Economy

• Tuesday, February 4th 2014 - 08:47 UTC

  YPF buys a Petrobras Neuquén/Mendoza block with production of 10.000bpd

  

  Argentina oil company YPF has bought out Brazil player Petrobras to take over full ownership of an exploration block in Neuquen and Mendoza provinces. YPF agreed to pay 40.7 million dollars for Petrobras' operatorship and 38.45% stake in the Puesto Hernandez block, cutting short a joint venture due to expire in 2016, according to the Argentina explorer.

• Tuesday, February 4th 2014 - 08:39 UTC

  Brazil's experiences the worst January trade balance in years: 4.06bn deficit

  

  Brazil's balance of trade began 2014 with disappointing results, after closing January with a deficit of 4.06 billion dollars, according to the figures released by the Ministry of Industry, Development and Foreign Trade. Exports totaled 16.02bn dollars, while imports reached 20.08bn.

• Saturday, February 1st 2014 - 04:58 UTC

  Argentina's financial hot summer: record devaluation of the Peso, record loss of reserves

  

  The Argentine currency ended trading on Friday, the first month of 2014, at 8.01 Pesos to the US dollar with an accumulated devaluation in January of 18.63%, the greatest loss in a single month since 2002. However market analysts described the situation as a depreciation 'sustained and managed' by the government of President Cristina Fernandez.

• Saturday, February 1st 2014 - 04:54 UTC

  Argentina among the least well-off economies in the region, says IMF

  

  The economies of Argentina and Venezuela are the least well-off in the region due to pressures on inflation, the balance of payments, and foreign exchange markets that developed last year, the International Monetary Fund warned.

• Saturday, February 1st 2014 - 04:04 UTC

  IMF calls on central banks to coordinate liquidity conditions; fears funding crunch

  

  The International Monetary Fund urged central banks to ensure that a financial market rout in the developing world does not lead to an international funding crunch. An IMF spokesman said some emerging market countries need to take “urgent action” to improve their economies, which are under threat by a recent sell-off in markets from India and Turkey to Brazil.

• Friday, January 31st 2014 - 06:53 UTC

  US economy advancing at steady pace fuelled by robust consumer spending

  

  The U.S. economy advanced at a steady pace in the last months of 2013, growth that was fueled by robust consumer spending. The government's Commerce Department said Thursday the world's largest economy grew 3.2%t in the October-to-December period, following a 4.1% advance in the third quarter.

• Wednesday, January 29th 2014 - 22:38 UTC

  Brazil can't be hostage of Argentina or Venezuela in Mercosur/EU trade negotiations

  

  The Brazilian government is determined to advance with negotiations for a trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union even if it means leaving Argentina for a second phase of the process, according to sources from Itamaraty, the country's foreign ministry, reported in the Rio do Janeiro media.

• Wednesday, January 29th 2014 - 21:36 UTC

  Hedge fund boss Singer rejects as 'bizarre' Argentine bondholders offer

  

  Paul Singer, head of Elliot Management Corp., defined as “bizarre”, the bondholders’ offer to resolve judicially the dispute with Argentina over the debt in default from 2001, during in a letter sent to investors and published by Bloomberg News.

• Wednesday, January 29th 2014 - 21:20 UTC

  Obama pledges support for the middle class and is prepared to bypass Congress

  

  US President Barack Obama displayed his strategy for getting around a divided Congress starting with a wage hike for federal contract workers in a State of the Union speech on Tuesday that reflected scaled-back legislative ambitions after a tough year.

• Wednesday, January 29th 2014 - 21:07 UTC

  Fed shaves another 10bn from stimulus; Turkey and South Africa raise rates

  

  The US Federal Reserve announced a $10bn reduction in its monthly bond purchases from 75bn to 65bn in the second straight month of winding down stimulus efforts. The central bank had been buying bonds in an effort to keep interest rates low and stimulate growth.