Argentina and China entered a new phase of their relationship in July last year after upgrading it to a “comprehensive strategic association” and signing a battery of agreements, which include a 4.7 billion investment in hydroelectric dams, 2.09 billion in the renovation of the rail system and an 11 billion currency swap.
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday 250 billion dollars in investment in Latin America over the next five years as part of a drive to boost resource-hungry China’s influence in the region.
FAO's monthly Food Price Index declined in December after three months of stability. Continued large supplies and record stocks combined with a stronger U.S. dollar and falling oil prices contributed to the decline, which helped bring the 2014 overall Food Price Index down 3.7%.
The importance of forging closer strategic ties between China and Latin America was underlined by Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in her speech to the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean two-day ministerial forum that took place in Beijing.
Germany's Angela Merkel has played down the chances of a Greek exit from the Euro zone, but made clear she expected Athens to stick to the terms of its international bailouts after this month's election.
As we ring in the New Year, let's take stock of where we are at with the oil markets. 2014 proved to be a momentous one for the oil markets, having seen prices cut in half in just six months.
Inflation in the Euro-zone has turned negative, official figures have shown, with prices in December 0.2% lower than the same month a year earlier. The tip into deflation adds pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to take further action to stimulate the bloc's economy.
The sale of cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses in Brazil dropped 7.15% last year compared to 2013, and reached 3.498 million according to the Brazilian federation of car dealers, Fenabrave. It is the largest drop for the industry in twelve years and the second consecutive fall.
Sales of new cars in Argentina plunged 42% in December, compared to the same month of 2013, a steep drop that managed to raise eyebrows in an industry that had gotten used to declines month after month. It was steeper than the already strong 37% drop seen in November.
President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday he had secured a total of more than 20 billion dollars in investment from major creditor China for economic, social, and oil-related projects.