The automotive industry is one of the main industries in our country. In recent years, however, the sector has undergone very significant changes, and has transformed. Electrification and the emergence of Chinese cars have revolutionized the vehicle market, and manufacturers are having to adapt at breakneck speed. We talk about it with Josep Maria Vall (Barcelona, 1947), president of the Cluster of the Automotive Industry of Catalonia (CIAC).

Anthropic, the creator of the artificial intelligence chatbot Claude, has suspended public access to its most advanced artificial intelligence models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The decision comes at a time of maximum tension between the company and Donald Trump's administration.

It has been a business, but also political, outcome that many imagined: the breakdown between France and Germany to move forward with a new European combat aircraft within the framework of the FCAS military program. But the fact that the news has not generated surprise – there had been speculation for some time about the friction between Paris and Berlin around this military project – does not mean that it is not a headache for some. The failure to move forward with this latest generation combat aircraft has left Spain, the other state that is part of the program, trapped. And particularly the defense company Indra.

Housing and inflation are the two main concerns of the Catalan and Spanish population. This is confirmed by the latest Eurobarometer from the European Parliament, where at least one in three respondents in Spain identify access to a home and the rising cost of living as the biggest headaches they have to face in their daily lives. The rising cost of rents and food is changing consumption habits and requires great effort for families – especially the most vulnerable – to adapt to the new reality. A reality that leaves less time for leisure and where any unforeseen event can unbalance a budget with ever-decreasing room for manoeuvre. And among the juggling acts of some families to balance their accounts, the following diagnosis emerges: the economic effort to fill the fridge is growing more than that of paying for housing.

The electricity company Iberdrola commemorated this Friday afternoon in Bilbao the 125 years of its birth. The multinational improved at the end of April its business forecasts for this year to improve at the end of April its business forecasts for this year, after obtaining a net profit of 1,711 million euros in the first quarter. Although it is 14.6% less than in the same period of the previous year, it points to new business opportunities in electricity grids and artificial intelligence, while it does not contemplate "significant" financial impacts due to the conflict in the Middle East. The company chaired by Ignacio Sánchez Galán closed 2025 with a record profit of 6,285 million euros, 12% more than the previous year.

The European Union has agreed to oblige airlines to show the prices of flights they offer with a carry-on suitcase included. And in case the consumer does not want to bring one, it will be deducted from the final bill. In this way, the European bloc wants to improve transparency and facilitate price comparison, and prevent consumers from finding themselves being charged a substantial amount of money to add a carry-on suitcase. As for backpacks or handbags that fit under the front seat – with a maximum size of 40x30x15 cm – they will continue to be free.

Supermarkets are claiming their role in containing food prices in the face of increased costs stemming from the Middle East crisis. In a scenario marked by rising fuel, raw materials, fertilizers, and agricultural products, the Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Services, and Supermarkets (Asedas) boasts: "Despite everything, there is no evidence that any food product has become more expensive due to the Middle East crisis," the organization assures in a statement released this Friday.

"Everyone needs a computer". This idea, a triviality at first glance, is at the core of the business model of a young Catalan startup that has managed, without raising external capital, to be profitable in just four months of activity. This is Walter!, a start-up founded by entrepreneurs Marc Ginjaume, Carlos Andion, and Juan Dávila that centralizes and handles all IT demand from clients, mainly other startups and tech companies. From the supply of computers and other technological devices to cybersecurity, including the maintenance of broken products, Walter! equips teams in "hypergrowth phase" of between 50 and 1,000 employees. And it does so – the crux of the matter – in less than 48 hours and in more than 150 countries.

The biggest stock market IPO in history makes Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. SpaceX, the tech mogul's space rocket and artificial intelligence company, has debuted on the stock market today, breaking all records by having already placed more than 555 million shares at an IPO price of $135 per share, which by the end of the session had soared 19%, to $161. With its IPO, the company aimed to raise more than $75 billion, and after its first session on the market, it has a valuation of over $2 trillion (2 trillion, in English).

The cost of living in Catalonia moderated last May despite the upward pressures of fuel costs on family economies caused by the energy crisis derived from the war in Iran. Nevertheless, the measures approved by the Spanish government to cut taxes on electricity and natural gas curbed price increases.

The Grifols project in Egypt is accelerating its development beyond expectations. The joint venture between the Catalan multinational and the Egyptian government, dedicated to achieving self-sufficiency in plasma derivatives, will invest an additional 180 million euros by 2029 to complete the project and substantially expand the network of donation centers. Initially, the plasma-derived medicines company and the African executive announced an allocation of 280 million euros. With the new growth plan, total financing will reach 460 million euros.

The Designation of Origin (DO) Cava closes a cycle of eight years marked by the presidency of Javier Pagés and opens a new stage. This Thursday, the twelve members who make up the plenary of the regulatory council, the body that represents the different agents of the sector, have chosen the CEO of the Vallformosa wineries, Marta Vidal, as the new president of the DO for the next four years. Vidal, who has had majority support from the plenary members, thus becomes the first woman to hold the presidency of the DO since its foundation in 1972.

The Spanish government boasts about the construction of protected housing (HPO). Spain has begun to build the highest number of HPO homes in a first quarter since 2012, in a context of prices at peak levels and access to housing among citizens' main concerns. In parallel, it has also reached the highest number of completed HPO since then.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to make a move to try to curb the rise in inflation caused by the war in the Middle East initiated by the United States and Israel. The rate of price increase in the eurozone has been moving away from Frankfurt's goal of keeping it at 2% annually for months, and finally, the financial institution has decided to act to prevent this percentage from growing further and has raised interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, to 2.25%.

Elon Musk, owner of X and founder of companies like SpaceX or Tesla, is one step away from becoming the first trillionaire in history, and would accumulate unprecedented levels of wealth. According to a report published this Thursday by the NGO Oxfam Intermón, the magnate of South African origin is on track to accumulate as much wealth as the entire poorest 46% of the world's population, the equivalent of about 3.8 billion people.

Kings League, the company founded by former Barça footballer Gerard Piqué that organizes streaming football tournaments, has filed a collective dismissal procedure (ERO) to lay off 41 of its 83 employees, as reported by the law firm Col·lectiu Ronda in a statement on behalf of the staff.

Audax has finalized the repurchase and amortization of bonds for 359.2 million euros, "an operation that allows for a significant reduction in maturities foreseen for 2027 and 2028 and advances in the optimization of the financial structure," as the company reported in a statement this Wednesday.

The increase in gasoline prices has led inflation in the United States to reach its highest level in three years. According to data published this Wednesday by the Department of Labor, prices in the US rose by 4.2% last May compared to the same month last year.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has been holding its fire for months. It did not want to make a misstep and prematurely use the main tool at its disposal to curb inflation caused by the war in Iran initiated by the United States and Israel. However, the price increase remains upward and is moving further and further away from the goal of keeping it at an annual rate of 2%. For this reason, experts and markets anticipate that the body led by Christine Lagarde has already loaded its ammunition and will raise interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, to 2.25%, at this Thursday's meeting.

The Denomination of Origin (DO) Cava faces decisive hours for its future after eight years of Javier Pagés' presidency. This Thursday, June 11, the twelve members who form the plenary of the Regulatory Council, the body representing the different agents in the sector, will meet at the Vilafranca del Penedès headquarters to elect who will be the maximum leader – as well as the vice-president – of the DO that exports the most from Spain, but which at the same time is not going through its best moment.