"The conflict in the Middle East will test the resilience of the global economy." No beating around the bush. The new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revises its growth forecasts taking into account the impact of the war initiated in Iran.

Salvador Illa announced on Monday an initial aid package to address the effects of the war in the Middle East on the Catalan economy. Specifically, on Tuesday the Catalan government will approve the mobilization of €400 million in direct aid, tax breaks, and financing instruments to protect the country's businesses and families. The aid will focus particularly on transportation, agriculture, and fishing, the sectors most affected by the war, and the package is expected to be expanded depending on how the conflict evolves. This set of measures is in addition to... the protections deployed last week by the Spanish governmentThe aid that the Government plans to allocate to the economic sector, which will amount to up to 216 million euros, will be conditional on companies wishing to participate preserving jobs. The main pillars of the aid are an expansion of two financing lines between the Department of Economy and Finance and the Catalan Finance Institute (ICF), direct aid to the agricultural and fishing sectors, and tax exemptions. Business advisory and promotional services are also planned. The plan announced by Salvador Illa includes allocating 154 million euros to accelerate the energy transition and sustainable mobility. Regarding social aid, as the president explained at a business conference organized by ExpansionThe measures will be aimed at ensuring that the most vulnerable families can cope with food and energy expenses. To this end, the Catalan government will mobilize up to €30 million to create an open line of aid for families and to offer support to municipalities by reinforcing emergency social assistance, for example. Coordination of temporary layoff schemes (ERTEs) due to force majeure with the Spanish administration is also planned to protect job stability. "I make an explicit appeal for everyone to act in the general interest and the common good," said Illa, who demanded "responsibility" from large companies and the financial system.

The week begins in a very dangerous way. As you know, Trump has announced attacks on Iranian power plants if Iran does not unblock the Strait of Hormuz Iran has warned that its response will be to attack the desalination plants of the Persian Gulf countries. You attack my electricity, and I'll attack your water.

Whenever we try to understand complex situations, we try to find a reason that justifies how someone acts, or why something happens a certain way. Lately, even experts in politics, particularly international politics, are completely baffled as to the reasons behind this particular figure: any reasonable prediction based on the rules we previously knew has been shattered. Some, even with immense effort, have lined up all the facts, like an Excel spreadsheet, and tried to find a common thread. In Trump's case, at this point, we have to accept that everyone who has tried has failed.

Trump's word is worthlessBut it does come at a price, the price we all must pay for his decisions. Aware that The war with Iran has driven up oil prices and lowered stock markets.That is, that his voters have to pay more for gasoline and that his friends are losing billions in the stock market, Trump took the floor last night to say that The war is "virtually over" And that they are far ahead of the agenda they had set, that Iran "has already fired all it was supposed to fire." And Trump's words had the desired effect: the stock markets rose this morning and the price of oil fell. If this is a fluke that won't make a summer, Trump doesn't care. Yesterday he went for the coup, but he knows there are two things ordinary Americans hate: paying higher gas prices and having inflation erode their purchasing power, all because of a war that lacks the support of the vast majority. Consider that these days oil has reached its highest price in the last three and a half years, specifically in the summer of 2022, months after the war in Ukraine began, and that the cost of living is shaping up to be the major issue in the November elections. And we all know that when oil goes up, everything goes up.

Political disagreement could lead to another budget extension in 2026. Such a decision always comes at a price: the government's planned spending increase, should the draft budget be approved, would rise by €9.1 billion compared to the 2023 budget, the last one approved to date. This figure was provided by the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN). But how many of these millions would be lost if there is no budget? Sources within the Department of Economy, consulted by the Ara newspaper (ARA), emphasize that at least €1.5 billion is at risk. These are funds earmarked for new projects, not included in previous budgets, and which, therefore, would be excluded from the budget extension according to the law.

