with the usual gender-related data. There is no need to be too imaginative: the persistence of wage gaps, the lower presence of women in positions of responsibility and the higher rates of poverty among women. There will be talk of the need for more policies, education and awareness.