Economy

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 21:35 UTC

  High cost and scarcity of electricity threatens Chile’s massive investments in copper industry

  

  The biggest-ever pipeline of copper projects is under threat as Chile, the world's top producer, struggles to contain rising opposition to new power plants.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 20:34 UTC

  Fed repeated promise to leave interest rates on hold until late 2014

  

  The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday repeated its promise to leave interest rates on hold until at least late 2014 but offered few clues into whether it might offer additional stimulus later this year.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 10:21 UTC

  Gasoline prices in the US will continue to increase in spite of electoral year

  

  The US government announced it was getting into the commodities game in an effort to protect consumers from some of the geopolitical factors spilling over into the retail gasoline market. OPEC and the IEA both said in their monthly reports that market perceptions were behind higher energy prices, not physical shortages.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:55 UTC

  One of Argentina’s main textile groups prepares to abandon the Stock exchange

  

  One of Argentina’s main textile and shoe wear companies, Alpargatas belonging to the powerful Brazilian Camargo Correa group has begun the process to abandon the Buenos Aires stock exchange.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:51 UTC

  Holland enters in Euro risk zone as political parties clash over further austerity

  

  Holland one of the few show cases of Europe with all economic indicators the envy of its fellow EU members has stalled in a political controversy while at the other end Greece sees no end to suffering in its fifth year of recession.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:41 UTC

  Fitch upgrades rating outlook to positive; warnings about Argentina and inflation

  

  Fitch Ratings revised Uruguay's rating outlook to positive from stable on Tuesday, citing the country's ability to cut external and budget vulnerabilities. However Fitch warns about the deteriorating situation in neighbouring Argentina and inflation.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 06:36 UTC

  G-20 membership attracts Chile, but not prepared to replace dissident Argentina

  

  Chilean diplomacy has been active preparing for the next G-20 meeting in Mexico which it plans to attend as a “special guest”, but also because the future could hold an even greater prize if Argentina’s erratic behaviour finally is no longer acceptable for the rest of the group’s members.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 04:41 UTC

  Vietnam displaces Australia as world’s largest wood chip exporter

  

  Wood chip trade flows in the Pacific Rim have changed substantially the past five years. Vietnam, Chile, Thailand and Uruguay have all been increasing their shipments of chips, while Australia and South Africa have been losing their market share as fibre suppliers to the pulp mills in Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea.

• Wednesday, April 25th 2012 - 00:43 UTC

  Mad-cow disease case in California dairy farm; first in US in six years

  

  The first US case of mad cow disease in six years has been found in a dairy cow in central California, before it entered the human food chain and posed any threat to consumers, officials said.

• Tuesday, April 24th 2012 - 21:25 UTC

  Strong sterling and UK prices have vacation Britons fleeing to the continent

  

  Soaring sterling rates are giving Britons and Gibraltarians as much as 14% more cash for their summer 2012 trips to Euro Europe compared with last year, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.