Economy

• Wednesday, March 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Rice prices become a ticking time bomb for Asian countries

  

  The spiral in rice world prices has become an extraordinary source of revenue for exporters Thailand and Vietnam but for the rest of Asian countries is a ticking time bomb that could lead to social chaos. Rice is the staple food for hundreds of millions in Asia and the Pacific basin.

• Wednesday, March 26th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Abu Dhabi and Qatar create 2 billion sovereign global fund

  The Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi government-owned International Petroleum Investment Co Ipic and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will invest 2 billion US dollars in a new fund for global acquisitions. Ipic and QIA will each spend 1 billion in the fund and investment will be leveraged to make best use of acquisition potential.

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US financial officials “forgot to preach with the example”

  

  Unites States banking authorities and regulators who during the nineties recommended Latinamerica to closely monitor its financial system “apparently forgot to look at home and this has led to the current financial crisis”, said Uruguayan economist Enrique Iglesias

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bull market for lamb and mutton in 2008 predicts SUL

  

  In the first six weeks of 2008 the average price of Uruguayan ovine meat exported to Brazil averaged 2.593 US dollars per ton, which is 17% higher than in the same period of 2007, according to the latest edition of the official publication from the Uruguayan Wool Secretariat (SUL).

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  USDA: Raising a child to adulthood costs 204.000 US dollars

  

  Middle income families in United States should calculate that raising a child born in 2007 to adulthood will demand an estimated 204.060 US dollars in food, housing and education costs, according to an annual report from the US Department of Agriculture.

• Tuesday, March 25th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina's foreign debt stands at 123 billion US dollars

  

  Argentina's foreign debt stood at the end of 2007 at 123.197 billion US dollars, a 13.3% hike over the 108.762 billion of 2006, according to the latest report from the country's Statistics and Census Institute, Indec.

• Monday, March 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US bakers warn about high wheat prices and shortages

  United States bakers are feeling the pinch of higher wheat prices and have been visiting Washington warning about the possible consequences for the US consumer if the current price level persists, reports FarmPolicy.com (*).

• Friday, March 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  OECD forecasts US economy zero growth in second quarter

  United States economic growth is grinding to a halt, but the Euro zone is doing relatively well so far, according to the latest assessment from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

• Friday, March 21st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  South America better prepared for US recession challenge

  

  Although the Latin American economy isn't “immune” to the crisis in the United States, it's in a better position than 10 years ago and Central America and the Caribbean will feel the effects more than South American countries, said World Bank vice president Pamela Cox this week in Bogota.

• Thursday, March 20th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  “Fed rate cuts will not make difference” warns Stiglitz

  

  Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said the current financial crisis is the worst the world has seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s and the US Federal Reserve move to cut interest rates will not make much difference.