Brazil

• Saturday, December 9th 2017 - 19:51 UTC

  Brazilian auto industry recovering above expectations

  

  Auto sales in Brazil are likely to beat prior forecasts and accelerate next year, national automakers association Anfavea said on Wednesday, underscoring the gathering strength of a recovery in Latin America’s largest economy.

• Saturday, December 9th 2017 - 19:12 UTC

  Brazilian economy gradually picking up with growing confidence from investors

  

  Brazil’s economic recovery gained traction in the third quarter, supported by steady family consumption and a rebound in investment. GDP expanded 0.1% from the second quarter and 1.4% from the previous year, the national statistics agency said.

• Friday, December 8th 2017 - 07:49 UTC

  Monsanto confident a soy seed patent dispute in Brazil will uphold

  

  U.S. seeds company Monsanto Co is confident Brazilian courts will uphold its Intacta RR2 PRO soy seed patent despite a challenge from grain growers in the state of Mato Grosso, the company’s chief of South American operations said this week.

• Thursday, December 7th 2017 - 08:35 UTC

  Brazil cuts rates to an all-time low, 7%, and hints at another reduction

  

  Brazil’s central bank cut interest rates to an all-time low on Wednesday and hinted at a smaller reduction early next year, although it said it would be extra cautious going forward. The bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee, known as Copom, cut the benchmark Selic rate by 50 basis points to 7.00%, capping a 725 basis-point decline since October 2016.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2017 - 21:31 UTC

  Peruvian construction companies accused of colluding with Brazil's Odebrecht

  

  Four former and current executives of Peruvian construction companies were detained pending trial, accused of colluding with Brazilian builder Odebrecht to bribe a former president.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2017 - 16:14 UTC

  Brazil services activity in November shrinks the most in nine months

  

  Brazilian services activity in November shrank the most in nine months, a private survey showed on Tuesday, highlighting the nation's uneven recovery from the deepest recession in a century. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the Brazilian services sector compiled by research firm Markit fell to 46.9 from 48.8 in October. Readings below 50 indicate contraction in activity.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2017 - 13:47 UTC

  Brazil and US scientists discover molecule that has destroyed millions of citrus groves

  

  Researchers have identified the molecule that attracts the insect that transmits citrus greening disease, a development expected to help farmers control a plague that has destroyed trees in growing regions of Brazil and the United States. The scientific breakthrough is the result of six years of research on Diaphorina citri, the vector of citrus greening disease.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2017 - 09:56 UTC

  Several members of Temer's party charged with money laundering and criminal association

  

  Brazil’s prosecutor general officially presented money laundering and criminal association charges against six people, including a former federal minister and a congressman, Brazilian media reported on Monday evening.

• Tuesday, December 5th 2017 - 14:01 UTC

  Brazil opens areas for exploration and production of oil and gas

  

  Brazil's National Agency for Oil, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP) announced the areas for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas to be made available as part of a new, permanent-offer system. The move covers 846 blocks of 13 sedimentary basins, adding up to some 285,400 square kilometers.

• Monday, December 4th 2017 - 14:29 UTC

  Despite a poor November, Brazilian trade surplus is 43% higher year to year

  

  Brazil's trade balance posted a US$ 3.546 billion surplus in November, 31.8% lower than the US$ 5.201 billion in October and 25.4% down from November 2016, according to government data.