
Following two months of stability, the FAO Price Index rose slightly in September 2012, up 1.4%, or 3 points, from its level in August. The Index, based on the prices of a basket of internationally traded food commodities, climbed to 216 points in September from 213 points in August.

Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC) will be growing at 3%, more in line with global trends but even with GDP beginning to slow, the region’s unemployment rate stood at 6.5%, approaching historic lows and well below its peak of 11% a decade ago, according to the latest semi-annual report “The Labour Market Story Behind Latin America’s Transformation,” by the World Bank’s Office of the Chief Economist for the region.

Labour markets played an important role the transformation and advance of the Latin American economy in the past decade as more than 35 million additional jobs were created in that period plus the fact that high informality declined in seven out of nine countries of the region.

The youth jobs situation remains critical, with 17.7 million young people, or just over 16%, unemployed in 17 of the G20 countries for which data is available, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has said.

By Alicia Dunkley-Willis (*) - With commercial oil production projected to commence in 2017 for the 3,000 population Falkland Islands, efforts are now underway to ensure that the impending wealth does not upset the order here.

Uruguay’s consumer prices soared 1.21% in September over August totalling 6.67% in nine months and 8.64% in the last twelve months, above the 7.88% at the end of August.

It will take at least ten years for the world economy to recover from the economic crisis that started in 2007 and to get back to the normal shape, International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Industrial production in Brazil expanded in August at its fastest pace in 15 months thanks to heavy government stimulus, data showed on Tuesday. Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the jump in industrial output is proof that the worst of Brazil's slowdown is over.

The influential business newspaper Financial Times dedicated a special edition to the Chilean economic and social situation and concludes that given the massive demonstrations against energy projects and in favour of education reform, “doing business” in the country has become difficult plus there is growing disappointment in the middle class.

Chile revoked the concession awarded to Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile to exploit substantial reserves of lithium in the Andes region, acknowledging problems with the tender process.