MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazilian consumer prices climb 0.4% in May; impact of truckers strike and fuel prices expected in June
Brazil's 12-month inflation accelerated in May from April amid strong fuel prices. Consumer prices rose 0.40% in the month, compared with an increase of 0.22% in April, statistics agency IBGE said on Friday. The consumer price index advanced 2.86% in May from a year earlier, up from April's 2.76% pace. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesREF: “Brazilian consumer prices climb 0.4% in May; impact expected in June”:
Jun 09th, 2018 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Impact expected in June, July,.....May, June...so on & on
Even with the increase that's still really low. The slow growth in GPD and continued high unemployment are much bigger problems.
Jun 09th, 2018 - 02:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@DT
Jun 09th, 2018 - 02:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “The slow growth in GPD and continued high unemployment are much bigger problems”:
True! ALSO:
- HIGH USD [very LIKELY to cross R$ 4 - SOON]
- HIGH Import-Costs [Crude Oil; contributing to inflation]
- HIGH Stagflation [looming ahead]
- HIGH Import-Duties in the USA; of the Brazilian Goods
- LOW Investor-Confidence
- LOW Moody's Credit Rating [anytime S00N]
IN SHORT; A CATASTROPHIC COCKTAIL INDEED!
Heh. I bet you'd still be prophesying doom if Brazil was the richest country on earth.
Jun 09th, 2018 - 05:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Isn't Brazil - ONE of the [potentially] RICH country?
Jun 10th, 2018 - 10:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TshXdjK0o8w/TWk2dLRJ9II/AAAAAAAAKDo/TeqGz97y-TU/s1600/charge+me+engana.jpg
Brazilians have short memories. In a populist move, Dilma forced Petrobras to subsidize fuel costs at the pump. This almost broke the company and still did not prevent the crisis...caused by multiple factors, but all having in common one thing : PT policy and Dilma's incompetence. When Temer took over, he decised to allow fuel prices to fluctuate, based on international prices....the market - and the people - applauded this decision, believing that oil prices would keep on dropping and that the cost of fuel would spiral downwards.....but they did not foresee the opposite happening....so now they are all pissed-off. The truth is, you can't have it both ways. That is just the result of years and years of government improvising to solve profound structural problems, because they always attack the symptoms and not the causes...and the people seem content to not demand anything further . But now, with the World Cup, the government's cock-ups will fade into the background for a while, and Brazilians will kid themselves that everything is hunky-dory.
Jun 11th, 2018 - 02:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What I don't understand is why it's such a problem for the truckers. Sure they can't avoid driving, but why can't they charge more for the goods they carry when the price of diesel rises and let other people pay?
Jun 11th, 2018 - 04:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The truckers' union, supposedly represents the interests of the majority of truckers....and probably the largest single user of their services is the agribusiness.....two private sectors which, in a normal country, where people don't expect the government to solve all their problems, the two parties would sit down and negotiate....as they don't seem to get anywhere, the government therefore intervenes and establishes a set of rules which doesn't satisfy either sector....so the rules are revoked...if negotiations followed the normal path, the market would eventually establish an acceptable solution for both sectors, even if it meant an increase in consumer prices. The consumers are the weakest link in the chain and would have little power to change things. Don't know if the truckers are more justified in trying to raise the price of freight, or whether the agribusiness is in trying to keep it down, but obviously with the paralyzation both sides lose out, as well as the population. In this case the increase in price of diesel was the alleged reason for the truckers' paralyzation, but I have a feeling there was political motivation behind it.
Jun 11th, 2018 - 05:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Right. Basically they can't agree anything between themselves so the government steps in. According to the news the agribusiness suffered even more from the strike than the rest of the country, so maybe they'd rather try and solve it themselves next time. If they have some kind of equivalent of a union, that is. Seems the many unions the truckers belonged to made things a lot worse, because they couldn't agree on what they wanted, and some of them continued protested even after the main union had got an agreement from the government.
Jun 11th, 2018 - 09:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We had a similar strike back in 2000 but it was nothing like as serious, and our government did not make any concessions at the time, though they did slow the increase in fuel tax over the next few years. Brazil seemed less prepared to cope, I guess it's more reliant on truckers than the UK is?
Anyway, the consumers will end up paying more either way, whether in increased cost of goods or in increased taxes. Only the oil producing countries benefit.
