Stories for February 14th 2017

Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 12:17 UTC
Petrobras credit rating raised to BB-: improved governance “compares well with those of its peers”

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Friday raised its corporate credit rating on Petrobras, one notch, from B+ to BB-. The rating change does not lift Petrobras out of the non-investment grade category, but it lowers the risk from “highly speculative” to “speculative.”
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 11:28 UTC
Brazil forced to import Robusta coffee: first time in decades

Brazil's Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said on Monday he has asked the country's Foreign Trade Chamber (Camex) for authorization to open robusta coffee imports at near zero tariff, according to the ministry.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 11:21 UTC
Uruguay's wool and lamb exports dropped 17% in twelve months

Uruguay wool and lamb exports dropped 17% in dollars in the last twelve months compared to the year before. Of the US$ 265 million shipped overseas, China was the main client with 42% of that total, according to the latest Custom stats.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 11:17 UTC
Greater Buenos Aires January consumer prices rose 1.3% in January

Consumer prices in greater Buenos Aires rose 1.3% in January over the previous month, Argentina's official Indec statistics agency announced, far below market expectations and in line with the central bank's annual target. January's reading was slightly above 1.2% inflation in December.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 11:02 UTC
Brazilian media banned from publishing a report on an extortion attempt suffered by the First Lady

A Brazilian judge censored articles in two respected and influential newspapers, Folha de Sao Paulo and O'Globo, which reported on an extortion attempt suffered by the First Lady Marcela Temer last year. Both newspapers anticipated they will be appealing the ruling.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 10:50 UTC
Temer refuses to lose another advisor whose nomination was barred by a judge

Brazilian President Michel Temer on Monday denied suggestions that he is trying to protect a minister implicated in a corruption scandal. Temer is under fire in the media and judiciary for controversially naming his close adviser Wellington Moreira Franco to a cabinet-level position.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 10:34 UTC
Former Goldman Sachs executive and “foreclosure expert”, confirmed as US Treasury Secretary

A bitterly divided Senate on Monday confirmed Steven Mnuchin as United States treasury secretary despite strong objections by Democrats that the former banker ran a “foreclosure machine” when he headed OneWest Bank. Republicans said Mnuchin's long tenure in finance makes him qualified to run the department, which will play a major role in developing economic policy under President Donald Trump.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 10:17 UTC
Brazil deploys federal troops to Rio do Janeiro; fears police strike might spread

Children returned to school and most public transport began operating again Monday in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo state, which had been paralyzed by a protest that prevented military police from patrolling. Amid fears a similar protest could erupt in the days before Carnival, the Brazilian government announced it would deploy troops to police the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 10:05 UTC
Punta Arenas cruise season described as “a true record”

Punta Arenas is enjoying a record cruise season with over 20.000 visitors in the last week according to the numbers released by the port's authority. This includes the 4.000 which landed over the weekend from the Silver Spirit, Queen Victoria and Stella Australis.
Tuesday, February 14th 2017 - 09:37 UTC
Uruguay's hope of pulp mill announcement still far away, despite presidential visit to Finland

Talks between Uruguay's government and Finnish pulp and paper maker UPM on a new pulp plant project in the Latin American country are proceeding, Uruguay's president Tabare Vazquez said on Monday.