The Spanish real estate market is coming back to life after several years in a catatonic state.
If Spain abandons the euro or defaults on its debt, it could trigger a Lehman-style meltdown. In spite of the good performance of Spanish sovereign debt and stocks in these first weeks of the year, this meltdown scenario can’t be ruled out yet.
Most commentators trace the beginning of the European sovereign debt crisis to 5 November 2009, when Greece revealed that its budget deficit was 12.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), more than twice what the country had previously disclosed. However, the real origins of the crisis can be traced to the very structures that govern Europe's institutions.