Brazil

• Sunday, June 24th 2012 - 02:46 UTC

  Brazil’s May current account deficit reached 3.4 billion dollars

  

  Brazil posted a current account deficit of 3.468 billion dollars in May, central bank data showed on Friday, in line with analysts' expectations and less than the previous month's gap. Brazil's current account deficit in April was 5.4 billion, the central bank said last month.

• Saturday, June 23rd 2012 - 03:25 UTC

  Mercosur/Unasur anticipate “appropriate measures” against coup in Paraguay

  

  President Cristina Fernández assured on Friday night that “Argentina does not condone the coup in Paraguay” and anticipated that “appropriate measures” will be taken at next week’s Mercosur Summit, scheduled to take place in Mendoza.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 08:13 UTC

  Brazilian government studying fuel price increase to support Petrobras

  

  Officials from Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras and the government on Thursday confirmed they are studying a fuel price increase to help offset the costs of fuel sector investments.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 08:03 UTC

  Brazilian iron ore exports drop 19% in value, first time since 2002

  

  Brazilian exports of iron ore from January through May were down 19% in value from the same period last year, according to a report from Sao Paulo based newspaper Folha on Thursday.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 07:58 UTC

  Brazil’s Bovespa monopoly on the line as government considers boosting competition

  

  Brazil’s stock exchange Bovespa is facing a loss in market share estimated at as much as 30% by HSBC Holdings Plc and Banco Itau BBA SA as the nation considers boosting competition among trading platforms.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 07:55 UTC

  Brazil and China sign 30bn dollars swap to boost trade and better weather global turbulence

  

  Brazil and China will sign an agreement in the coming weeks to swap as much as 30 billion in their two currencies, Brazil Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 07:49 UTC

  World corn glut as Matto Grosso in Brazil doubles crop over last year

  

  Corn fell in Chicago on concern a record harvest in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state may add to a supply glut and on speculation slowing US economic growth will cut demand for grain used to make ethanol.

• Friday, June 22nd 2012 - 07:46 UTC

  Credit Suisse’s Brazil growth forecast of 1.5% this year “a joke” said Mantega

  

  Finance minister Guido Mantega said the latest release from investment bank Credit Suisse forecasting Brazil’s 2012 GDP growth at 1.5%, was “a joke”.

• Thursday, June 21st 2012 - 06:29 UTC

  Ban Ki-moon at Rio+20: “the old model for economic and social development is broken”

  

  More than 100 Heads of State and government gathered on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro for the start of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which seeks to shape new policies to promote global prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.

• Thursday, June 21st 2012 - 06:23 UTC

  Rio+20: Development banks to invest 175bn dollars in sustainable transport

  

  The eight largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) announced on Wednesday at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, that they will invest 175 billion dollars in sustainable transportation systems over the coming decade.