Economy

Wednesday, December 27th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
New homes sales figures boost Wall Street to record high

Sales of new homes in United States picked up in November following a big drop in October, while the backlog of unsold homes on the market became somewhat smaller, according to the latest report from the Commerce Department released Wednesday.
Tuesday, December 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Argentina's international reserves set to reach 43 billion

Argentina's Central Bank international reserves are set to reach 43 billion US dollars by the end of next year according to estimates from the private BBVA Banco Francés, released Tuesday in Buenos Aires.
Tuesday, December 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Uruguay's recovery “has exceeded all expectations”

The recovery of the Uruguayan economy from the 2002 crisis “has exceeded all expectations” but continued efforts are needed “to entrench macroeconomic stability, deepen structural reforms and reduce vulnerabilities”, reports the IMF in the last reviews of a stand by arrangement with Uruguay.
Monday, December 25th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Italy's Gruppo Beltrame mulls steel plant in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES ÃÂ¢€” Italy's Gruppo Beltrame, Europe's fifth largest steelmaker, is considering plans to build its first plant outside Europe in Argentina at a cost of about 53 million dollars to manufacture plate for the shipbuilding sector, Río Santiago shipyard (ARS) said in a statement.
Monday, December 25th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
China to pursue “prudent monetary policy” in 2007

China will continue to pursue a prudent monetary policy in the coming months, aiming to keep the Yuan exchange rate stable at a reasonable and balanced level, said Monday China's Central Bank in Beijing.
Monday, December 25th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
US dollar appreciates in Chile and helps exporters

The US dollar closed in Chile at its highest in two months last week, 531 pesos, following the continuous drop in copper prices, the country's leading export.
Sunday, December 24th 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Moody's improves Uruguay's rating but vulnerabilities remain

Moody's Investors Service upgraded the foreign- and local-currency bond ratings of Uruguay to B1 from B3 following a steady improvement in fiscal performance, a reduction in external and government debt ratios, and a significant reduction of refinancing risks.
Friday, December 22nd 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Market will continue to call for soybean acres

It's beginning to sound like a scratched CD, but supplies of soybeans are large.
The market, though, is bidding up soybeans so producers will keep soybeans in their rotation for 2007.
U.S. ending stocks for Aug. 31, 2007 are projected at 565 million bushels.
Friday, December 22nd 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Latin America: Unemployment is Key Problem

A high number of Latin Americans are concerned about a shortage of jobs, according to the 18-country Latinobarómetro released by The Economist. 45 per cent of respondents in Panama select unemployment as the most important problem, followed by 39 per cent in Uruguay and 37 per cent in Nicaragua.
Thursday, December 21st 2006 - 20:00 UTC
Chile: US$4.815 billion foreign investment in 2006

The Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) reported that in 2006 the amount of foreign investment in Chile reached US$4.815 billion, 183 percent higher than in 2005.