Economy

• Thursday, April 3rd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Hostage release and Paris Club in CFK Sarkozy summit

  

  With the farmers' conflict in recess for thirty days, Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, CFK, is preparing to fly next Saturday to Paris where on Monday she will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to work on an agenda of mutual interest which could have significant political benefits.

• Wednesday, April 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Fears of inflation as Brazil's industrial output climb 9.7%

  Brazil's industrial output climbed 9.7% in February, the highest in the last four months and the 20th straight gain in year-on year industrial production according to the latest release from the government.

• Wednesday, April 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay faces double impact of the weakening US dollar

  Paraguay is increasingly concerned with the weakness of the US dollar which together with the landlocked South American country commodities export boom is appreciating the local currency far above the Central Bank's target.

• Tuesday, April 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Paulson proposes biggest overhaul of US financial sector

  

  The United States Treasury revealed on Monday its blueprint for the biggest overhaul of regulation of the financial sector since the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression.

• Tuesday, April 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay 2007 goods & services exports reach U$S 6.8 billion

  

  Uruguay's exports of goods and services reached a record 6.825 billion US dollars in 2007, up 18% over 2006 according to data released by the Central Bank and published in the Montevideo media.

• Tuesday, April 1st 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Sub-prime crisis costs top Swiss bank 37 billion US dollars

  

  Swiss financial giant UBS has reported that its write-downs as a result of the sub-prime crisis have more than doubled to about 37 billion US dollars. It is the largest write-down by any bank since the credit crunch began.

• Sunday, March 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US Fed to be grilled over massive support to financial system

  

  United States Federal Reserve will make a further 100 billion US dollars available to major banks in April, trying to ease concerns about a global credit crunch. The sum, offered across two auctions, is in addition to 260 billion US dollars provided in short-term loans to the end of March.
  
  Other unorthodox steps include the Fed allowing investment banks to borrow from it directly, previously only possible for commercial banks.

• Sunday, March 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina's trade surplus soars with commodity prices

  

  Argentina's trade surplus in February jumped 23.5% over a year ago reaching 982 million US dollars, but lower than expected because of a surge in imports according to the latest report from the Institute of Statistics and Census, Indec.

• Sunday, March 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Rice consumption forecasted to outpace production in 2008

  

  World consumption of rice continues to rise and outpace production and the trend will continue in 2008, bringing with it a host of factors that will impact rice producers said Carl Brothers senior vice president of Riceland Foods.

• Sunday, March 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: 30.4% (10.8 m) live below the poverty line

  

  Higher food and fuel prices plunged 1.3 million Argentines below the poverty line in 2007, which means the income of 10.8 million Argentines is not enough to cover the costs of the basic food basket, according to a paper from the Buenos Aires think tank Sociedad de Estudios Laborales, SEL.