What do you think was the political motivation for the strike?
@DT
Jun 12th, 2018 - 10:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “the consumers will end up paying more either way, whether in increased cost of goods or in increased taxes”:
YES INDEED!
http://www.chargeonline.com.br/php/DODIA//mariano.jpg
@DT & :o))
Jun 13th, 2018 - 04:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Seems the many unions the truckers belonged to made things a lot worse,”
“...the many unions...”........I referred to the proliferation of unions - 99% of them useless unions - some months back....considering only 'worker' unions, some 11,500 ; truth is that most unions only represent the interests of their leaders, one more reason to have done away with the obligatory union contribution in the Labour Reform.
“...I guess it's more reliant on truckers than the UK is? ”
Most definitely. Decades ago Brazil “opted” (pushed by strong lobbies) to give priority to long- haul trucking instead of railways. Despite several lines being “resuscitated” about 20 years ago (through privatization), red tape and little government interest did not allow them to participate in the carriage of cargoes, as they could have. As a result, the truckers hold both the cheese, and knife, in their hands.
Prices of agricultural and agriculture-based products have shot up, and it'll probably take a few weeks before they reach levels prior to the paralyzation.
At the start of the paralyzation, it appeared to be all about fuel prices, then CUT interference (leftist union center) and the PT suggested they could put a stop to it, provided all truckers affixed banners on their trucks, with “Lula livre”......although the majority of truckers almost certainly adhered to the stoppage because of fuel prices, there was nevertheless an attempt (by some, instigated by the radical left) to politicize it, but seems it was not successful.
@JB:
Jun 13th, 2018 - 10:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Seems the many unions the truckers belonged to made things a lot worse”
Of course! Like too many political parties [more than 30] when about 4-5 maybe more than sufficient; these and the other unions [backed by different political parties] go on draining the income of the taxpayers and that too with no benefit at all to the masses! REF:
https://mcartuns.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/partidos-polc3adticos.jpg
@JB
Jun 13th, 2018 - 10:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why would anyone choose to join some tiny, ineffectual union anyway? Isn't the whole point to have strength in numbers and cooperate with your fellows to negotiate better wages and conditions?
“provided all truckers affixed banners on their trucks, with “Lula livre””
Oh, right. That wasn't reported here. If prices of agricultural products have shot up, does that mean food? If so I'm surprised we haven't seen more ordinary people complaining, there must be many in Brazil who would be seriously affected.
@DT:
Jun 14th, 2018 - 12:27 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “there must be many in Brazil who would be seriously affected”
They are so used to the misery and the suffering; that some more of it hardly makes any difference to them. They are just too exhausted to even complain! On the other hand; they also ARE brainwashed into generosity!
REF:
https://www.poder360.com.br/eleicoes/vaquinha-virtual-de-lula-lidera-arrecadacoes-por-pre-candidatos-ao-planalto/
Lol. Google translated 'vaquinhas virtuais' as 'virtual kittens'; hilarious and nonsensical. I've changed it to 'virtual kitties' since that seems to be the intended meaning, although 'crowdfunding' might be a better translation.
Jun 14th, 2018 - 10:05 am - Link - Report abuse 0Anyone, none of the pre-candidates seem to have received very much money yet, and Lula will probably have to return all his donations when his candidacy is rejected, so he'd better not spend them.
@DT:
Jun 14th, 2018 - 11:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Lula will probably have to return all his donations”:
RETURN [!?!] the donations - THAT, is a good one!
REF: “when his candidacy is rejected”:
I'd modify it to “IF [at all] his candidacy is rejected”
REF: so he'd better not spend them: Actually, I intended referring to the ignorant+brainwashed masses who support the “Lost Causes” at the cost of their own victimization.
REF: The TOP Priority:
National “DEFENCE” Strategy of 2'008:
https://brazilian.report/2018/06/13/brazil-podcast-nuclear-program/
@DT
Jun 14th, 2018 - 08:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Why would anyone choose to join some tiny, ineffectual union anyway?”
That is not the question…ALL registered unions – 11,500 of them – receive(d) part of the obligatory union contribution (around USD 1 billion), regardless of their representativeness ...that is exactly why the unions (leaders, well understood) rose up in arms (and instigated thousands of idiots) to protest against the Labour Reform. The ineffectual union leaders sponge off the workers and do nothing, so of course, if their (easy) revenue is suddenly cut, they are going to protest.
