Economy

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 12:57 UTC

  Argentine farmers on alert: government does not rule out more taxes on food exports

  

  Despite a recent accord with the government regarding corn exports, Argentine farmers are again on alert following statements from officials who did not rule out the possibility of increasing taxes on food exports as part of its effort to control high inflation.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 12:39 UTC

  Argentine oil and gas activity picking up in Vaca Muerta shale deposits

  

  Fracking activity in Vaca Muerta, Argentina shot up in January to its highest level in 17 months, according to the Argentine unit of Houston-based services company NCS Multistage.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 09:55 UTC

  Fernandez and Bolsonaro expected to share a family photo on the 30th anniversary of Mercosur

  

  Argentine ambassador in Brazil, Daniel Scioli, has confirmed what was advanced by Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou during this week's meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro, a meeting of Mercosur heads of state, sometime at the end of March. The summit will coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the trade block, which also includes Argentina and Paraguay.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 08:21 UTC

  Bank of England tells banks to prepare for negative interest rates

  

  The Bank of England (BOE) told banks to start getting ready for negative interest rates but added that the message shouldn’t be taken as a signal that the policy is imminent. The BOE made the announcement as it held its key rate at a record low of 0.1%.

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 09:58 UTC

  Lacalle Pou agreed with Bolsonaro in Brasilia to make Mercosur more flexible

  

  The President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, traveled overseas for the first time to meet with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in a meeting in which they discussed the idea of “making Mercosur more flexible” and the possibility of a face-to-face summit with the leaders of Argentina and Paraguay at the end of March.

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 09:32 UTC

  Brazil ends the Car Wash anti corruption unit, which sent top politicians and business leaders to jail

  

  Brazil’s Car Wash anti-corruption unit has officially been disbanded putting an end for a team of prosecutors that sent dozens of Brazilian and regional political and business leaders to jail, including several former presidents.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2021 - 09:20 UTC

  Brazil industrial production down 4,5% last year, auto and clothing worst hit

  

  Brazil’s industrial output plunged by 4.5% last year as the coronavirus pandemic battered Latin America’s largest economy, particularly the auto and clothing industries, the national statistics institute reported on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2021 - 08:00 UTC

  Dragui, ex ECB chief invited to form a new government in Italy

  

  Italian President Sergio Mattarella has invited former European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi to talk about forming a new government. Dragui passed the ECB baton to Christine Lagarde in 2019 after an eight-year stint. Draghi is set to meet President Matarella later on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, February 3rd 2021 - 06:42 UTC

  Impact on Scotland's economy if it breaks away from the UK, LSE report

  

  Reuters – The economy of Scotland will suffer a trade shock two to three times more severe than the impact of Brexit if it leaves the United Kingdom, according to an academic study published this Wednesday.

• Tuesday, February 2nd 2021 - 09:16 UTC

  Brazilian teamsters strike to protest fuel prices fizzles out

  

  Brazil independent truckers strike got off on Monday to a weak start because of internal divisions on how to protest fuel prices. The government said traffic was flowing freely on all of the country's highways far from fears of a repeat of the 2018 protest that disrupted food and fuel supplies.