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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, January 20th 2026 - 08:50 UTC

Economy

  • Wednesday, April 2nd 2025 - 08:58 UTC

    Foreign travelers increasingly pouring into Brazil

    These results are ”thanks to the joint work of the public and private sectors,” Freiixo explained

    Brazil's revenues from international tourism hit a record US$ 823 million in February 2025, representing a 22.2% yoy increase, local authorities reported Tuesday.The arrival of over 1.3 million international visitors contributed a total of US$ 1.6 billion in tourism revenue for the first two months of the year, a 10.4% rise compared to 2024.

  • Tuesday, April 1st 2025 - 10:52 UTC

    Milei celebrates official figures showing a decline in poverty

    “The drop in the number of poor people is more than ten million,” Milei noted

    Argentine President Javier Milei Monday boasted his administration's achievement of lowering poverty from 52.9% in the first semester of 2024 to 38.1% by the end of the year, compared to 41.7% at the end of 2023. Indigence (extreme poverty) also decreased to 8.2% from higher levels earlier in the year, according to a report released Monday by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec).

  • Tuesday, April 1st 2025 - 10:24 UTC

    World Bank Chief due in Asunción after almost 50 years

    Banga is obliging a personal invitation from President Santiago Peña

    World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga is due in Asunción Tuesday for a historic visit to Paraguay, the first by a man in his position in nearly 50 years since Robert McNamara’s in 1976. Invited by Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Banga aims to strengthen bilateral ties, focusing on sustainable development, job creation, and private investment.

  • Monday, March 31st 2025 - 10:35 UTC

    Formal employment up in Brazil last month

    In the quarter ending in February, the country's employed population was 102.7 million people, the IBGE survey found

    The Brazilian Government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recorded a positive balance of 431,995 formal jobs in February 2025, marking the highest monthly figure in the Labor Ministry's New General Register of Employed and Unemployed (New Caged) series since it began in 2020.

  • Monday, March 31st 2025 - 09:07 UTC

    Lula clinches meat export deal to Vietnam

    Hanoi is “finally going to buy Brazilian meat for the Vietnamese market,” celebrated Lula

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced this weekend that he clinched a meat export deal with Vietnam during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh, thus adding a new notch to bilateral trade, which last year amounted to US$ 7.7 billion with a US$ 415 million surplus for the South American country.

  • Saturday, March 29th 2025 - 10:23 UTC

    Argentina: Skyrocketing food prices threaten gov't inflationary targets

    It is highly unlikely that Milei's administration can record a 2% inflation in March with food prices going up as they are

    Argentina is experiencing a sharp increase in food prices, complicating the government's goal of keeping inflation close to 2%. Private consulting firms report that food prices rose by approximately 3.2% to 4% so far this month, with total inflation projected to be between 2.4% and 3%. Key drivers include dairy and eggs (up 5.8%), meat (up 5%), vegetables (up 3.3%), and beverages (up 2.2%).

  • Saturday, March 29th 2025 - 10:14 UTC

    Slight drop in unemployment in Uruguay and Chile

    February was Uruguay's last month under President Luis Lacalle Pou. Photo: Sebastián Astorga

    Uruguay's unemployment rate slightly decreased to 7.9% in February from 8.1% in January, according to a National Statistics Institute (INE) report released Friday. This represents a 0.2% drop month-over-month and a 0.4% decrease compared to February 2024, with approximately 150,900 people unemployed. The employment rate remained stable at 59.4%, while the activity rate saw a minor decline from 64.6% to 64.5%. It was President Luis Lacalle Pou's last month in office. Yamandú Orsi was sworn in on March 1.

  • Friday, March 28th 2025 - 10:33 UTC

    Argentina secures $20B IMF deal, aims to boost Central Bank reserves to $50B

    Milei said there would be no devaluation because the problem is the lack of pesos, not the lack of dollars

    Argentina’s Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo announced Thursday that the loan negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amounts to US$ 20 billion disbursement from the IMF, which, in addition to further borrowing from the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the CAF would leave the Central Bank's (BCRA) reserves around US$50 billion.

  • Thursday, March 27th 2025 - 16:50 UTC

    India and China no longer buying crude from Venezuela after Trump's threats

    According to vessel monitoring tracking services, crude loading operations are slowing down in Venezuelan ports

    The United States imposing a 25% tariff on countries importing oil and gas from Venezuela starting next month has already taken its toll on Caracas' coffers as India and China —accounting for over 50% of its crude exports— have halted purchases. China, which imported 351,000 barrels per day (bpd) last year, and India, with 254,000 bpd in January, are stepping back, with companies like India’s Reliance Industries planning to stop imports.

  • Thursday, March 27th 2025 - 10:21 UTC

    Scufffles between retirees and law enforcement officers reported in Buenos Aires

    The situation keeps heating up as leftwing organizations and unions seek to capitalize on demonstrations that have been going on for years

    Clashes between law enforcement officers and demonstrators during Wednesday's traditional protest by Argentine retirees in Buenos Aires demanding better wages and medical coverage were recorded once again this week as unions and leftwing organizations tried to block a street, thus triggering Security Minister Patricia Bullrich's anti-picket protocol, which resulted in senior citizens, a girl and a photographer pepper-sprayed as authorities sought to keep traffic flowing.