Economy

Tuesday, August 11th 2009 - 11:03 UTC
Chilean dairy farmers request protection from Uruguay/Argentine exports

Chilean dairy farmers and the country’s main agriculture organization, SNA, are demanding safeguards against the import of powder milk and Gouda cheese from Uruguay and Argentina arguing “disloyal competition”.
Monday, August 10th 2009 - 12:13 UTC
Pope triggers “scandalous poverty” debate in Argentina

Buenos Aires province governor Daniel Scioli will be meeting this week with all Catholic bishops of his area following the controversy triggered by Pope Benedict XVI who in one his homilies spoke of the “scandalous poverty” and social inequality in Argentina.
Monday, August 10th 2009 - 11:55 UTC
Brazilian inflation falls in July for the third month running

Brazil inflation slowed for the third month running in July with annual inflation slowing to 4.5%, the lowest since December 2007. Consumer prices as measured by the IPCA index rose 0.24% in July from 0.36% in June, according to a release from the national statistics agency.
Monday, August 10th 2009 - 11:41 UTC
Chile leads in wine exports but Argentina catching up in quality and growth rate

The average price of an exported bottle of wine from Argentina has exceeded a Chilean bottle for the first time, according to recently released Wines of Chile figures. The report also revealed that Chile's wine exports fell 4.4% between January and June 2009, compared to the same time last year.
Monday, August 10th 2009 - 11:25 UTC
Lloyds Banking Group considering how to limit government stake

The UK part-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group may raise billions of pounds from shareholders to reduce its reliance on the taxpayer, it has been reported. The bank - which is 43% state-owned - is considering the move to avoid the £16 billion cost of placing billions in toxic debts into a taxpayer-backed insurance scheme, the Sunday Times reports.
Monday, August 10th 2009 - 11:02 UTC
Bidders have no plans to close plants or drop the Vauxhall brand

One of the last two bidders in the running to buy Britain’s Vauxhall car maker has said it has no plans to close its two UK plants or drop the brand. Belgian investment group RHJ International is vying with Canadian firm Magna International to buy the European arm of ailing General Motors, which owns Germany's Opel as well as Vauxhall.
Saturday, August 8th 2009 - 13:40 UTC
US job losses soften and fall to 9.4%, first drop since April 2008

The United States economy lost 247,000 jobs in July, far fewer than analysts had expected, official figures show. With fewer workers being laid off, the unemployment rate fell to 9.4%, down from 9.5% in the previous month, the first drop since April 2008.
Friday, August 7th 2009 - 11:41 UTC
Jobs outlook in China remains “very grave” warn officials

China's job outlook remains “very grave” and could deteriorate further, a senior official has said. The government is under “enormous pressure” to create jobs, said Wang Yadong at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
Friday, August 7th 2009 - 11:34 UTC
German icon of auto industry sees few signs of lasting recovery

Germanys’ carmaker BMW has said it sees few signs of a lasting economic recovery after it reported profits down by three-quarters for the April to June period. Net profit was 121 million Euros, down 76% from a year ago, with car sales down by nearly a fifth.
Friday, August 7th 2009 - 11:32 UTC
Chilean “tsunami” at wine contest in Santiago

Chilean winemakers nearly swept an international wine contest in July, winning all but a few accolades at the event. The contest, Vinalies Cata d’or América Latina 2009, was held at the Hyatt Hotel in Santiago The competition, put on by Italy, Spain and Portugal, as well as Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia.