Economy

• Friday, March 22nd 2019 - 09:00 UTC

  Argentine economy contracted 2.5% in 2018, after shrinking 6.2% in fourth quarter

  

  Argentina’s economy contracted 2.5% in 2018, the official statistics agency said on Thursday, as the Latin American country’s leaders struggle to revive growth after being rattled by a currency crisis and steep inflation over the past year.

• Friday, March 22nd 2019 - 08:52 UTC

  Brazil farm minister not satisfied with US promises of market opening for fresh beef

  

  Brazil’s farm minister said that a U.S. agreement to conduct further inspections on the country’s meatpacking system is a step toward reopening the United States to fresh Brazilian beef, but is not sufficient.

• Friday, March 22nd 2019 - 08:41 UTC

  US threatens to pull out of IADB meeting in China if Guaidó's representative is not allowed to attend

  

  The United States on Thursday threatened to pull out of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in China next week if Beijing refuses to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to attend.

• Friday, March 22nd 2019 - 08:29 UTC

  What new WTO and OECD status would mean for Brazil

  

  Brazil’s agreement with the United States to forgo special treatment by the World Trade Organization (WTO) would apply only to future negotiations within the multilateral trade body, Director General Roberto Azevedo said on Wednesday.

• Friday, March 22nd 2019 - 08:22 UTC

  South Georgia issues commemorative coins on Queen Victoria's bicentenary anniversary

  

  The government and treasury of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands have issued on Thursday 21st March new crown coins and gold £4 pieces which are in celebration of the bicentenary anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria.

• Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 10:39 UTC

  EU prepared to grant UK a Brexit delay, if Parliament votes in favor of Mrs. May deal

  

  The European Union could grant Britain’s request for a short Brexit delay if Parliament votes next week in favour of a stalled departure deal, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.

• Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:55 UTC

  Mexico and Brazil agree on a free trade for light vehicles

  

  Mexico’s government said it had reached an agreement with Brazil on the free trade of light vehicles, subject to a 40% regional content requirement, paving the way for more open commerce between Latin America’s two biggest economies.

• Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:52 UTC

  GM announces US$ 2.5bn investment in Brazilian car industry

  

  General Motors Co said it would invest US$ 2.7 billion in two Brazilian factories over the next five years, sparing them from a shakeup of the automaker’s operations, a decision hailed by the governor of Brazil’s largest state.

• Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:45 UTC

  Citigroup plans to sell US$ 1.6bn of Venezuelan gold held on collateral

  

  Citigroup Inc plans to sell several tons of gold placed as collateral by Venezuela’s central bank on a US$ 1.6 billion loan after the deadline for repurchasing them expired this month, sources said Reuters, a setback for President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to hold onto the country’s fast-shrinking reserves.

• Thursday, March 21st 2019 - 09:40 UTC

  Fed confirms it does not expect to raise interest rates in 2019

  

  The US Federal Reserve does not expect to raise interest rates for the rest of 2019 amid slower economic growth. After a two-day meeting, monetary policymakers voted unanimously to keep the US interest rate range between 2.25%-2.5%.