Economy

• Tuesday, February 2nd 2021 - 09:10 UTC

  UK will formally apply to join the Trans Pacific Partnership

  

  The United Kingdom will formally apply to join one of the world’s largest free-trade areas, deepening trade ties with some of the fastest-growing markets in the world. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will speak to ministers in Japan and New Zealand to request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), with formal negotiations set to start this year.

• Saturday, January 30th 2021 - 09:55 UTC

  Official 2020 inflation in Argentina at 36,1%, but several points higher for the poor half of the country

  

  Argentina registered inflation of 36,1% in 2020, with the declining rate during three quarters, picking up strongly in the last three months particularly basics such as food which is serious since almost half of the Argentine population are cataloged as poor or living below the poverty line.

• Saturday, January 30th 2021 - 09:34 UTC

  One for Bolsonaro: Brazil almost broke; primary deficit reaches 10% of GDP

  

  Only a week ago, President Jair Bolsonaro said Brazil was “broke” and the latest Treasury numbers have come close to backing the statement. Last year the country reported a record primary budget deficit of 743.1 billion reais (US$138 billion), a record 10% of GDP.

• Saturday, January 30th 2021 - 09:23 UTC

  US economy hazy despite S&P surge, ten million workers jobless and record high unemployment applications

  

  The United States grew at a 4% annual rate in the final three months of 2020 and shrank last year by the largest amount in 74 years. The coronavirus inflicted the worst economic freeze since the end of World War II, the economy contracted 3.5% and clouded the outlook for this year.

• Friday, January 29th 2021 - 08:55 UTC

  Argentina expected to grow 5,4% in 2021, far from mitigating pandemic's impact

  

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, lowered Argentina's growth estimate for this year to 4,5% from its previous 4.9% forecast, according to the World Economic Outlook, WEO, delivered this week and which includes some forty countries, among which Argentina since it is a member of G20.

• Friday, January 29th 2021 - 08:55 UTC

  Canada and Uruguay, the Americas' countries with the less corruption perception

  

  Transparency International has released its 2020 Corruption Perception Index, which is not very generous with Latin American countries, including Mercosur members Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, with Uruguay the great exception and best-ranked in the Americas behind Canada.

• Friday, January 29th 2021 - 08:07 UTC

  Stanley's RPI drops in last quarter: reduced cost of fuel and power

  

  The Falkland Islands capital, Stanley Retail Price Index (RPI) indicated that the cost of living has dropped again in the last quarter of 2020 after a steady increase in the previous two quarters.

• Thursday, January 28th 2021 - 09:59 UTC

  Uruguay will partially reopen its borders as of February

  

  Uruguayan president Luis Lacalle Pou announced on Wednesday the partial lifting of the borders' total closure which had been established last December 20, but all other measures that had been announced on that date remain in full compliance.

• Thursday, January 28th 2021 - 09:42 UTC

  Brazil on the brink of financial default, points out the Financial Times

  

  Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been s skeptical of the coronavirus pandemic and the effectiveness of different vaccines to contain it, arguing that the economy, jobs and activity, were the priority above sanitary recommendations. As a result of this approach, his administration's federal spending jumped almost 40% between January and November, according to the Institute of International Finance. And Bolsonaro had even admitted the country is “broke.”

• Thursday, January 28th 2021 - 09:37 UTC

  Argentine traders and millers discussing options to avoid a ban on wheat exports

  

  Argentina is worried about domestic food prices and inflation, and as it happened a few weeks ago with an attempt to ban corn exports, a similar situation apparently is happening with wheat, and the different actors involved are working on measures aimed at securing the wheat supply and reasonable bread and pasta prices.