Germany's headline inflation rate stood at 2.8% year-on-year in October, representing a relief of half a percentage point compared to the 3.3% increase in the cost of living in September, as confirmed by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis). Likewise, Germany's harmonized inflation rate, used by Eurostat in its statistics, also recorded a decrease of five tenths in the tenth month of the year and stood at 2.8% year-on-year.

Salaries are not always enough to live without struggle. In fact, the term "working poor" has been used for some time, meaning workers who, despite having a job, do not make it to the end of the month. The fact is that to lead a "dignified" life or one without financial suffocation in the Barcelona metropolitan area, one must earn at least 1,891 gross euros per month in 12 payments, but it is higher in the Catalan capital (2,020 euros) than in its metropolitan area (1,772 euros). Furthermore, different types of families also require different amounts. For example, a couple with two children, 2,326 euros; and a single-parent family, 2,680 euros, since it depends on a single salary, in both cases within the metropolitan area. These are the conclusions of the study Living Wage 2026 prepared by public policy evaluation consultants KSNET and public strategy and management consultancy Daleph, which are part of the international Global Living Wage Movement network.

Despite inflation and higher interest rates, the Spanish economy will continue to be the fastest-growing European economy next year. This is the forecast from CaixaBank Research's outlook for 2027. The estimates from the bank's research department, presented this Monday, point to a 2% rise in gross domestic product (GDP) next year, compared to 2.6% in the current fiscal year; and 1.4% for the eurozone (1% in 2026), as explained by Enric Fernández, chief economist at CaixaBank.

Prices go up, wages go up (less). And do you know what never stops going up? Tax revenue. 248.326 billion euros between January and September 2026, according to the State Tax Agency, with double-digit growth in some taxes: 12.5% in personal income tax (IRPF) and 7.4% in VAT (IVA). And do you know who contributes to it? Inflation, which no one seems to have any intention of stopping. With higher prices, more revenue.

The 2008 economic crisis ended, at least theoretically, in 2013. It was the last year in which the Spanish economy recorded negative growth. The consequences of the recession still persist today, and are exacerbated by the more recent rise in price of a very specific group of products in the shopping basket. They are fundamentally two: housing and food, as made clear by the Generalitat in the Social Report 2025. These two elements are also the main drivers of the general strike called for November 11th.

The prices of goods and services that families usually consume have continued to rise this month of October in the State, according to advance data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI, the indicator that measures the cost of living for families) published this Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), despite a moderation in fuel prices. Furthermore, the state statistical body has also published preliminary data on the evolution of the Spanish economy between July and September, which maintained its growth rate and continues to expand above the European average.

The latest Federal Reserve (the Fed, the United States central bank) meeting could not have come at a worse time, both for Donald Trump and for its chair, Kevin Warsh. One week before the elections, the Fed has decided to keep interest rates in the same range of between 3.75% and 4% after having decided to raise them at the previous meeting for the first time since 2023.

Never before had so many tourists stayed in hotels in Catalonia as in the first nine months of this year, when they exceeded 18.7 million guests, 4.42% more than in the same period last year. However, stays continue to become shorter, in a context where tourism services are becoming more expensive above inflation.

The Catalan economy will grow by 2.6% this year, three tenths more than what was forecast in the spring, but with risks due to the threat of rising inflation and the slowdown in investment. These are the forecasts from the Generalitat's Ministry of Economy, published this Monday for 2026 and 2027. In general, "a notable dynamism will be maintained despite the energy crisis," the document highlights. Looking ahead to 2027, the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) will be more moderate and will stand at 2.1%. And the unemployment rate will remain at the lowest levels since 2008.

The World Economic Forum puts figures to the feeling that traveling is becoming increasingly expensive. The organization that gathers the elite of the global economy and politics in Davos warns that, since 2024, tourism prices have soared above inflation in 75% of destinations, according to a recent report consulted by ARA. The Travel & tourism development index 2026 concludes that the tourism sector worldwide has lost price competitiveness in the last two years, even though the influx of visitors on a global scale has continued to grow.

