Economy

• Thursday, November 1st 2018 - 08:06 UTC

  Russia lifts ban on imports of pork and beef from nine Brazilian plants

  

  Russia's agriculture safety watchdog said on Wednesday it would allow imports of beef and pork from nine Brazilian plants beginning on Thursday, ending an 11-month ban triggered by concerns about the safety of their meat products.

• Thursday, November 1st 2018 - 06:56 UTC

  Brazilian ministers object Bolsonaro's plans to merge Agriculture and Environment

  

  Brazil’s environment and agriculture ministers on Wednesday criticized President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s plans to merge their departments, saying it would hurt the country’s agenda on both fronts. Bolsonaro has pledged to roughly halve the number of existing ministries in an effort to reduce bureaucracy and government bloat. He also vowed to merge the planning, finance and industry ministries into one super ministry.

• Thursday, November 1st 2018 - 06:12 UTC

  The Times reports EU/UK tentative deal on financial services: sterling jumps 0.6%

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May has struck a deal with the European Union that would give UK financial services companies continued access to European markets after Brexit, the Times reported on Thursday.

• Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 09:01 UTC

  Several Army generals expected in Bolsonaro's cabinet to be announced next Monday

  

  Brazil’s far-right president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, is likely to tap army generals and an ultra-free-market economist for key roles in his cabinet. The former army captain styles himself as an outsider, even though he has spent a long career in Congress, and has mostly sought prospective ministers with little political experience.

• Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:52 UTC

  Beijing concerned a weaker Yuan could further trigger trade war with the U.S.

  

  The Chinese Yuan weakened to a decade low on Tuesday on concerns over China's slowing economy and the US trade war, but Beijing was expected to prevent it breaking the psychologically important 7 Yuan per dollar barrier. The Yuan drifted past 6.96 to the dollar, hitting its weakest levels since May 2008.

• Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:43 UTC

  Brazil's unemployment down to 11.9% in the third quarter

  

  Brazil's unemployment rate fell for the sixth straight month in September, according to government data released on Tuesday, two days after far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro was elected president on a promise of sweeping change. The jobless rate -- measured in sliding three-month intervals -- was 11.9% for the period from July to September, down from 12.1% from June to August.

• Wednesday, October 31st 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  Argentina resumes natural gas export to Chile after twelve years

  

  Argentina has begun exporting natural gas to Chile after a 12 year interlude, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera said on Tuesday, as the two neighboring countries seek to increasingly integrate their energy supply and electricity grids.

• Tuesday, October 30th 2018 - 17:14 UTC

  Bolivia's YPFB must be more competitive to negotiate gas with Brazil

  

  Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) needs to lay out a more competitive plan in terms of prices and delivery methods if it is to negotiate the sale of gas to private Brazilian companies in an adverse political context, according to former minister and hydrocarbons specialist Álvaro Ríos.

• Tuesday, October 30th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

  Future economy minister says Mercosur not a priority for Bolsonaro's Brazil

  

  Mercosur is not a priority, and Argentina is not a priority for the new government of Brazil, the priority is to trade with all the world. The strong statement came from Paulo Guedes, signaled as the next Finance minister of president elect Jair Bolsonaro's cabinet and a crucial player in that team since the newly elected leader has admitted a limited knowledge of economics.

• Tuesday, October 30th 2018 - 08:45 UTC

  YPF plans US$ 4bn annual investment in oil and gas production

  

  Argentina's state-controlled oil company, YPF, will significantly boost oil and gas production, investing between US$4 and US$ 5 billion per year through 2022, Chief Executive Daniel Gonzalez said. The plan is to raise production by between 5and 7% per year, with the largest increase in the Vaca Muerta formation, one of the world's largest reserves of shale oil and gas.