Economy

• Wednesday, November 28th 2012 - 21:50 UTC

  Chile and Mexico among the best performing members of OECD in next two years

  

  Chile and Mexico will manage to a great extent to avoid the negative prospects from OECD members in the next two years. The half year report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development anticipates a serious weakening of activity in the Euro zone, the US and Japan, but the two OECD Latinamerican members as well as emerging power Brazil will have a contrasting performance.

• Wednesday, November 28th 2012 - 16:42 UTC

  EC 37bn Euro check for Spanish banks but 50% of branches must go and hair cut for bond holders

  

  The European Commission gave on Wednesday the go ahead for Spain to overhaul its stricken nationalized banks and opened the door for nearly 40 billion Euros in Euro zone aid to be disbursed, offering hope for an end to Spain's banking crisis.

• Wednesday, November 28th 2012 - 05:37 UTC

  Fitch downgrades Argentina’s credit rating fearing ‘probable default’

  

  Fitch Ratings agency announced on Tuesday it has downgraded Argentina's long-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating from “B” to “CC,” with a negative outlook, as it sees a “probable default” if the country misses its payment to holdout investors.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 22:18 UTC

  Mixed bag for Noble Energy: oil in Gulf of Mexico and plugged well in the Falklands

  

  Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) unveiled a discovery in the Big Bend exploration area in the Gulf of Mexico as it also abandoned another well off the shore of the Falkland Islands that yielded a low-quality reservoir.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 21:11 UTC

  Lack of political leadership threatens the global economy warns OECD

  

  Global growth is set for a sharp slowdown next year and the Euro zone debt crisis “remains the greatest threat to the world economy at present,” the OECD warned on Tuesday. In its latest Economic Outlook the OECD also cautioned that “the risk of a new major contraction cannot be ruled out” after a global slump in 2009.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 21:02 UTC

  Argentina prepared to reopen bonds’ swap under certain conditions

  

  Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino described the appeal presented on Monday by Argentina against the ruling of New York Judge Thomas Griesa as “very forceful”, and pointed out that if the magistrate had proposed to treat hedge funds demands under the terms of the 2010 debt-swap, the Argentine congress might then address the option.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 20:40 UTC

  Brazil’s oil windfall distribution debate takes off in the streets of Rio do Janeiro

  

  Thousands of people took to the streets in Rio do Janeiro on Monday to urge Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to veto a bill that local officials say could cost Rio state billions of dollars in lost oil revenue, and cripple plans to host the World Cup and Olympics.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 12:35 UTC

  Poor quality hydrocarbons in south/east Falklands; new round of 3D program begins

  

  Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd. (FOGL) focused on exploration in areas to the South and East of the Falkland Islands reported on Tuesday that the well drilled at its Scotia prospect discovered poor quality hydrocarbons.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 04:52 UTC

  Investors holding restructured Argentine bonds also appealed Judge Griesa’s ruling

  

  Investors holding 1 billion dollars worth of restructured Argentine debt said they also appealed to US District Judge Thomas Griesa’s ruling that they fear would trigger another default and prevent them from being paid principal and interest due on their bonds next month.

• Tuesday, November 27th 2012 - 04:47 UTC

  President Franco says Paraguay will begin pumping oil in mid-2013

  

  Paraguayan president Federico Franco announced on Monday that starting on 2013 the country will become an oil producing nation, after a recent discovery close to the border with Argentina.