Economy

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 19:20 UTC

  IMF Says Latam Recovering Faster than Expected but With “Bubble” Risks

  

  The recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean is advancing faster than anticipated but at different speeds across countries, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest Regional Economic Outlook-Western Hemisphere report, which was launched Tuesday in Montevideo, Uruguay.

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 05:48 UTC

  European Central Bank Beefs Greek Rescue-Plan; Takes “Junk” Bonds as Collateral

  

  The European Central Bank (ECB) has moved to shore up the €110 billion EU/IMF rescue of Greece by offsetting the impact of the “junk” rating on the country’s debt.

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 05:37 UTC

  Lula da Silva Confirms Paraguay the Promised Power Line and Bridge

  

  President Lula da Silva reassured Paraguay that Brazil will build the promised 500 kW power transmission line from the Itaipú dam to the capital Asunción, as well as a bridge over the Paraná River shared by both countries.

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 05:29 UTC

  German Cabinet Approves Contribution to Greek Bail Out

  

  Germany's cabinet has approved its contribution to the Eurozone and IMF bailout of Greece. The German parliament is set to pass the legislation later this week to allow its loan—worth 22.4 billion Euros over three years—to be paid.

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 05:20 UTC

  Almost Half of 43.7 Million Colombians Live Below the Poverty Line

  

  More than 20 million Colombians, 45.5% of the population live below the poverty line and 16.6% suffer extreme poverty, according to an official report released by the country’s statistics agency, DANE. The country’s total population is 43.7 million.

• Tuesday, May 4th 2010 - 05:06 UTC

  In First Three Days Chile’s Pavilion at Shanghai Expo Received 46.000 Visitors

  

  The Shanghai Expo in China officially opened its doors to the public on Saturday and Chile is one of more than 200 countries and companies showing their wares during the six-month event.

• Monday, May 3rd 2010 - 04:14 UTC

  Auto Industry Investment Plans Confirm Brazil as One of Five Main Global Markets

  

  The Brazilian automotive industry will invest 11.2 billion US dollars over the next two years to 2012, an amount that tops the 8.1 billion of the three preceding years, local media said Saturday.

• Monday, May 3rd 2010 - 02:24 UTC

  Euro Zone and IMF Agree to 110 Billion Euro Aid for Greece; Summit in Brussels

  

  Euro zone members and the IMF have agreed to a 110 billion Euro (146.2 billion US dollars) three-year bailout package to rescue Greece's embattled economy. In return for the loans, Greece will make major austerity cuts which Prime Minister George Papandreou said involved “great sacrifices”.

• Saturday, May 1st 2010 - 08:36 UTC

  Argentina Publishes Terms of the Defaulted 20 Billion Bonds Swap

  

  The Argentine government has published the offer to swap 20 billion US dollars in defaulted bonds on specialized media around the globe and on www.argentina2010offer.com website.

• Saturday, May 1st 2010 - 07:28 UTC

  Euro Zone Leading Bank Praises Latam Growth and Financial System

  

  Latin America currently has “the best financial system in the world”, said Francisco Luzón, member of the Board and head of the Latin American Division of Spain’s Banco Santander (NYSE:STD), the biggest bank by market capitalization in the Eurozone.