Brazil’s economic recovery gained traction in the third quarter, supported by steady family consumption and a rebound in investment. GDP expanded 0.1% from the second quarter and 1.4% from the previous year, the national statistics agency said.
U.S. seeds company Monsanto Co is confident Brazilian courts will uphold its Intacta RR2 PRO soy seed patent despite a challenge from grain growers in the state of Mato Grosso, the company’s chief of South American operations said this week.
Brazil’s central bank cut interest rates to an all-time low on Wednesday and hinted at a smaller reduction early next year, although it said it would be extra cautious going forward. The bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee, known as Copom, cut the benchmark Selic rate by 50 basis points to 7.00%, capping a 725 basis-point decline since October 2016.
Four former and current executives of Peruvian construction companies were detained pending trial, accused of colluding with Brazilian builder Odebrecht to bribe a former president.
Brazilian services activity in November shrank the most in nine months, a private survey showed on Tuesday, highlighting the nation's uneven recovery from the deepest recession in a century. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the Brazilian services sector compiled by research firm Markit fell to 46.9 from 48.8 in October. Readings below 50 indicate contraction in activity.
Researchers have identified the molecule that attracts the insect that transmits citrus greening disease, a development expected to help farmers control a plague that has destroyed trees in growing regions of Brazil and the United States. The scientific breakthrough is the result of six years of research on Diaphorina citri, the vector of citrus greening disease.
Brazil’s prosecutor general officially presented money laundering and criminal association charges against six people, including a former federal minister and a congressman, Brazilian media reported on Monday evening.
Brazil's National Agency for Oil, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP) announced the areas for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas to be made available as part of a new, permanent-offer system. The move covers 846 blocks of 13 sedimentary basins, adding up to some 285,400 square kilometers.
Brazil's trade balance posted a US$ 3.546 billion surplus in November, 31.8% lower than the US$ 5.201 billion in October and 25.4% down from November 2016, according to government data.
Former Brazilian senator and environmental minister Marina Silva said on Sunday that she would seek her party’s nomination to run for president next year. Silva announced her plans at a meeting of her Sustainability Network Party, or REDE, which would officially nominate her at its national convention in April.