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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 23rd 2025 - 21:33 UTC

Economy

  • Wednesday, August 23rd 2023 - 09:00 UTC

    Unemployment keeps dropping in Uruguay

    The trend keeps dropping as new people join the labor market

    Unemployment in Uruguay fell yet again last month to stand at 7.8%, according to a report released Tuesday in Montevideo by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Thus, the drop from June's figures was 0.4% for a total of some 144,400 jobless people in the South American country from 152,500 the month before.

  • Wednesday, August 23rd 2023 - 07:30 UTC

    Panama Canal limits transit of vessels because of a severe drought

    Both entrances to the canal, on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, are now speckled with vessels stranded for more than 20 days

    On both sides of the Panama Canal, fleets of ships find themselves immobilized, delayed by weeks as waterway authorities have slowed traffic to conserve water amid a severe drought. A report from the Brazilian news agency O-Globo gives a detailed picture of what is happening.

  • Monday, August 21st 2023 - 11:23 UTC

    Argentina: Who can fix the political and economic problems?

    The three candidates who will disputing the election next 22 October, Javier Milei, Sergio Masa and Patricia Bullrich

    To most people's surprise, the divisive libertarian populist Javier Milei won Argentina's presidential primary. Milei took around 30% of the vote, triumphing in 16 out of the country's 24 provinces.

  • Monday, August 21st 2023 - 09:58 UTC

    Brazilian entrepreneurs seek opportunities through BRICS

    We already have many industries in India, Alban explained

    Some 30 industrialists from South America's largest country are attending this week's Cebric's Encounter, a gathering of businesspeople parallel to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Summit in Johannesburg until Wednesday, Agência Brasil reported.

  • Saturday, August 19th 2023 - 17:38 UTC

    Javier Milei plans to give a “prominent role” to Mauricio Macri in his future government

    Macri has approached the libertarian candidate, who often voices discontent with the political class, seeing them all, including the former President, as part of the same “caste.”

    The libertarian Javier Milei, the most voted presidential candidate in the last Primary, Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory (PASO) elections in Argentina, with about 30.90% of the votes, ratified that he maintains a strong dialogue with former President Mauricio Macri. So much so that he plans to offer him “a prominent role” if he were elected as the next national president, as he expressed in radio statements this week.

  • Saturday, August 19th 2023 - 10:55 UTC

    IMF holds talks with Argentina's opposition economists

    For the IMF the meetings were one of the Fund's regular and routine contacts with “a wide range of political and economic references”

    International Monetary Fund (IMF) specialists Friday held separate video conferences with economic teams from Argentina's two main contenders for the Oct. 22 presidential elections: La Libertad Avanza (LLA) and Juntos por el Cambio (JxC).

  • Saturday, August 19th 2023 - 09:21 UTC

    Massa clinches deal to curb price hikes

    The cost of the devaluation cannot be paid by the people, Massa argued

    Argentine Economy Minister and presidential hopeful Sergio Massa Friday announced an agreement with most leading supermarket chains and wholesalers for 90 days, during which prices will remain frozen in principle for some 52,300 mass consumption products and increases will be capped at 5% per month, it was reported in Buenos Aires.

  • Friday, August 18th 2023 - 11:00 UTC

    Argentine gov't reached deal to freeze price of fuel

    “People have to know that we know what is happening to them,” Massa stressed

    Argentina's Economy Minister and presidential candidate Sergio Massa announced Thursday that fuel prices will be frozen until Oct. 31 after a 12.5% increase this week following an agreement with the country's leading oil companies, including the state-run YPF. After a previous 4.5% rise on Aug. 1, fuels accumulated an adjustment of 17.56% this month.

  • Thursday, August 17th 2023 - 19:51 UTC

    US approves consumption and sale of “cell-cultivated chicken”

    Proponents of cultured meat say it’s healthier and more environmentally friendly than traditional meat. Outside the U.S., only Singapore has cleared the sale of cell-cultured meat.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is revolutionizing the meat industry, it has approved the sale of cell-cultured chicken in a landmark decision that clears the path for consumers to try it out themselves, the two startups that received the first approvals announced.

  • Thursday, August 17th 2023 - 11:46 UTC

    “Blue” dollar rises AR$ 50 in one day

    When will the “blue” dollar stop increase after the PASO elections?

    The “blue” (a euphemism for “black market”) dollar reached a new all-time-high Wednesday in Argentina and closed at AR$ 780 after hitting AR$ 800 at some point during the day, it was reported in Buenos Aires. On Tuesday it traded at AR$ 730 after Monday's 22% devaluation which drove it from AR$ 600 on Friday. It traded at AR$346 at the end of 2022.