Ryr “Oh, right. That wasn't reported here”, seems to confirm what I’ve thought all along….leftist media omits whatever news they believe will weaken their cause.
Yep, food prices….but how can the consumer, on top of whom the burden usually falls, protest ? by not buying food ? not likely.
The ‘vaquinhas virtuais’ are ‘virtual collections’…never heard of ‘crowdfunding’ but it sounds good. But you can see that of the 6 pre-candidates who have (so far) resorted to this, three are radicals (PT, PSOL, PCdoB), to be expected from the more fanatical. Lula won’t have to return the donations…if they don’t end up in his personal bank account they’ll probably be spent on other PT campaigns.
Unions won't have much influence over the strikers unless they are members though, will they? And the small unions must have some members, or the papers wouldn't have said the truckers belonged to so many different ones.
Jun 14th, 2018 - 09:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0RE the media, MP certainly isn't leftist, and in Britain the TV news is pretty non-partisan while more of the newspapers are right-wing with only a couple being left of centre. Sadly I think the true explanation is that people here are just not much interested in Brazil or the rest of South America, so they don't report anything in depth. If it happened in the US we'd hear all about it.
“Yep, food prices….but how can the consumer, on top of whom the burden usually falls, protest ? by not buying food ? not likely.”
Indeed. I'm surprised it hasn't turned people against the strikers, but perhaps they blame the government?
Virtual collections is perfectly understandable, I wonder where on earth google got 'kittens' from? It makes sense that the 'people's parties' would try and get donations from the people, and that the more traditional parties are slower to jump on a novel way of fundraising, but they'll probably join in eventually.
But doesn't the article say the donations can only be used if the pre-candidate actually registers their candidacy, otherwise they have to be returned to the donors? Or did google screw that bit up too?
@JB:
Jun 15th, 2018 - 02:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0REF: “Brazilians have short memories”:
TRUE!
They don't even remember that for nearly 35 years, they VOLUNTEERED to hand over the country to the crooks!
HENCE:
donations & fundraising = Bribes + Money Laundering
Operating virtually makes it even safer for the “donors”
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B2aYqP7f6m4/Um2y-zpY6NI/AAAAAAAAAWk/BMNEPQTvqUI/s640/charge70.jpg
DemonTree
Jun 16th, 2018 - 02:37 am - Link - Report abuse 0“What do you think was the political motivation for the strike?”
The only visible political signs I saw on all the satellite news channels, showed the truckers displays asking for military to take over. A military column was showing strikers blocking them and imploring them to take over of the government.
REF: Lulla: And the NEXT Step is.......................................................?
Jun 16th, 2018 - 10:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://www.oantagonista.com/brasil/mercado-especula-sobre-pedido-de-liberdade-de-lula/
@TH
Jun 16th, 2018 - 02:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That's alarming if it's true. I remember the army were reluctant to get involved, possibly because they didn't want to look like they were propping up Temer.
@ :o))
Considering that if it's not Lula, it's likely to be Bolsonaro, who is both radical and an unknown quantity, I'm surprised it makes much difference to the markets.
But I suppose they like predictability above all else.
@DT
Jun 17th, 2018 - 02:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0Agree, ineffectual unions won't have much power if they represent virtually no one, but when it comes down to demanding rights, they (the leaders) all band together. The paralyzation, and its expected results probably united them, at least temporarily.
You're probably right about the EU press not reporting sufficiently in-depth about all that goes on here...not helped by the fact that EU probably has more important things to think about.
I too was surprised by the support the truckers received from parts of the population...probably because they saw their general complaints had a lot in common with those of the trucker's.
Regading the political donations, I think electoral law does state something about donations having to be returned if not used, but like many things here, what the law says and what happens in practice, are two different things.
Had a reply on “Lula out of the presidential race” ready, but the story closed for comments before I could post it......
@DT
Jun 17th, 2018 - 08:50 am - Link - Report abuse 0Yes - looks like it!
As long as G. M. keeps releasing the crooks [ https://i0.wp.com/www.humorpolitico.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_internet.jpg?resize=553%2C420&ssl=1 ]; just ANYBODY has a chance.
In any case, this elections is the easiest since there isn't much to think about. All one has to do is to vote for his or her or anybody else's favorite crook!