The Spanish economy remains at the forefront of advanced countries in growth, with a forecast of 2.6% this year according to the Bank of Spain and 2.5% according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But inflation, they also warn, eats away at the purchasing power of wages that are not enough to buy or rent a house. The remuneration of employees has gained weight in the Spanish economy, but it is starting to lose it in favor of the profits of some business sectors. Workers perceive that with every euro they buy fewer and fewer things, or that they need more to acquire the same. There is a palpable reality, the rise in prices, which has stalled the contribution of wages to the total wealth this year, and a psychological element, according to the experts consulted, which makes many ask themselves: "Now that the economy is doing well, when is it my turn?"

The cost of living for families continues to rise due to the increase in energy prices –particularly fuels–, and it is at its highest since February 2023 for the second consecutive month. Specifically, in September, the prices of all consumer goods and services in Catalonia soared by 4.5% compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data published this Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

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 growth trajectory of the Spanish economy is positive. On a macroeconomic scale, it is among the most dynamic developed countries. The problem arises when we zoom in with the microscope and detect that there is a worse distribution of the cake because the population is growing faster than the wealth. Hence the emergence of slogans such as inclusive growth, which is used, for example, by the government presided over by Salvador Illa.

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 year-on-year inflation rate for the euro area stood at 3.8% in September, six tenths of a percentage point above the price increase in August, according to the preliminary reading of the data published this Friday by Eurostat, the European statistics office. The year-on-year price increase of 3.8% is the highest rise since September 2023, when the increase was 4.3%.

Not so long ago, the United States, the world's leading power, was perceived as a reliable economy, with stability and legal certainty. With Donald Trump in the White House, this image has changed, based on the comings and goings of tariff policy and the conflicts he has generated—such as the war with Iran. This is indicated by the interest rates on 10-year US Treasury debt, which have soared above 5.3%, well above the 5% threshold considered dangerous for an economy with a debt exceeding 40 trillion dollars.

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).

With inflation once again through the roof and without prospects of it falling imminently –the European Central Bank (ECB) has resumed raising interest rates–, the Spanish government has been forced to extend part of the measures put in place due to the war in Iran, which were set to expire this September 30th. It is, therefore, the third package of measures approved by Pedro Sánchez's executive to mitigate the effects of the conflict on the cost of living, and it will cost the public coffers 12 billion euros.

Jaume Collboni has returned from New York with an idea under his arm. After meeting with Mayor Mamdani, he announced that Barcelona will have a network of affordable shops. The concern is easy to understand: in five years, the purchase of food has become nearly 30% more expensive, and for many families this item already weighs too much on the family budget. The proposal also has a certain glamour: it has been presented as a "genuinely New York experience". But what does it exactly mean to make shopping more affordable?It may be difficult for us to fill the fridge for different reasons. Perhaps in the neighborhood we do not have enough supply of fresh produce. Or perhaps we have supermarkets and shops within reach, but we cannot afford their prices. In one case, there is a lack of supply; in the other, purchasing power: having a store downstairs is useless if we cannot pay for it. Both hinder access to adequate nutrition, but they are not the same problem nor do they require the same response.The City Council's pilot project will begin in La Marina del Prat Vermell, a growing neighborhood where the commercial offer is still limited. Bringing fresh produce there responds to the first of the problems and makes sense. But the project wants to go further: it not only promises proximity, but also affordable prices. And here begins the most interesting question: what will make them so? Because lowering the price has a cost: someone has to assume it, be it the City Council, the manager, the suppliers, or a combination of all three.There is no single way to lower the cost of groceries. New York is planning five municipal supermarkets: the city covers part of the costs and requires the savings to be passed on to prices, with a discount for everyone who shops there. Istanbul, on the other hand, has for decades combined a public network of food at low prices with aid directed at families with fewer resources. In the first case, public support makes the same basket cheaper regardless of who is doing the shopping; in the second, part of the effort is concentrated on those with lower income. Each formula allocates public resources differently and does not necessarily benefit the same families.Barcelona, furthermore, does not start from zero. It has a network of municipal markets, farmers' markets, and consumer cooperatives, as well as experience with aid such as prepaid cards. It already has, therefore, instruments to act both on supply and on the purchasing power of families. The question is whether it is necessary to create a new structure or if part of the objective can be achieved by reinforcing, connecting, or reorienting those that already exist. In Marina itself, in fact, the City Council was already working to promote local commerce before the trip to New York. Looking at what other cities are doing can be useful, but the question is not where we import the idea from, but who we want to reach, with what instrument, and what problem we want to solve.