Stories for 2018

Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:50 UTC
Tit for tat: China adds US$ 60bn of US imports to its tariff retaliation list

China and the United States plunged deeper into a trade war on Tuesday after Beijing added US$60 billion of US products to its import tariff list in retaliation for President Donald Trump's planned levies on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:44 UTC
Brazilian farmers encouraged by moisture conditions to plant soy and corn

Brazilian farmers sped up soy and corn plantings this week for the country’s next grain crop, under favorable weather conditions and a positive market outlook, despite a sharp fall in soybean futures in Chicago on Tuesday. Soybean planting in Brazil’s second-largest producing state of Paraná reached 9% of the expected final area this week, up 8 percentage points from last week and compared to only 1 percent at this time last year, as ample soil moisture allowed for a quick start of fieldwork.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:41 UTC
Card issuers have to pay US$ 6.2bn to settle class action lawsuit by US retailers

Visa Inc, Mastercard Inc, and a number of U.S. banks on Tuesday agreed to pay US$ 6.2 billion to settle a long-running lawsuit brought by merchants over the fees they pay when they accept card payments.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:37 UTC
Brazilian customs impound US$ 16 million from son of African dictator

The tiny West African state of Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday demanded Brazil hand back more than US$ 16m in cash and luxury watches that border officials confiscated from a delegation accompanying the president's son. Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue denounced the seizure as “paltry and unfriendly behavior” and demanded the items be returned, state television TVGE said.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:28 UTC
Brazilian economy recovering at snail pace: 1.19% in seven months of 2018

Brazil's economy grew 0.57% in July from June, Brazil's Central Bank said citing the Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br). The data shows a second consecutive month of GDP growth in South America's largest economy.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:18 UTC
Brazilian Bovespa market index up 1.75%; Real suffers a slight depreciation

Brazil's benchmark Bovespa index rose 1.75% on Tuesday, rallying for a second straight day largely on a spike in commodities prices. Two of the Bovespa's most heavily weighted equities, miner Vale and oil giant Petrobras benefited from rising commodity prices worldwide amid escalating China-U.S. trade tensions and signals OPEC is not prepared to raise output to address shrinking supplies from Iran.
Wednesday, September 19th 2018 - 08:11 UTC
China agreed to invest US$ 5bn in Venezuelan oil, alleges Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that new investments from China will help his country dramatically boost its oil production, doubling down on financing from the Asian nation to turn around its crashing economy.
Tuesday, September 18th 2018 - 08:58 UTC
Trump escalates the trade war with China imposing 10% tariffs on US$ 200bn imports

United States president Donald Trump escalated his trade war with Beijing, imposing 10% tariffs on about US$ 200 billion worth of imports in a move one senior Chinese regulator said “poisoned” the atmosphere for negotiations.
Tuesday, September 18th 2018 - 08:51 UTC
IMF's Lagarde: A no-deal Brexit would entail substantial costs for the UK economy

The International Monetary Fund has warned that a “no-deal” Brexit on World Trade Organization terms would entail “substantial costs” for the UK economy. IMF said that all likely Brexit scenarios would “entail costs”, but a disorderly departure could lead to “a significantly worse outcome”.
Tuesday, September 18th 2018 - 08:44 UTC
Maduro's Turkish stake delight, shocks and infuriates hungry Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dined on expensive steak at a “Salt Bae” restaurant in Istanbul during a stop-off returning from a visit to China, drawing furor back home where millions struggle to get enough to eat and red meat is a rare luxury.