Economy

• Tuesday, April 19th 2011 - 03:51 UTC

  What is behind Brazil’s high rates: loose fiscal policy, low savings or politics

  

  With Brazil’s benchmark interest rate at 11.75% and prospects of further increases Latin America’s largest economy poses a challenge to economists and analysts. The answers are not only economic but also political.

• Tuesday, April 19th 2011 - 02:09 UTC

  Argentina’s economic activity indicator jumped 8.7% in February

  

  Argentina's February monthly economic activity indicator, or EMAE, jumped 8.7% on the year and was up 0.4% on the month, the national statistics agency Indec reported Monday. The EMAE comprises most components of gross domestic product.

• Tuesday, April 19th 2011 - 01:39 UTC

  BMW suspends car exports to Argentina because of import restrictions

  

  Argentina's economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, but that may be little consolation to the country's luxury-car fans that have lost access to the world's best-selling premium car.

• Tuesday, April 19th 2011 - 01:35 UTC

  Argentine imports’ substitution helps March industrial production expand 9.2%

  

  Spurred by strong support from the government, Argentina's industrial production in March jumped 9.2% on the year according to a Monday release from economic advisors Orlando J Ferreres & Asociados, OJF.

• Monday, April 18th 2011 - 21:51 UTC

  Finland’s anti-Euro strong showing could block Portugal’s bailout negotiation

  

  What’s the link between Portugal's bailout negotiations and Finland? Well negotiations began under a cloud Monday after an anti-Euro party scored big gains in a Finnish election and immediately vowed to derail the pending rescue.

• Monday, April 18th 2011 - 19:13 UTC

  S&P downgrades US debt outlook from “stable to negative”, because of budget deficit

  

  The United States have been warned that the credit rating on its government debt could be cut by Standard & Poor's. The risk rating agency is concerned that Democrats and Republicans will not be able to agree a plan to reduce the growing US deficit.

• Monday, April 18th 2011 - 09:51 UTC

  An estimated 40% of Argentine live on less than 8 US dollars per day

  

  An estimated 16 million Argentines, (out of a population of 40 million) live on less than 800 pesos per month which is equivalent to 8 US dollars per day, according to the latest data from the official Homes Standing Poll.

• Monday, April 18th 2011 - 07:10 UTC

  China’s anti-inflation crusade raises bank reserves: fourth time in four months

  

  China raised banks' required reserves for the fourth time this year, extending the fight against excessive liquidity and stubbornly high inflation in the world's second-largest economy.

• Saturday, April 16th 2011 - 10:02 UTC

  Argentina has not replied IMF recommendations for an inflation index

  

  IMF Western Hemisphere Director Nicolás Eyzaguirre said the organization had not yet received any official communication from the Argentine government regarding IMF recommendations over its inflation index.

• Saturday, April 16th 2011 - 09:57 UTC

  IMF chief warns on the dangerous cocktail of unemployment and inequality

  

  Economic stability depends on a strong middle class that can propel demand. We will not see this if growth does not lead to decent jobs, or if growth rewards the favoured few over the marginalized many.