The household savings rate fell to 4.4% of the disposable income in the second quarter of 2018, down 0.2 percentage points in comparison to the previous quarter, INE said this Friday.

Official estimates from the government have noted that the proposed VAT reduction will have a net cost of €500m on the state's budget.

Mortgage interest rates have shown an upward trend over the last three months. The monthly repayments to the bank remained the same, while the capital outstanding for all loans went up by €68.

The Portuguese agriculture minister announced Huila, Namibe and Cunene, in the south of Angola, will receive €48 million in EU funds for agriculture projects that improve the livelihood in the region.

Our economy's indebtedness increased again in July. Government, families and companies' total indebtedness reached €722 billion, representing a 367.2% share of the wealth created by the Portuguese.

13,000 signatures were delivered this Wednesday at the Portuguese Constitutional Court. Santana Lopes says he wants a seat at the first row of Portuguese politics.

Christian Democrats leader, Assunção Cristas, was interviewed last week by ECO. She talked about her party's goals for the next election run, and about CDS' interaction with other Portuguese parties.

The minister for infrastructure and planning said this Wednesday that €700 million from Portugal 2020 funds have already been approved for projects in the region of Alentejo.

The number of unemployed people increased by 2.3% this month in comparison to July, according to the IEFP's monthly statistics on the Portuguese job market.

The CJEU decided national supervisory bodies might now disclose information covered by professional secrecy in order to safeguard the rights of the defence or for civil and commercial proceedings.

The majority of the Portuguese are ready to pay up to 138 thousand euros for a home and around €500 per month for their mortgage.

The President of the Business Confederation of Portugal (CIP) spoke to ECO about the negotiations underway regarding the minimum wage goals for 2019. The state budget will "mostly favour companies".

For the first time since CTG's takeover, the Portuguese electricity provider has hit a stock value below the tender offer price of €3.26. The value has been going down for 11 sessions in a row.

The number of people employed at the EU level (EA19 and EU28) increased by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2018 in comparison to the same quarter last year. In Portugal, it went down by -0.3%.

Despite the very intense growth, the country's economy is not risk free, and the IMF has identified six major constraints - market conditions and protectionism will most likely affect the economy.

The issue is raising much public concern, given the proximity to the State Budget 2019 decisions. PS, the socialists, have rejected the leftists' proposal targeting real estate speculation.

The Community of Portuguese Language Countries, organized its third congress on climate change this Wednesday. Leaders and engineers want to promote debate and raise awareness, and find solutions.

Portugal captivated a billion euros in treasury bonds on a five and ten-year span, with yields decreasing on the shorter maturity and increasing in the long term.

Bloco de Esquerda wants a new tax to be applied to those who profit from real estate speculation. Discussions regarding the tax introduction started in May, but no decision has been yet made.

Only Mexico, Turkey and Spain have worse results, the OECD report showed. The data report showed that three out of 10 Portuguese between 25 to 43 years old don't have secondary education.

NOVA SBE and Católica Lisbon have tied up on the 30th spot on the ranking that measures management masters, worldwide. NOVA went down a few steps, while Católica LSBE's rating is improving.

Portugal's exports increased by 13% in July, accelerating compared to the previous month (9%), while imports registered a year-on-year increase of 11%, a downturn compared to June (16.5%).

Investors are back in Portugal, and the country is seen as one of the most positive developing economies by the President of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Klaus Regling.

Eurogroup president and finances minister of Portugal spoke in Vienna this Friday about the financial situation of his country, stating that " Portugal met all the targets set in the state budget".