Economy

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 18:52 UTC

  Cuban government plans to allow residents to travel abroad as tourists

  

  The Cuban government said Monday that it plans to study ways to allow residents of the island to travel abroad as tourists, suggesting it will ease the bureaucratic hurdles and outright restrictions that prevent many residents from leaving.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 18:48 UTC

  Repsol plans to sell an additional 3% of YPF in the Argentine market

  

  Spain’s oil company Repsol plans to sell up to 3% of YPF on the Argentine market as part of a gradual divestment of its stake in that unit, according to company sources.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 18:45 UTC

  Argentines no longer the world’s king “beef consumers”

  

  Argentines are no longer the king ‘beef-consumers’ with the average 63.3 kilos per person per year in the 2003/2010 period falling to 46.7 kilos in the first quarter of this year, according to Economia & Regiones private consultancy report.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 16:54 UTC

  Global central bankers concerned with commodity markets’ volatility

  

  Global central bankers voiced concern about recent volatility in commodity markets, saying they needed to better understand its impact on inflation at a time when some emerging economies may be overheating.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 11:06 UTC

  Chile’s consumer inflation falls in April, but still above official target

  

  Chile’s consumer prices rose 0.3% in April from March, reported the National Statistics Institute. Annual inflation reached 3.2%, down from 3.4% a month earlier, and 1.6% in the first four months of 2011.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 06:46 UTC

  Chilean industrial production booming; unemployment steady at 7.3%

  

  Industrial production in Chile increased at the fastest ever pace in the 12-month period ended March, data released by the National Institute of Statistics revealed. Industrial output climbed a record 30.9% in the year ended March, marking the biggest growth in the history of the indicator. In February, output rose 1.9%.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 06:09 UTC

  IDB opens discussion on food prices shock, inflation and protecting the urban poor

  

  Rising international food prices could trigger an acceleration of inflation in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean this year, highlighting the need for policies to protect the urban poor, according to a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank, (IDB).

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 06:07 UTC

  Latam development bank plans more flexible loans tailored to countries needs

  

  The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the approval of a Flexible Financing Facility (FFF) that will enable Latin American and Caribbean countries to tailor loan terms and conditions to suit their individual needs, as well as to use hedges to manage interest rate and currency risks associated with their IDB debt.

• Monday, May 9th 2011 - 00:53 UTC

  Two-day strategic and economic dialogue between US and China

  

  Top US and Chinese officials will be meeting for two days in Washington, starting this Monday. The heads of 16 US government agencies and representatives from 20 Chinese government departments will discuss the most difficult issues in a complex, interdependent relationship.

• Saturday, May 7th 2011 - 04:52 UTC

  Lack of serious opposition ensures Cristina Fernandez re-election next October

  

  With less than six months to the October election President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner leads comfortably, with no serious opposition on site, and with a public opinion support of 56%, similar to when she first took office in December 2007.