Economy

• Monday, March 28th 2011 - 01:03 UTC

  IMF recommends ending fiscal stimulus before turning to capital controls

  

  Latin American policy makers should withdraw fiscal and monetary stimulus to prevent their economies from overheating before turning to capital controls to limit foreign currency inflows, said Nicolas Eyzaguirre, the International Monetary Fund Western Hemisphere director.

• Sunday, March 27th 2011 - 05:18 UTC

  Colombia and Peru closer to implementing the free trade agreement with the EU

  

  Negotiators from the European Union, Colombia and Peru have signed the final texts on an association agreement with a free trade chapter designed to increase commerce between the Andean countries and the European bloc, it was reported Friday.

• Sunday, March 27th 2011 - 05:13 UTC

  Paraguayan economy expands an all time record of 15.3% in 2010

  

  Boosted by agriculture Paraguay's economy grew an all time record of 15,3% in 2010, following on a 3.8% contraction in 2009, according to the latest release from the Central bank.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 10:41 UTC

  Uruguay admits concern over inflation raises benchmark interest to 7.5%

  

  Uruguay's central bank this week surprised local economists and raised its benchmark interest rate 100 base points, one percentage point to 7.5%, in an attempt to help combat accelerating inflation which is beyond the government's target range.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 10:38 UTC

  Billionaire Buffet advice: avoid long term fixed-income investment in US dollars

  

  Billionaire Warren Buffet who urged United States in 2009 to guard against inflation, said investors should avoid long-term fixed-income bets in US dollars because the currency’s purchasing power will decline.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 10:36 UTC

  Second Fed governor in a week against extending US stimulative policies

  

  The Federal Reserve has less need to support an improving US economy beyond the 600 billion dollars Treasury purchase plan already in place, and any changes to the central bank’s stimulative policies should be considered some time after the program ends, said Charles Evans, , president of the Fed’s regional bank in Chicago.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 08:57 UTC

  Brazil expected to raise benchmark interest rate as inflation “worsens”

  

  Brazilian Central bank President Alexandre Tombini admitted inflation forecasts may “worsen”. Consumer prices in the 12 months through mid-March rose 6.13%, the biggest jump in more than two years.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 08:53 UTC

  WTO rules US is illegally taxing imported Brazilian frozen orange juice

  

  The World Trade Organization ruled Friday that the United States is illegally taxing about 2 billion US dollars a year of imported Brazilian frozen orange juice.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 08:06 UTC

  Chile further opens its market to US beef and beef products

  

  United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced this week that US producers are now eligible to ship a larger array of US beef and beef products to Chile.

• Saturday, March 26th 2011 - 08:03 UTC

  Canada export development agency helps boost trade with Latin America by 40%

  

  Canada’s Export Development agency, (EDC) announced a 40% increase in its Latin American business volumes in 2010, reaching a record 10 billion Canadian dollars.