@JB
Jun 17th, 2018 - 02:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0People in Europe like to laugh at Americans for not knowing anything about the rest of the world, but I think we are just as bad. We get news from America and from Europe, news from war zones our government is currently involved in, but from the rest of the world very little. Only if there is a major disaster or someone from Britain is involved do events reach the front page.
I guess you're right about people supporting the truckers. High fuel prices affect everyone, so they were probably hoping to see them lowered. The problem is they will have to pay one way or another, in taxes or in cuts to services if not at the pump.
“like many things here, what the law says and what happens in practice, are two different things.”
Laws being ignored certainly is a theme in Brazil, starting right at the top. Is corruption common in daily life too, like having to pay a bribe to get government services, or the police taking bribes to let people off speeding, say?
RE “Lula out of the presidential race”, I posted in the thread below; you could reply there:
http://en.mercopress.com/2018/06/16/brazil-s-industries-lobby-fiesp-ready-to-join-a-presidential-ticket
@DT
Jun 17th, 2018 - 09:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Soon after being elected, Lula realized his rhetoric did not please the business community. To make himself more palatable, he changed his tune and soon realized he had more to gain by getting into bed with the elite, than to fight it. After a while, believing he had a firm grip on power, and that he was ‘statesman-like’, his head swelled and he discretely resuscitated his FdSP ideas - not so much publicly within Brazil, but clearly through his support and actions to favour Chavez, and the Castros….big loans to them, through the BNDES….at the expense of Brazil.
The PT may have become less radical over the years, prompting the PMDB/PSDB to turn away (further towards the right of centre), but over Dilma’s 6 years, perhaps due to her making a mess of things, the PT showed signs of fracturing internally, the radicals wanting to return to their origins and the moderates more to the centre. Many politicians from FHC’s time are still pulling the strings (as renewal has not been Congress’ strong point), the number of parties increased and governability became harder. Don’t believe the PCdoB and the other two parties would ever join (unless forced by the TSE in an effort to reduce the number of parties) as that would mean their leaders would need to give up their personal ambitions for the greater good…to them it’s all about personal power, pulling together and just fading into the background wouldn’t work for them
Agree, paper ballots are no guarantee…Although I’m convinced electronic fraud is possible, and it does happen, the government refuses to look into it seriously. Here you need a special voting ID, but have never seen any attempt to cross-check voter IDs to minimize the possibility of fraud. Yep, we all have national IDs, and it is highly recommendable to carry it , or your driver’s license, with you at all times.
Bribing has been an institution in Brazil, for as far as I can remember...bribing a cop to avoid a fine used to be common, today not so much.
Filling a gap amongst the crowd of crooks:
Jun 18th, 2018 - 11:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://veja.abril.com.br/blog/radar/eduardo-paes-pode-lancar-candidatura-em-marica/
You think Lula was more radical in his foreign policy than domestic, then? Perhaps the President has more power in the former, anyway, as compared to the rest of the government?
Jun 18th, 2018 - 06:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Dilma only got the presidential nomination because Lula chose her, right? She doesn't seem to have been a natural leader, and without strong leadership it's not surprising that any divisions in the PT widened. Are they more united now they can rally behind protesting Lula's imprisonment?
It won't mean much to you, but to compare how much time has passed; FHC's term overlapped with Blair's and was a bit earlier. I don't think too many of Blair's ministers are still in the shadow cabinet, but that might have more to do with Corbyn taking over than time passing. Some of the names I remember from the opposition then are still around in the government now. The major difference is ministers only serve when their own party is in power in Britain.
Do you mean you have a national ID and also need a different one for voting? That seems very inefficient. Most people here do carry their driving licence around. If you're young and don't have one you have to carry your passport to buy alcohol or get into clubs, which is really annoying. Our government could at least provide optional (free) ID cards to avoid that.
“bribing a cop to avoid a fine used to be common”
Did you ever bribe one?
@DT
Jun 18th, 2018 - 07:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lula probably realized that his radical (FdSP) views , if openly talked about, would not be well-received internally, but he used (and abused) his power with the BNDES (through Odebrecht) with his “friends” (virtual dictators in Cuba, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, and some African countries), with the purpose of furthering his ambitions internationally...which most Brazilians, at the time, were not all that aware of....since he and Dilma have left office, the truth behind many of these deals has come out ...extremely favourable financing terms - not even available internally, some with zero interest, the pardoning of foreign debts of some 'friends', all at the expense of Brazil. So yes, his foreign policy was all about gaining the support of his 'friends', who in return would always support and speak well of him. Might also explain why no foreign bank accounts have been found in his name....as Cuban, Venezuelan banks would never supply incriminating evidence against him....at least not while his “friends” are still in power.
