
US state of Colorado collected 2 million dollars in taxes from newly legalized recreational marijuana businesses in January. Colorado became the first US state to legalize the commercial sale of cannabis in 2012, and stores opened for business on 1 January 2014.

Inflation edged up in Brazil in February to hit an annualized rate of 5.68%, following a 0.69% monthly rise in February, national statistical office IBGE said Wednesday.

The Argentine mining sector is expected to invest 3.85 billion dollars this year, including 800 million as imports' substitutes, announced Planning minister Julio de Vido, who also revealed that in the last ten years the sector has invested over 11bn dollars and generates an activity equivalent to 3.2% of GDP.

Investment inflows into Brazil remain strong so far in March, central bank president Alexandre Tombini said on Wednesday, adding that 9.2 billion dollars entered the country in the form of portfolio and foreign direct investments in February.

Argentina's inflation during February reached 4.3%, according to the so called Congressional index, which is an average of private consultants and is released monthly by the opposition members from Lower House Freedom of Speech committee. This means inflation in the last twelve months in Argentina reached 34.8%.

Bilateral trade, Mercosur/EU talks, oil and gas cooperation, and Falkland Islands, plus some audacious comments on the coming World Cup match Uruguay/England, were some of the issues addressed by Foreign Office minister for Latin-American Hugo Swire during his one day visit to Uruguay on Wednesday.

Shares in some of the world's biggest mining companies have been hit by a slump in the price of iron ore, amid fears of a slowdown in China's economy. Iron ore delivered into China fell 8.3% on Monday after Beijing reported weak export data over the weekend.

Industrial production in Brazil rose 2.9% in January from December, government statistics agency IBGE said on Tuesday led by a jump in capital goods production.

Motor vehicle production in Brazil surged in February after auto workers returned from vacations, but production remains below levels seen in 2013 and sales have also dropped in the first two months of the year.

Economy Minister Axel Kicillof argued that Argentina does not have serious economic problems, but rather “complexities, difficulties and challenges,” and accused economists and dissident media outlets of orchestrating a campaign to generate an “end of the world” feeling among members of society.