According to a report released Friday by Brazil’s Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the gross domestic product (GDP) in South America's largest country grew by 2.9% in 2023 driven by a record 15.1% expansion in the agricultural sector. It was the most significant leap since the beginning of the series in 1995. Industry (1.6%) and services (2.4%) also saw an improvement.
Reports released Thursday showed contrasting realities between South America's two largest countries. While consumption grew 1.2% interannually in January, according to the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras), the situation was quite the opposite in Argentina due to rampant inflation outpacing wage updates.
Argentina's President Javier Milei, ahead of his first appearance before the Congress of the Nation for the opening of ordinary sessions, has signaled a proactive approach to economic reform. In an interview with the Financial Times, Milei emphasized his intent to implement reforms “by decree,” citing challenges in garnering parliamentary support due to the current composition.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, who holds the pro-tempore presidency of the South American Common Market (Mercosur), ruled out Wednesday in Madrid an agreement with the European Union (EU) this year while insisting that his trip to Spain was more to offer than to ask.
Thousands of air travelers were stranded Wednesday as workers of the Argentine airline industry went on strike for 24 hours in rejection of a 12% wage increase that in no way matches the country's rampant inflation.
Argentina's Luis 'Toto' Caputo and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva met Wednesday in Sao Paulo on the sides of the two-day G20 summit of Economy Ministers. The gathering took place less than a week after the visit to Buenos Aires of the IMF Managing Director Gita Gopinath, with whom Caputo and President Javier Milei discussed a new agreement on the South American country's debt.
Brazil's Development Bank, BNDES, with a larger annual turnover than the World Bank is propping the country's manufacturing exports with new incentives tailored to support companies engaged in global trade. Under the new conditions the bank is implementing a substantial reduction of up to 60% in the spread of operations within the BNDES Exim Pre-shipment line.
Argentine steel producer Acindar will stop output at its four plants in the country between March 18 and April 15 as a result of the country's recession which led to a drop in sales of around 40%, it was announced Tuesday.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group concluded after its XII Annual Consultation meeting with Governors of IDB Caribbean members on Feb. 23 and 24 in Georgetown that the Caribbean might be small in size but is nonetheless a big player in many crucial areas, it was reported from the Guyanese capital.
British firms are facing higher shipping costs and delays of up to four weeks due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, according to a survey from the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC). More than a third of firms admitted the situation, but the figure rose to more than half among exporters responding to the survey, which the BCC said could lead to higher prices in the UK economy overall.