Economy

• Friday, September 21st 2012 - 06:23 UTC

  Brazilian middle class expected to move a trillion dollars this year

  

  Brazil's middle class which now numbers 104 million equivalent to 53% of total population (38% ten years ago), is likely to move 1 trillion Reais this year (approx a trillion dollars), government estimates show.

• Friday, September 21st 2012 - 06:13 UTC

  Argentine industrial production and outlook stable in August

  

  Argentina’s industrial output fell 0.8% last August when compared to the same month last year, according to the country’s stats office Indec. However it improved 0.7% when compared to July but dropped 1.2%, points out Indec Monthly Industrial Estimate

• Friday, September 21st 2012 - 06:06 UTC

  Brazil approves bill which allows the opening of tax-free shops along border towns

  

  The Brazilian congress approved this week a bill which enables the opening of free shops or tax free shops, along border towns currently suffering from the massive inflow of imported goods purchased at international prices in such stores in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 23:34 UTC

  Merkel honours her mentor and Euro architect, Kohl to help discipline the party

  

  Angela Merkel is seeking help from her estranged, former mentor Helmut Kohl, architect of the Euro, to restore voter faith in the European project before next year's election.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 22:59 UTC

  Finance minister tells Congress world crisis will not affect Argentina

  

  Finance minister Hernan Lorenzino said on Thursday that the international crisis will not affect Argentina and attributed this to the policy of drastically cutting the country’s sovereign debt which now stands at only 40% of GDP.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 22:11 UTC

  Uruguay’s economy suffers slight deceleration in 2Q but on track to the 4% target

  

  The Uruguayan economy experienced a slight deceleration in the second quarter of this year, but with an overall positive evolution. GDP increased 0.8% over the previous quarter and 3.8% over the same quarter a year ago, according to the latest release from the Central bank.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 05:06 UTC

  Family farmers and greens converge on Brussels to protest EU agriculture policy

  

  Farmers and activists from all over the continent converged on European Union headquarters Wednesday to push for a food policy that is fairer to family farmers and kinder to the environment and developing nations.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 05:01 UTC

  Twisters kill five and destroy an estimated 5.000 houses in Paraguay

  

  A fierce storm packing 140-kilometer an hour winds tore across the heart of South America on Wednesday, killing five people in Paraguay and wreaking havoc in Argentina and Uruguay.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 01:43 UTC

  Colombia rapidly becoming another “positive surprise” from Latinamerica

  

  Colombia could in few years be among the group of leading economies in the world with the highest growth rate based on positive indicators and a steady inflow of investments, according to experts from the Spanish bank during an economic forum.

• Thursday, September 20th 2012 - 01:40 UTC

  Brazil announces auctioning of new oil concessions for next May

  

  Brazil's Dilma Roussef has approved the auctioning of new oil concessions next year, subject to congressional approval of a new royalties law, authorities said. The 11th auction outside the pre-salt next May would involve 74 oil blocks, half at sea and half on land.