A majority of people in France, Germany, Spain and Italy feel the euro has hurt their economies, according to a poll published Monday in the Financial Times. The FT-Harris survey found more than half of citizens questioned in the big euro zone countries said they preferred their former currency.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made on Friday an impassioned plea to rich countries to assume their responsibilities in long-struggling global free trade talks helping to achieve a quick agreement.
Chilean banks were among the most profitable in the world in 2006, with profits of 18.56 percent in 2006, according to recent figures developed by Chile's Bank and Financial Institution Supervisory Board (SBIF).
Argentina's rate risk dropped Friday below that of neighboring Brazil, a day after the successful floating of sovereign bonds totaling 500 million US dollars, at the lowest interest rate since August 2005.
Just a few years after its worst financial debacle in history, Argentina is going through a surprising banking bonanza and experts say it is highly to continue, at least in the short- to mid-term.
The number of people unemployed worldwide remained at an historical high of nearly 200 million in 2006 despite strong global economic growth, only modest gains were made in lifting some of the 1.37 billion working poor living on less than 2 US dollars per day out of poverty, and the pattern looks set to continue this year, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.
Argentina last year posted a 12.4 billion dollar trade surplus on record exports of 46.6 billion dollars and record imports of 34.2 billion dollars, helped by an average growth of about nine percent in each of the last four years after a crippling five-year recession.
Following months of negotiations the Uruguayan government signed Thursday a controversial trade agreement with United States in spite of dissent inside the left leaning ruling coalition over how far closer links with Washington will lead.
Argentina last year exported fresh vegetables and legumes for 264 million dollars, nearly half of which were accounted for by garlic and onion, with fellow Mercosur trade partner Brazil being the main destination.
Argentine soy bean mills processed 2.68 million tons of soybeans in November, up 28.9% from the same month a year earlier, reported the Agriculture Secretariat this week in Buenos Aires.