The Dow Jones industrial average, one of the world's best known measures of stock market performance, is having a revamp. Alcoa, Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard are being dropped from the index of the top 30 US companies. From 23 September they will be replaced by Goldman Sachs, Nike and Visa.
Finland’s energy and pulp UPM group has again been named among the world's sustainability leaders. The company has retained its position in both the Dow Jones European and World Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for 2013-2014. Furthermore, the company has been assessed as the industry leader in environmental sustainability within the Paper and Forest Products sector with top scores.
Argentina's economy is expected to grow 6.2% next year, while GDP in 2013 is forecasted to expand 5.1% boosted by a massive grains harvest and the automobile industry, Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino said on Thursday while presenting the 2014 budget bill before Congress.
One of the main features emerging with the current international economic situation is mega-regional negotiations linking the main world production networks: Europe, North America and Asia and sometimes skirting WTO, according to the latest report on the Latinamerican and Caribbean economy from Eclac (UN Economic commission for Latam and the Caribbean).
Argentina’s long-term sovereign foreign currency credit rating was cut one level by Standard & Poor’s, which cited a US Appeals Court ruling that prevents the country from honouring its debt without also paying holders of defaulted bonds in full.
Inflation in Argentina during August climbed 2.11% and 25.2% in the last twelve months according to the release from the Congress Freedom of expression commission. The so called Congressional index is an average of private consultants that have been intimidated from making public their estimates by the government of President Cristina Fernandez.
The foreign trade performance of Latin America and the Caribbean reflects the weak global economy. Regional export values are expected to grow by just 1.5% in 2013 (3% in volumes and -1.5% in prices) - which is similar to the 1.4% growth observed in 2012.
While the world press decries plunging print readership and advertising revenue, newspaper editors in Venezuela are struggling with a much more fundamental problem: lack of newsprint.
Venezuela's annual inflation rate hit 45.4% in August, the central bank revealed this week, the highest in five years and the highest in the region, even as consumer price increases slowed from the previous month.
President Jose Mujica said that Uruguay is ‘aligned’ with Brazil in economic policy, and if the government of President Dilma Rousseff decides to devalue its currency, “Uruguay will follow” and as Brazil, “Uruguay is not satisfied with the functioning of Mercosur”.