Economy

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 18:05 UTC

  Redefining ‘default’ so that private banks can roll over Greek debt

  

  Ratings agency Standard and Poor's warned on Monday that efforts to bailout Greece involving private banks could amount to a debt default even as Brussels sees progress being made in resolving the crisis.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 18:00 UTC

  OECD warns the Euro Central Bank about ‘aggressive’ hike of interest rates

  

  The European Central Bank should not hike interest rates aggressively and wait for stronger Euro zone growth before increasing rates after this week's expected move, OECD head Angel Gurria said on Monday.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 05:20 UTC

  Canadian bank concludes purchase of Uruguay’s fourth largest private bank

  

  Canada’s Scotiabank announced it has closed the transaction to purchase Nuevo Banco Comercial S.A. (NBC), Uruguay's fourth largest private bank in terms of loans and deposits. The acquisition was announced on December 6, 2010. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 05:12 UTC

  Brazilian government continues to subsidize loans to big corporations

  

  Brazil's state development bank, BNDES, is lending to companies at the lowest rate relative to the country's benchmark in two years, undercutting President Dilma Rousseff's efforts to curb inflation, revealed the Sao Paulo financial press.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 04:54 UTC

  Government promises Cubans will be allowed to buy and sell their cars and homes

  

  The authorities in Cuba have released more details of their plans to allow people to buy and sell their cars and homes for the first time in 50 years. The new laws will open up a private property market and enable Cubans to buy any car they can afford.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 04:48 UTC

  Greece warned aid package means significant losses of “sovereignty” and jobs

  

  Euro zone finance ministers have approved a 12 billion euro instalment of Greece's bailout, but signalled that the nation must expect significant losses of sovereignty and jobs.

• Monday, July 4th 2011 - 04:32 UTC

  Brazilian government conditions support for major retail chain merger

  

  BNDES bank will not put up the 2.4 billion US dollars it pledged for the merger of Brazil's biggest retailers, Grupo Pao de Acucar and France's Carrefour, unless France’s Casino is on board, bank president Luciano Coutinho said in a local magazine.

• Saturday, July 2nd 2011 - 06:06 UTC

  ”You can vote for Cristina with your pocket, heart or mind” says Boudou

  

  “You can vote for Cristina (Kirchner) with your pocket, your heart or with your mind” because the Argentine economy has advanced in all fields, said the country’s Economy minister and vice President candidate for next October election, Amado Boudou.

• Saturday, July 2nd 2011 - 05:59 UTC

  Uruguay raises 2011 growth forecast to 6% and inflation to 7.8%

  

  Uruguay has raised its 2011 economic growth forecast to 6% and its inflation to 7.8%, according to a government document published on Friday. The previous estimate was 4.5% and full year inflation of 6%.

• Saturday, July 2nd 2011 - 05:50 UTC

  “Cooling the economy or appreciating the currency” backfire for developing countries

  

  Central bank president Mercedes Marcó del Pont defended on Friday Argentina’s current economic policies, particularly efforts to address the international crisis arguing that “cooling the economy or letting the currency appreciate only aggravates the crisis”.