Catalonia is growing, but not for everyone. This is the main conclusion of issue 109 of the magazine. Economics NoteThe report, titled 'Towards a Model of Shared Prosperity', was presented this Monday by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero. The volume contains twelve articles that paint an uncomfortable picture: one in three Catalan children is at risk of poverty, while wealth is concentrated in the hands of the richest 1%. Why is this happening?

According to the latest PISA report on financial literacy According to a 2022 OECD report, fifteen-year-old students in Spain are below the European average in financial literacy, and 17% do not even reach the basic level of financial competence. Financial literacy levels among adults are also low. Laura Mascaró, author of the book Where does he keep the money?She recommends that adults be aware of their relationship with money and whether they have bad habits: "Children learn from what they see at home; they are influenced by their parents' perception and management of money," she says.

Gold is back at record highs, over €4,200 per ounce. Since July of last year, it has experienced a meteoric rise. Those who invested back then have almost doubled their initial investment. Just three months earlier, a wholesaler in the jewelry sector recommended I invest in gold. I didn't because I never speculate or invest in things that don't offer clear returns.

The business world is often capable of forging connections that would be impossible in the world of football. This is the case with the financial technology company Stamp, dedicated to helping businesses facilitate purchases for international customers through [unclear - possibly "e-commerce" or "digital marketing"]. tax free (The system that allows tourists to recover the VAT on their purchases).

Marc Roca Banet has been the territorial secretary of Pimec Tarragona since September. With a business background in the electrical, gas, air conditioning, plumbing, and renewable energy sectors, as well as in the production of wood pellets and wood chips as an energy resource, he has served as manager of the Association for the Promotion of the Port of Tarragona (Apportt). He has also worked in public entities promoting energy sovereignty and local development projects in Rocafort de Queralt—where he was mayor for eight years—and in the Conca de Barberà region.

We are experiencing a paradoxical start to the year. Politics—especially international politics—is increasingly unstable: open conflicts, blurred alliances, and decisions that strain the global order. At the national level, parliamentary fragility and the lack of a budget hinder any significant reform. And yet, the economy seems to be progressing with surprising calm. Markets remain stable, and growth, both in the United States and in Catalonia and Spain, has exceeded many forecasts.

The shock of the tariffs imposed by the US in April generated pessimistic forecasts for 2025 that have not materialized. According to the IMF, the global economy grew by more than 3% in 2025, and the projection for 2026 is similar. The impact of the tariffs has been mitigated by US reversals, prompted by the response of financial markets and by weakness in the face of Chinese control of rare earth elements, crucial for the digital world and for defense. However, the average tariff in the US is close to 15%, not far from the peak of 20% in the 1930s under the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. This does not mean that this increase will not have inflationary consequences for the US and trade diversion between countries. China sells less in the US, but compensates with growing sales in other parts of the world, including Europe. One need only recall the influx of cheap, high-quality electric vehicles into the European market. It's also important to consider that the impact of the tariff—who ultimately pays—depends on whether the exporting company lowers prices to maintain market share, which it will likely try to do in the short term. We see, for example, how Chinese vehicles are sold at reduced prices, which offsets the European Union's tariffs designed to protect the sector. The primary risk for next year is that the US-China trade war will intensify and the effect of the tariffs will be felt later, when exporting companies are unable to maintain low prices. In any case, in the medium term, the tariff increase will lead to less growth.

Towards the end of the last century, the EU introduced the term "European paradox" to highlight the contrast between European scientific research at a level comparable to that of the US and significantly lower results in terms of innovation and the creation of large companies. The subsequent academic debate on the reasons for this has been substantial. Professor Ruiz-Castillo, from Carlos III University, has been a major participant. Having read the literature, I offer my opinion, with less nuance than necessary. The cause is twofold: 1. The premise regarding the level of European science is not entirely sound. When the focus is placed on the most selective indicators of quality, the superiority of the US is clear. This difference at the top is significant because, until now, an implacable economic logic has prevailed in the world: whoever arrives first takes the whole pie. China understood this long ago.

