Services activity in Brazil slumped 11.7% in April, figures showed on Wednesday, the biggest fall since comparable record-keeping began nearly a decade ago as social isolation measures to combat the COVID-19 outbreak slammed the economy into reverse.
The European Union's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday that the bloc will do its best to seal an agreement on new ties with Britain by the end of the year but will not compromise its core values, notably on fair competition.
The Trump administration announced it plans to nominate the top White House official for Latin America to lead the Inter-American Development Bank, aiming to break a six-decade tradition of choosing the bank's leadership from candidates in that region.
Investment flows to Latin America are expected to halve in 2020 from the US$ 164 billion received last year, according to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2020.
Chile’s government reached a deal with opposition lawmakers for a US$ 12 billion stimulus package over the weekend as infections hit a record and the health minister quit.
Peru´s economic activity sank 40.49% year-on-year in April, its worst-ever percentage drop in output, as a national lockdown to combat the coronavirus slammed the brakes on industry across the country, the government said.
Argentina has extended confidentiality agreements with creditors by one day to allow further negotiations as the two sides seek a last-ditch agreement to restructure around US$ 65 billion in debt.
Some of Argentina’s largest creditors presented a new debt proposal to the government over the weekend as the two sides edge closer to a US$ 65 billion restructuring deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
A study carried out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Unctad, pointed out that disruptions to the economic and social sectors by the pandemic have caused a dramatic decline in trade.
China has halted imports from European salmon suppliers amid fears they might be linked to a COVID-19 outbreak at a Beijing market, although experts say the fish itself is unlikely to carry the disease.