Dilma was Lula's choice, because he knew he could manipulate her. Regarding Lula, there are still different opinions within the PT....some believe he's finished and want to get on with restructuring the party, others can't let go of Lula.
Unfortunately, there is little renewal in our Congress....space appears for newcomers as the older politicians die, retire, or are imprisoned...and in the NE (mainly), the job passes from father to son.
That's right, 2 different IDs...
“Did you ever bribe one?”.....sure did, but that was about 35/40 years ago, when I had a sportscar and liked to accelerate on the highways.....wasn't caught very often, but when I was, it was cheaper to bribe than to pay the fine....more recently, say in the last decade, I haven't needed to bribe them, but many cops have been caught accepting bribes, so now I reckon they are naturally suspicious of anyone trying to offer one.
DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendage
Jun 18th, 2018 - 10:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“After losing the argument...” by my exposing your fraud.
http://en.mercopress.com/2018/06/12/new-spanish-government-surprises-gibraltar-at-c24-calling-for-bilateral-talks-with-uk/comments#comment489455
”His interpretation of your comment is the most natural one...I just object to his absurd illogic and idiocy...Estoppel is a legal term and does not apply to ...“ After your oxymoron, according to you, such a proven and fair manner should not be given any consideration. Then within the values of 'Argumentation theory' what yardstick should be used to avoid an inevitable impasse?
”You previously claimed (falsely) that every statement is true or false“
You blatant liar, is there no end to your duplicity? Here is what I quoted.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; States of Affairs; First published Tue Mar 27, 2012
”Philosophers connect sentences with various items, such as thoughts, facts and states of affairs. Thoughts are either true or false in an absolute sense, never both or neither.“ plato. stanford.edu/entries/states-of-affairs/
”You insist that you are allowed to clarify your statement about being unable to meet your burden of proof” I didn't nor did I need too, as it was already a matter of record, and reveals your deceit.
h ttp://en.mercopress.com/2016/09/27/deutsche-bank-in-danger-zone-shares-down-50-this-year-and-sliding/comments#comment450988
“If a Manx cat tells you that it is trying to preserve its long, beautiful tail, you don't have to believe it - especially if you have eyes.” Idries Shah, Reflections
@JB
Jun 18th, 2018 - 10:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Dictators in Uruguay? They're still democratic aren't they? And not doing too badly compared to their two larger neighbours, as far as I can see.
Anyway, Lula seemed to like international diplomacy, that was the point when Brazil was getting more involved in world events, with the Brics etc as well as those countries you mentioned. Also the growing economy at that point helped Brazil get more attention.
RE the PT, I guess Lula's arrest has not united them, then. It wouldn't help them win the presidency anyway, unless Lula is allowed to run after all. Suppose they can still try and get seats in congress though.
And I lolled that being imprisoned is a common way of vacating the job for those in Congress. ;) Probably not common enough given how many break the law, though. What I don't get is how the job passes from father to son. Why do the people keep reelecting these corrupt and/or unhelpful politicians? But maybe the fact corruption is everywhere, from the top of the country to the bottom, you not excepted, explains why people have tolerated it in their leaders.
@Terry the Liar
I cannot debate with a pigeon.
DemonTree the slavish follower aka The Appendag
Jun 18th, 2018 - 11:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“I cannot debate ...” You certainly can't Ollie when what you're relying on is conclusively shown to be deliberately untrue. Moreover, your sophistry in resurrecting the same issue that you have already soundly been defeated on. Burden of Proof versus a comparison between FACTS vis-à-vis OPINIONS, two different issues, i.e., apples and oranges http://en.mercopress.com/2016/09/27/deutsche-bank-in-danger-zone-shares-down-50-this-year-and-sliding/comments#comment450988.
But its no surprise as you are such a great supporter of those other two outstanding fallacious posters Voice, V0ice, Vestige, Think et al, sock-puppeteer extraordinaire, and mythology major, and Jack Bauer aka Proof-less and Truth-less.
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