Chile announced several measures to prop the competitiveness of Chilean exports that have been particularly affected by the international collapse of the US dollar and which has motivated reiterated claims from the industry.
United States has seen the first decline in employment since August 2003, providing fresh evidence that the US economy could be entering a recession. Employers cut 17,000 jobs from their payrolls in January, Labor Department figures showed. Economists had been expecting a rise of 80,000.
Chile finished 2007 with a record fiscal surplus of just under 14.5 billion US dollars, government officials acknowledged Wednesday. This figure represents 8.7% of Chile's overall GDP, which is also an all-time record.
With forecasts of more snow and ice, chaos in the transport and energy systems that has left millions stranded or without electricity and water, Chinese authorities are desperately trying to convince people the situation is under control.
Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega said that for the moment there's no reason to change the country's growth estimate of 5% for 2008, in spite of global recession fears, which he believes will impact most on developed countries.
United States economic growth fell sharply in the last three months of 2007 as the credit crunch took effect, according to the latest figures from the Department of Commerce. Overall growth rate in 2007 was 2.2%, the weakest since 2002.
The FBI is investigating at least fourteen companies embroiled in the sub-prime mortgage crisis as part of a crackdown on improper lending and inside information according to The Wall Street Journal.
Argentina announced this week the reopening the wheat and corn export registries, a measure that had an immediate impact in the US markets of Chicago and Kansas City.
High prices around the world are encouraging farmers to plant more grain and Australia is preparing to plant a bumper wheat crop in 2008 following last year's disastrous drought that drastically slashed yields.
The British government unveiled plans this week to give authorities the power to swiftly seize control of a failing bank as part of an overhaul of banking laws to prevent a repeat of the run on mortgage lender Northern Rock PLC.