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Economy

Economy

Portugal's economy explained: GDP data, market trends, business developments, inflation, real estate, and economic policy. Analysis of how economic trends affect daily life and expat finances.

Muddy Waters Drags Mota-Engil Into a Texas Civil-Defamation Action Over Carlos Mota Santos's December 2024 Expresso Interview — Group Frames the 19 December 2025 Filing as Carrying 'Little Relevance' to Operations

Muddy Waters Drags Mota-Engil Into a Texas Civil-Defamation Action Over Carlos Mota Santos's December 2024 Expresso Interview — Group Frames the 19 December 2025 Filing as Carrying 'Little Relevance' to Operations

Muddy Waters Capital sued Mota-Engil in a Texas civil court on 19 December 2025 for defamation tied to a December 2024 Expresso interview with CEO Carlos Mota Santos. The group has filed for dismissal and CFO José Carlos Nogueira frames the case as carrying 'little relevance' to operations.
The Portugal Brief
Decreto-Lei 97/2026 Pins a 10% IMT Penalty on IVA-6% Homebuyers Who Vacate the Primary Residence Inside 12 Months — Pacote Fiscal Habitação Bolts the Affordable-Housing Loophole as Diário da República Publishes Tuesday 20 May

Decreto-Lei 97/2026 Pins a 10% IMT Penalty on IVA-6% Homebuyers Who Vacate the Primary Residence Inside 12 Months — Pacote Fiscal Habitação Bolts the Affordable-Housing Loophole as Diário da República Publishes Tuesday 20 May

Decreto-Lei 97/2026, in the DR on Tuesday 20 May, slaps a 10% IMT surcharge on any IVA-6% homebuyer who fails to designate the property as primary residence within six months — or vacates inside the first 12 months. Marriage, divorce and new dependents are the only carve-outs.
The Portugal Brief
Medway Steps Up the Palmela Rail-Freight Line to Three Trains a Week for Volkswagen Autoeuropa — Leixões and Santander Anchor the Modal-Shift Pipeline as Carlos Vasconcelos Reads the Railway Option 'Gaining Strength'

Medway Steps Up the Palmela Rail-Freight Line to Three Trains a Week for Volkswagen Autoeuropa — Leixões and Santander Anchor the Modal-Shift Pipeline as Carlos Vasconcelos Reads the Railway Option 'Gaining Strength'

Medway runs up to three trains a week from Palmela to Leixões and Santander carrying finished Volkswagen Autoeuropa vehicles, president Carlos Vasconcelos tells Jornal de Negócios. The Rodo Cargo service marks a slow modal shift toward rail-based finished-car logistics on the Atlantic Corridor.
The Portugal Brief