"This Christmas, every piece counts." With this motto, the fifteenth annual Espai Gironès Christmas charity campaign aims to support the projects of the Friends of the Elderly Foundation, which offers companionship, emotional support, and social integration to senior citizens in Girona, helping to combat isolation and unwanted loneliness. The campaign was presented by the shopping center's manager, Pau Jordà; the Foundation's director, Laura López; and the initiative's patrons: Marc Gasol, president of Bàsquet Girona; Pep Busquets, a player for Bàsquet Girona; and Ainhoa ​​López, a player for Spar Girona. Espai Gironès has created a giant jigsaw puzzle, located in the food court. To participate in the campaign, simply fit one of the thousands of puzzle pieces together to complete a very special image. Each piece will be donated to the Amics de la Gent Gran Foundation and will provide companionship and well-being to elderly people in the Girona region who suffer from loneliness and need support.

On bar terraces, glasses of Coca-Cola with ice and lemon. At local festivals, coolers full of bottles of this soft drink. In the stands of Camp Nou, on La Rambla, or in a small family-run mountain restaurant, the same scene repeats itself: an open bottle, escaping gas, and an everyday gesture that has been part of the Catalan social landscape for decades. But what would happen if, suddenly, Coca-Cola disappeared from Catalonia?

Nobel laureate in economics Richard H. Thaler (East Orange, New Jersey, 1945) has dedicated his career to demonstrating that human beings don't behave as economics textbooks say we should. We make mistakes, we are driven by emotions, we have biases and irrational expectations. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, we remain the protagonists of the decisions that shape the world.

This year, Transgourmet Ibérica has completed the transformation process the company began in 2019 with the aim of modernizing and consolidating its food distribution business model, both in the hospitality sector and in franchised convenience supermarkets. This evolution of the sector has coincided with a historic milestone: the celebration of its centenary. Throughout the year, the company has combined significant strategic initiatives with a commemorative program, highlighting its century-long history. During this year, Transgourmet Ibérica has invested €85 million, including the acquisitions of Dispuig and Moyà Saus and the creation of Nuditrans in partnership with Nudisco. With these operations, the company has expanded its reach into three key regions: Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community.

There are women who not only pave the way, but build it to create a new mindset. And this is only possible with new foundations. Montse Pujol, from Mollerus, founder and CEO of the PMP Group, headquartered in Lleida with offices throughout the country, has spent twenty years transforming the way we understand construction from her factory in Les Borges Blanques. A building engineer and pioneer in the industrialization and sustainability of housing, she has become the first woman to preside over the Business Meeting in the Pyrenees in its more than thirty-five-year history. "It is a great honor to represent the business community of Lleida, and also a responsibility from a female perspective," she says. At this key event for the country's economic sector, Montse Pujol asserts that the underrepresentation of women in the business world is a recurring theme. But she admits that equality in the upper echelons is still a pipe dream. "It's often women who struggle to take on positions of responsibility; there's a societal expectation of them taking on roles," she observes.

The recent Nobel Prizes in economics have been a succession of gifts to economic history. Three years ago, it was Ben Bernanke, with an enormously influential doctoral thesis on monetary policy during the Great Depression that was the foundation for the expansionary policies that enabled a rapid exit from the Great Recession. This is one of the cases in which the study of the past and its improved understanding have allowed for the deployment of better monetary policies in the present. Bernanke himself was responsible for steering the Federal Reserve through some of its worst moments, minimizing the impact of the crisis and preventing it from becoming a new Great Depression. Two years ago, we had Claudia Goldin, who has studied the improvement of female education in the United States since the 19th century and has been able to document how women entered the labor market, how they achieved improved wages, and why pay inequalities persisted. One year ago, Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson, and Simon Johnson welcomed her to explain how institutions are formed and how they affect the prosperity of countries. This year, half of the prize went to Joel Mokyr for explaining the technological prerequisites for sustained economic growth. The other half—Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt—has championed a concept as dynamic and unsettling as "creative destruction," a Schumpeterian concept: another nod to the classics of economic history.