Economy

• Tuesday, February 24th 2026 - 03:17 UTC

  Brazil’s VP Alckmin backs workweek cuts as a global trend

  

  Brazil’s Vice President and Industry and Trade Minister Geraldo Alckmin said on Monday that shorter working hours are a “global trend” and that Brazil should debate the issue in depth, as business leaders push to delay discussion of ending the widely used 6x1 work schedule.

• Tuesday, February 24th 2026 - 03:06 UTC

  Uruguay moves toward ratifying EU–Mercosur deal after special committee approval

  

  A special committee of Uruguay’s parliament tasked with reviewing the EU–Mercosur agreement approved the ratification bill on Monday, clearing the way for floor votes in the Senate and lower house in the coming days — a timetable that could make Uruguay the first Mercosur member to complete domestic approval.

• Monday, February 23rd 2026 - 12:41 UTC

  Italy seeks “clarity” from the US, urges calm amid renewed tariff uncertainty

  

  Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday he would seek “clarity” from the United States during a G7 videoconference on international trade and urged restraint as Washington’s latest tariff moves inject fresh uncertainty into transatlantic commerce.

• Monday, February 23rd 2026 - 04:48 UTC

  IMF flags risks of outdated inflation metrics in fast-changing economies

  

  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is urging countries to modernize how they measure inflation and other key indicators, integrating point-of-sale and online data to reduce “blind spots” that, the institution argues, are widening as the economy becomes more digital and traditional surveys lose accuracy.

• Sunday, February 22nd 2026 - 00:10 UTC

  Trump raises new global tariff to 15% a day after setting it at 10%

  

  US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will lift the temporary “global” tariff his administration unveiled just a day earlier from 10% to 15%, after the Supreme Court struck down his broader tariff program. The shift requires amending the proclamation and related measures issued on Friday.

• Saturday, February 21st 2026 - 04:34 UTC

  Trump vows new 10% global tariff after Supreme Court curbs emergency levies

  

  US President Donald Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court hours after it curtailed his ability to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers, and signaled he intends to press ahead with his trade strategy. “I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed,” he said at the White House.

• Friday, February 20th 2026 - 03:43 UTC

  Christine Lagarde: International order is “in danger”

  

  European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde warned on Thursday in New York that the international order is “in danger” because the United States has begun to doubt the rules-based system it long supported, in remarks delivered as she received Columbia University’s Wolfgang Friedmann Memorial Award.

• Thursday, February 19th 2026 - 02:47 UTC

  Aerolíneas Argentinas cancels 255 flights amid CGT strike, US$3m loss estimated

  

  Aerolíneas Argentinas said it will cancel 255 flights across its network on Thursday, February 19, as Argentina’s main labor confederation, the CGT, carries out a 24-hour general strike. The airline estimated the disruption will affect more than 31,000 passengers and generate losses of about US$ 3 million.

• Monday, February 16th 2026 - 13:28 UTC

  Uruguay's Conexión Ganadera case: founder’s daughter moved $15.9m, BCU says

  

  Uruguay’s Conexión Ganadera investigation — a criminal case stemming from the collapse of a livestock-linked investment operation that led to fraud charges and, in some instances, money-laundering allegations — has moved forward after the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) sent prosecutors a report detailing bank transfers made by Marcela Carrasco, the daughter of Pablo Carrasco, a founder of the firm who is currently in pre-trial detention and charged with money laundering.

• Sunday, February 15th 2026 - 16:28 UTC

  Lagarde says Trump’s ‘kick in the butt’ has pulled European leaders closer

  

  European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Sunday at the Munich Security Conference that a shift in US President Donald Trump’s stance toward Europe has acted as a political jolt, pushing European leaders into closer coordination.