Brazil's Broad Consumer Price Index (IPCA) ended July at 0.01%, the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE) reported. This figure reflects a decrease compared to June (0.4%) with transport and personal expenses items, contributing for the reduction.
Economy ministry Axel Kicillof once again defiantly insisted Argentina has made a required debt payment on restructured sovereign bonds on Friday night, just hours after a U.S. judge threatened a contempt-of-court order if Argentina did not stop issuing such statements.
New York district judge Thomas Griesa on Friday threatened to declare Argentina in “contempt” of court if the Republic continues to make “false and deceiving statements,” following Argentina’s claim it has already paid exchange bondholders and has no pending obligations, as it deposited 539 million dollars in bond payments in Bank of New York Mellon (BoNY) and Citibank.
The European Central Bank will consider the impact of future lawsuits and fines in its review of whether the Euro zone's 131 most important lenders have enough capital to withstand another recession.
The Bank of England opted this week to keep its main interest rate at a record-low level of 0.50% against a backdrop of solid British economic growth. The central bank's nine-member monetary policy committee decided also to maintain the level of cash stimulus in the economy at £375 billion, it said in a statement.
European Central Bank President Mario Dragui signaled he was pleased with the recent decline in the Euro's exchange rate and outlined a number of forces that may weaken it further, providing a potential boost to weak inflation in the region.
A day after Economy minister Axel Kicillof admitted problems with the Argentine economy, president Cristina Fernandez announced on Thursday a battery of measures to prop economic activity, open the labor market for young people, avoid redundancies and give the property market a thrust.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández on Thursday urged US President Barack Obama to intercede in the dispute between Argentina and holdouts over Argentine debt, while blasting New York judge Thomas Griesa for “not making any sense”.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reminded the Venezuelan government that if it fails to settle debts with international airlines, the country would be isolated from the world; hence, the association urged Venezuela to reach agreements, and above all, to fulfill such agreements.
Brazil confirmed that it will try to bring forward to 2016 the free trade agreement with Chile, Peru and Colombia, scheduled for 2019 and underlined the need for Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance to converge as part of the region's productive integration process.