Sales of second hand United States homes fell 8.4% in March, the sharpest month-on-month drop for 18 years according to data from the National Association of Realtors released on Tuesday.

China warned this week that the recent complaints filed by the United States against China to the World Trade Organization (WTO) would seriously damage cooperation between the two countries.

Europe's main stock markets closed lower in line on Tuesday following a weak performance on Wall Street and the full impact of the Spanish stock exchange hit by a housing market crash.
China replaced the United States as the principal destination for Chilean exports in this year's first quarter. Chile's exports from January to March totalled over 15 billion US dollars, of which nearly 15.5% approximately 2.4 billion went to China.

United States Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson weekend statements in support of a strong dollar don't seem to have convinced markets as the greenback looks ready to slide past a two year low against the Euro.

The Inter-American Economic Council held a high level Public Summit focused on Building Sustainable Societies in Latin America. The Summit's key objectives were to focus on Economic Development Opportunities for the poor impoverished communities of Latin America and the Caribbean and examined ways to encourage the private sector to focus on establishing and expand its corporate social responsibility programs in the region.

United States and the European Union need to adapt to global changing economic reality and for their own good give up their leadership monopolies at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, according to a report from the Atlantic Council of the United States.
The current levels of the United States dollar in Chilean money markets where it dropped to 528 pesos this week, is in line with international markets, according to the country's Central Bank president Vittorio Corbo.

Latin American economies have improved fiscal positions and achieved better shape than they have in decades, and risks to that stem mostly from the United States and China, according to a World Economic Forum report issued this week.
The Chinese economy grew an impressive 11.1% in the first quarter of 2007, but inflation in March rose to 3.3% and fears that rapid expansion will drive interest rates higher weighed on stock markets.