Brazil

• Saturday, May 9th 2020 - 07:59 UTC

  Bolsonaro rules out raising gasoline taxes to support the ethanol industry

  

  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro effectively ruled out raising gasoline taxes on Thursday, a blow to the ethanol industry which had asked for a gasoline tax hike to boost its competitiveness amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

• Friday, May 8th 2020 - 09:28 UTC

  Brazil expects beef exports to set a new record in 2020 in volume and value

  

  Brazilian beef exports in 2020 will likely set a new record in terms of volume and value despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, Antônio Camardelli, president of beef group Abiec, said on Thursday.

• Friday, May 8th 2020 - 09:16 UTC

  Brazilian government anticipates food shortages and social disorder because of the lockdowns

  

  Brazil could face “economic collapse” in a month's time due to stay-at-home measures to stem the coronavirus outbreak, with food shortages and “social disorder,” Economy Minister Paulo Guedes warned on Thursday.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 07:58 UTC

  Brazil, record number of coronavirus cases: 9.2% jump in one day to 125.218

  

  Brazil, one of the world's emerging coronavirus hot spots, registered a record number of cases and deaths on Wednesday, prompting the health minister to flag the possibility of strict lockdowns in particularly hard-hit areas.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 07:47 UTC

  Brazil expects exports to China to help mitigate the contraction of the country's economy

  

  Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said that according to initial estimates, the country's economy would shrink 6% as a result of the recession caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, but now, thanks to the increase in exports to China, expectations are of a retraction of only 4% this year.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 07:41 UTC

  Brazilian pork exports increase 43% in first quarter, but beef sales dropped 5.86%

  

  Official data shows that Brazilian pork exports have increased by 43.34% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter of 2019, with 11,660 tons. In the month of March alone, there was a 37.9% increase compared to March of 2019 when only 4,131 tons were shipped. The main markets are China and Hong Kong.

• Thursday, May 7th 2020 - 07:34 UTC

  Brazil lowers interest rates to a record low 3%, with suggestions of a similar cut in June

  

  Brazil’s central bank slashed interest rates more than expected on Wednesday, cutting its benchmark Selic rate by 75 basis points to a record-low 3.00% and previewing another cut as it battles an economic crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2020 - 09:58 UTC

  Bolsonaro invokes military support, but Generals say they support the Constitution and democracy

  

  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday picked a new head of the federal police following a Supreme Court decision to block his effort to appoint a family friend - a tactical retreat a day after he and supporters threatened the court in anti-democratic protests.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2020 - 09:48 UTC

  Brazilian major city begins “lockdown” on fears the virus could collapse the health service

  

  Brazil's Sao Luis became the nation's first major city to begin a coronavirus “lockdown” on Tuesday, a measure that underscores widespread fears that health services across Brazil could soon collapse under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic.

• Wednesday, May 6th 2020 - 09:40 UTC

  Petrobras record oil exports of one million barrels per day in April

  

  Petrobras set a new oil exports record of 1 million BPD in April, as domestic demand plunged, the Brazilian state-controlled oil firm said on Monday, days after a large group of other oil producers, OPEC+, began a 9.7-million-BPD collective cut aimed at rebalancing the market.