Economy

Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Wealthy China is good for the world, says Bill Gates

China's growing wealth is good for the world, and there will come a time when the influence of the United States shrinks to the level of its share of the world population, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said at a meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB in Miami.
Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Magallanes has Chile's lowest unemployment rate

Magallanes in the extreme south of Chile continues as the region with the lowest unemployment in the country according to the latest release referred to the December/07-February/08 quarter.
Sunday, April 6th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Falklands' dairy doubles herd; makes yogurt & Che cheese

At the Falkland Islands Stanley Dairy, progress can be measured by the time spent milking the cows. Two years ago when New Zealander Kevin Reynolds arrived with his family to take on the business, his day began before 6am and milking could take anything up to two hours, depending on the mood of the equipment and the 14 cows.
Saturday, April 5th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Unemployment in the US jumps to 5.1% in March

Unite States employers shed 80.000 jobs in March, Labor Department figures have shown, in the latest sign that the US economy may be falling into recession. The decline was the third monthly drop in succession, and worse than market expectations of a 60,000 reduction.
Friday, April 4th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Uruguay considering food price subsidies to contain inflation

Uruguay's March consumer price index CPI jumped 1.14%, the highest since last August and fourth running in the past six months, according to the latest release from the Statistics Office. Government officials expressed concern but cautioned that “consumer inflation has become a challenge all over the world”.
Friday, April 4th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Diversified markets have cut Brazil's exposure to US crisis

Brazil's Foreign Secretary Celso Amorim said that those countries which have signed free trade agreement with United States are the most vulnerable to the consequences of the US housing and banking crisis, contrary to Brazil that has “diversified markets”.
Friday, April 4th 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Brazil plan to increase wheat production and cut imports

Brazil announced drastic plans to increase wheat production and cut its dependency on imported grain mainly from Argentina. The target is by 2012 to supply 60% of the domestic market. Brazil currently imports 80% of the wheat consumed by its population of 186 million.
Thursday, April 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
World rice production forecasted to increase 1.8% in 2008

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has predicted that world rice production is expected to rise by 12 million metric tonnes or 1.8% in 2008, assuming normal weather.
Thursday, April 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Real too strong, warn Brazil's panel of “wise-economists”

Brazil's central bank must keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged for the time being and avert increases that would further strengthen the Real and derail an economic expansion, said two economic advisers of President Lula da Silva according to reports in the Sao Paulo financial press.
Thursday, April 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC
Bernanke in Congress admits “recession” is in his vocabulary

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned on Wednesday that US gross domestic product (GDP) could contract in the first six months of 2008. If this happens the US would be in recession since two consecutive three-month periods of negative growth is generally accepted as such.