Squawk Box Europe

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• Spain's PM Mariano Rajoy Denies Corruption Charges

  

  The Spanish PM has strongly denied claims that he and other members of the governing party received secret payments. "I have never received or distributed 'black money', it's false," he said, stressing that he would not resign.

• Worst Not Over for Spain Banks After Big Writedowns

  

  Spain's largest banks have reported dismal results over the past 24 hours, hit by toxic real estate assets, and according to analysts, the results highlight the desperate need for Spain's banks to raise more capital.

• Electrolux Q4 Profit Misses Forecasts, Europe Still Weak  

  

  Keith McLoughlin, CEO of Electrolux, tells CNBC that Western Europe consumer demand is weak as austerity measures take hold and they expect low demand in the first half.

• European Markets Open Flat  

  

  Steve Sedgwick takes you through the European market open, where stocks have opened flat.

• Could Europe's Banks Ignite Another Crisis? 

  

  Chris Wheeler, bank analyst at Mediobanca, tells CNBC that the big question is what state the balance sheets of European banks are in.

• Will Banks Lead the Market Lower?  

  

  Ashok Shah, CIO at London and Capital, tells CNBC that banks have been given a ¿free lunch¿ borrowing at very low cost in order to boost their profitability.

• Shorts Are Still Active in Some Sectors: Pro  

  

  Simon Colvin, analyst at Markit, tells CNBC that short sellers are definitely reacting to the upside and the average short interest in the Stoxx 600 is down 25 percent in the last couple of months.

• Stock in Sixty Seconds: LVMH  

  

  CNBC's Steve Sedgwick takes you through LVMH which has posted a 12 percent jump in net profit in 2012.

• Spain Stocks Brace as Short-Selling Ban Ends

  

  Spain's short-selling ban came to an end on Thursday but analysts say that although the lifting of the ban is a sign of improved sentiment, further downward pressure should be expected in the coming weeks.

• Stimulus Will Do Little for Spain's Worsening Debt

  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is expected to announce stimulus measures as soon as Friday and the EU looks willing to ease budget deficit targets for Madrid, but it could all be in vain as the debt mounts up, according to an HSBC economist.

• STMicro: Could Need $500 Million Funding in 2013 

  

  Carlo Bozotti, CEO of ST Microelectronics, tells CNBC that in Q4 they outperformed the market in terms of topline.

• European Markets Open Flat, Earnings Eyed 

  

  European markets have opened flat, with a focus on earnings.

• There's a Real Hunt for Yield: Pro  

  

  Barry Dixon, head of research at Davy Research, tells CNBC people are looking for more cyclical plays and good quality companies within defensive sectors.

• Novo Nordisk Operating Profit Jumps 32%  

  

  Jesper Brandgaard, CFO of Novo Nordisk, tells CNBC that they see steady continued growth from their diabetes franchise.

• Shell Fourth Quarter Profit Up 13%  

  

  Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, tells CNBC that they are on track for their four year plan to deliver a thirty to fifty percent cash flow growth.

• BSkyB CEO: Increasing Our Dividend by 20%  

  

  Andrew Griffith, CFO of BSkyB, tells CNBC they are seeing broad based growth expanding their operations into new areas like communications.

• Are Spanish Banks in Denial? 

  

  Edmund Shing, European index strategist at S&P/Dow Jones Indices, tells CNBC it is hard to tell how much Spanish property prices have fallen as different indices give you different answers.

• Diageo CEO: Southern Europe Is Difficult  

  

  Paul Walsh, CEO of Diageo, tells CNBC the company are increasing their dividend again by nine percent but continue to see difficulty with consumer expenditure in Southern Europe.

• Unibail-Rodamco Beats Profit Guidance  

  

  Guillaume Poitrinal, CEO of European commercial property group, Unibail-Rodamco, tells CNBC he is stepping down to pursue a new professional life.

• Can Market Ignore Deutsche Bank Loss? 

  

  Deutsche bank posted a fourth quarter net loss of nearly 2.2 billion euros as hefty litigation, restructuring and impairment charges weigh. Silvia Wadhwa has more from Frankfurt.