For the first time in history Finland has issued a bond with an interest rate below the German level. The interest rate that Finland is to pay on a reference loan of EUR 5 billion that launched last week will have a return interest rate lower than any other European country which traditionally was Germany’s claim to fame. The rate for a five year loan between Finland and Germany has been a small difference but a favorable one for Germany in the past; however, good Finish state finances have been the key in their low interest rate success. Finland’s state debt is among the lowest in Europe which accounts for 45% of the nation’s GDP. The relative surplus of state finances is 2.3% of GDP which is the highest in the Euro zone. Although Finish bonds have excellent liquidity, investors from outside Europe wanting to invest in the euro zone still find it easier to invest in the bonds of a larger country like Germany, France, or Italy, which account for 70% of the total. More than 80% of the state’s EUR 60 million in debt is now in the hands of foreign investors making it difficult for Finland to attacked investments. I think that Finland should try to obtain more tourist attractions which will give the country more popularity and possibly attracted more foreign investors for their Euro zone. ( http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Finland+pays+lowest+interest+rates+in+Europe-+public+finances+in+good+shape/1101979644900)
[Picture of Finish euro]
For this blog I will give examples of Finish resources and list the top five businesses responsible for this savvy and potent economy. Finland’s economy is primarily built around forestry which produces massive amounts of construction materials, wood product and paper products. Large timber forests in the Northern regions of Finland provide the natural resources for the development of this good. Two out of Finland’s top five businesses in the nation are timber wood manufactures: UPM-Kymmen (#4), and Stora Enso (#2). Other than forestry, Finland has a very high powered industrial economy and given the excellent water access trading is also a discipline of one of Finland’s top five Businesses. A business called Kesko ranks fifth as Finland’s largest and most successful business. Kesko (#5) is responsible for a large portion of the trading and manufacturing of goods throughout Europe which generates revenue as Finish income. Another natural resource found in Finland is oil which leads to Finland’s third wealthiest business. Neste Oil (#3) is a company in Finland that does a variety of services with fossil fuels and provides for customers such as: Natural gas pipeline operators, petrochemicals companies, and oil refineries. The most successful and possibly the most well known business hailing from Finland is Nokia (#1) which specializes in electronics. Nokia now specializes in cell phones but has been a household name in Finland since 1865 which initially produced such things as rubber, basic cables, radios, and later on phones of all kinds. 
