Rising profits for Spanish banks but prospects remain gloomy. The five biggest banks in Spain announced positive results for the third quarter of 2013 but they are still in need of a strong boost. Over the first nine months of the year, profits rose, sometimes quite sharply. Profits for Santander and BBVA increased by 77% to €3.3 billion and by 86%, to €3.1 billion respectively. The third biggest bank in Spain, however, CaixaBank, experienced the sharpest increase in profits with a 161% rise to €452 million over the first nine months of the year. The second biggest bank in the country, BBVA, however, experienced a much sharper fall in profits compared to the previous quarter, down to €195 million. Quarterly profits registered by the biggest bank in the country, Santander, rose to €1.055 billion, those for Caixabank rose to €50 million, Banco Popular to €42 million, Bankia €122 million and those for BancoSabadell to €63 million. Overall, however, in a flat-lining domestic market, business activity by Spanish banks is down. (IL/transl.fl)