Economy

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 09:23 UTC

  UK car sales in March plunge 30%; calls for scrappage plan

  

  UK car sales fell by 30.5% in March, compared with the same month last year, the latest industry figures have shown. The number of new UK registrations in March was 313.912, down from 451.642 the year before, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 09:21 UTC

  Economic forecasts indicate Brazil heading for recession

  

  Brazil’s economy could shrink for the first time in 17 years in 2009 as the global recession prompts companies to cut output and staffing according to a Central Bank survey of 100 economists and released Monday.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 07:20 UTC

  Argentine wheat farmers warn crop could fall below domestic demand

  

  Argentina farmland dedicated to wheat is forecasted to fall to a minimum, with a crop barely sufficient for the domestic market and no surplus to export to its main market Brazil, according to Santiago Cameron president of the country’s Wheat farmers association.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 07:06 UTC

  Another stimulus shot for Japan: this time 100 billion US dollars

  

  Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso announced a fresh spending plan of 100 billion US dollars to rescue the world's second-biggest economy from its deepest recession since the Second World War. The figure amounts to more than 2% of Japan's GDP, Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano told reporters Monday after meeting with Aso.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2009 - 07:00 UTC

  Ford slashes debt and dashes ahead in US auto industry restructure

  

  Ford Motor Co said on Monday it has slashed automotive debt by 38%, 9.9 billion US dollars, bolstering its finances amid a deep auto industry downturn. Markets reacted with Ford shares up over 15%.

• Monday, April 6th 2009 - 10:38 UTC

  Latam positive about G20 results, but implementation is also vital

  

  The G-20 summit decision to inject 1.1 trillion US dollars to the global economy to prop trade and overcome the financial collapse can be beneficial for Latinamerica but measures have to be implemented and proven efficient, according to experts from the region.

• Monday, April 6th 2009 - 10:32 UTC

  Mexico sets up 150 billion US dollars barrier to end market volatility

  

  Mexico asked the International Monetary Fund for a 47 billion US dollars credit line which is to be added to the 30 billion swap line with the Federal Reserve to help shore up the economy and end market volatility.

• Monday, April 6th 2009 - 10:30 UTC

  Best March performance in 15 years for Latam financial markets

  

  Latin American financial markets recorded their best monthly performance during March in more than 15 years, as signs of stabilization in the global financial system encouraged investors to take on risk.

• Monday, April 6th 2009 - 10:23 UTC

  HSBC shareholders support bank with 17.7 billion US dollars

  

  Britain’s HSBC bank shareholders have bought 96.6% of the new shares they were offered. Unlike many of its rivals, HSBC has not received government support, but it still needed some extra funding as a result of the credit crunch.

• Monday, April 6th 2009 - 09:41 UTC

  Tokyo’s plan to ship back 400.000 “nikkeis” to South American

  

  The Japanese government is planning to combat unemployment by sending back to their countries of origin 400.000 South American immigrants of Japanese stock. The idea is to pay them a small subsidy and a one way ticket to South America, an initiative that has generated some controversy in the Japanese press.