Argentine exports in November experienced their first decrease in six years falling 6% to 5.1 billion US dollars as a direct consequence of lower commodities prices and smaller volumes of soy shipped to China. This represented a significant 7.3% drop in the month's trade surplus, 952 million USD compared to a year ago.
Following a year full of political events and tension, basically the several month-long conflict between the Argentine government and farmers, Argentines are among the most optimistic about 2009 according to a world public opinion poll from TNS Gallup.
Champagne sales during the first ten months of 2008 indicate a 4.9% drop following a record 338 million bottles sold in 2007, according to France's champagne wine board, CIVC. October was particularly significant with 23% less bottles leaving France's main cellars compared to a year ago.
Caterpillar Inc, the world's largest maker of heavy construction and mining equipment, said Monday it is cutting white-collar pay by up to 50% and offering buyouts to as many as 25.000 US employees as it looks to cut costs during what it characterized as uncertain times.
Tourism activity in Chile during 2008 has expanded 6% compared to the previous year according to Oscar Santelices, Chile's head of the Tourist Office, Sernatur.
Air Comet Chile, a unit of Spanish group Marsans, said on Monday it had filed for bankruptcy protection, less than one week after the Argentine Senate voted to expropriate Aerolineas Argentinas, also owned by Marsans.
Visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva agreed on Monday to take a common EU-Brazil position to the next G20 summit dealing with the global financial crisis.
Brazilian Defence minister Nelson Jobim announced Monday an agreement with France for the construction of a nuclear submarine. Jobim said France would help build a yard in Rio do Janeiro for the assembling of four conventional Scorpone submarines and one nuclear powered.