Economy

• Thursday, December 13th 2012 - 07:09 UTC

  IDB 6bn loan to reduce development disparities in Argentine Northern provinces

  

  The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a credit program for Argentina of 6 billion dollars until 2015, destined to works in the region known as Norte Grande, and Greater Buenos Aires, the Economy Ministry stated in a communiqué.

• Wednesday, December 12th 2012 - 20:35 UTC

  “Soft” dollar until US unemployment rate falls below 6.5% says Fed

  

  The US Federal Reserve has said it plans to keep interest rates at close to zero at least until the US unemployment rate falls below 6.5%. The Fed previously had a date-driven target, rather than a data-driven one.

• Wednesday, December 12th 2012 - 19:34 UTC

  Uruguay’s fiscal and salaries policies out of control plus heterodox ‘solutions’ rumours

  

  Uruguay has “politicized the management of its economy” with the government letting the “trade unions and its political allies” master the country’s budget and the salaries policy, claimed Ernesto Talvi a conservative economist from the local think-tank CERES who is also a World Bank consultant.

• Wednesday, December 12th 2012 - 08:12 UTC

  Latam poised for stronger growth in 2013 pushed by Brazil and Argentina

  

  Latin America and the Caribbean will experience stronger economic growth, despite ongoing uncertainties at international level (particularly difficulties faced by Europe, the United States and China), according to new estimates released Tuesday in Santiago de Chile, by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

• Wednesday, December 12th 2012 - 08:05 UTC

  Falklands’ dispute triggers concern among Argentine tourism operators after two cruises omit Ushuaia

  

  Ushuaia tourism operators expressed concern and called for common sense to prevail after two major cruises finally decided this week not to call at in Argentine Tierra del Fuego after local authorities could not guarantee that the visiting vessels would not be exposed to the same intimidation tactics and delays experienced recently in Buenos Aires and earlier this year in the extreme south terminal because they include the Falkland Islands in their itineraries.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 21:33 UTC

  Capital controls debate resurfaces as IMF admits temporary measures to prevent asset bubbles

  

  IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde on a five day tour of Latin America is expected to outline the lender’s reversal of its decades-old opposition to capital controls, even as Brazil says the new position doesn’t go far enough.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 19:04 UTC

  Atypical BSE case detected among grass fed cattle in south Brazil

  

  A scientific commission from the World Organization for Animal Health, OIE, will commence in February to study the case of atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BSE, reported in the south of Brazil among a herd of animals fed on grassland.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 18:20 UTC

  EU parliament prepares to approve trade accords with Central America, Peru and Colombia

  

  Spanish members of the European parliament and Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht called on Tuesday on the full house to ratify the association agreement of the EU with Central America, and the EU free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 18:15 UTC

  Lagarde praises the Colombian economy and its potential support for IMF

  

  The IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde praised Colombia as a member with the capacity to support the multilateral organization with “funds” and “services”, something which in the past was not possible. Lagarde made the comments after meeting with Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in Bogotá where she underlined the “magnificent moment” of the Andean country’s economy.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2012 - 16:27 UTC

  The Economist and President Rousseff clash over ‘Brazil cost’ and Mantega

  

  President Dilma Rousseff reiterated she wouldn’t be influenced by The Economist magazine’s call for her to oust Finance Minister Guido Mantega after a growth report that fell short of government forecasts.