In the last four years, wealth controlled by Chile's richest families grew by 45% to 71 billion US dollars, according to a study done by Chilean financing evaluation company LarrainVial, consulting company Accenture and the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez.
United States investment bank Lehman Brothers is raising 6 billion US dollars to boost its finances after predicting a loss of 2.8 billion in the second quarter of 2008.
Exports from one of Mercosur's junior members Uruguay could reach ten billion US dollars this year, a considerable hike from the 6.8 billion of 2007 and the original official estimate of above 9 billion US dollars, according to sources from the Ministry of Economy.
Colombia declared a sanitary emergency in an area bordering with Venezuela where an outbreak of foot and mouth disease was confirmed by the country's Agriculture authorities, ICA.
The Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO) predicted this week a 450,000 ton surplus in the global copper production for the year 2009. Global supplies are expected to increase by 7.9% between now and then due to increased production.
Japanese banks are feeling the fallout from the US subprime mortgage crisis and the credit crunch, according to the country's financial watchdog.
United States home foreclosures and late payments set records over the first three months of the year and are expected to keep rising, stark signs of the housing crisis' mounting damage to homeowners and the US economy.

The United States unemployment rate rose at its fastest pace in more than two decades in May, stoking fears of recession in the world's biggest economy. The surprise jump in May's jobless rate to 5.5% from 5% is the most recent signal yet that US growth is stalling.

The leaders of the world's airlines unanimously agreed to a resolution calling for governments, airports and labour to take immediate action to help the industry survive the growing financial crisis.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer confirmed on Friday it had sold a propeller-driven fighter plane to a unit of Blackwater Worldwide, the world's largest private defense services company, and said it would not be used for operations in Iraq.