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Macleans.ca

Canada’s magazine

Rocking the eurozone today: Catalonia and Greece

The government of Catalonia, one of Spain’s autonomous regions, has called a snap election for Nov. 25 on the topic of self-determination. Voters will decide whether they want Calanonia’s status to stay as it is, or whether the region should take on more powers to handle its own assets (read: take more control over taxes). The election will, in effect, be a referendum on the future of Catalonia.

Spain’s banks, Greece’s election increase euro tensions

Spain woke up today with a dark cloud over its fiscal situation, Reuters reports. Following a downgrade of its credit rating by Moody’s Investors to just above “junk” status, 10-year government bond yields rose up to a record high of 7.02 percent. This compares to “the 7 percent mark that drove Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek international bailouts.”

Spain got the bailout, but some warn money always comes with strings attached

Markets were trading on a positive note this morning after Spain announced on Saturday a $129-billion deal to refinance its ailing banking sector. That optimism, though, seems to be fading already as investors ponder the details of the deal and start fretting about the Greek election next Sunday.