Economy

• Wednesday, November 23rd 2016 - 15:16 UTC

  Argentina's tax amnesty program “rescues” US$ 21.9bn including US$ 7.2bn in cash

  

  Argentines have so far declared US$21.9 billion in previously hidden assets in the country's tax amnesty program meant to help jump-start the economy, Alberto Abad, director of the AFIP tax collection agency, said on Tuesday. That included US$7.2 billion in cash deposits, Abad said.

• Wednesday, November 23rd 2016 - 15:03 UTC

  Petrobras case connections in Geneva targeted by Swiss prosecution

  

  The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has opened criminal proceedings against a former senior executive at the Geneva-based commodity trader Trafigura. The case is reportedly linked to corruption involving the Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras.

• Wednesday, November 23rd 2016 - 15:02 UTC

  British government sells 721m Lloyds shares; stake down to 8%

  

  The British government has taken advantage of recent share price strength and sold 721m Lloyds Banking Group shares. The share sale reduces the government’s stake in the lender to just under 8%. In total, the taxpayer owns a cool 5.7bn shares in Lloyds.

• Tuesday, November 22nd 2016 - 14:10 UTC

  Brazil admits Trump policies could cause a flow out of capital from emerging economies

  

  Brazil's Central Bank (BC) President Ilan Goldfajn said on Monday that the outcome of the US presidential election, won by magnate Donald Trump, brought an element of uncertainty to markets, but reiterated that the institution has kept a close watch on the development of international markets and worked to prevent the effects of “external shocks” from threatening macroeconomic stability.

• Tuesday, November 22nd 2016 - 13:38 UTC

  Fiscal vulnerability of Brazilian economy exposed at a business conference

  

  Brazilian President Michel Temer warned on Monday that the national debt could swell to the size of the country's gross domestic product within eight years should public spending not be brought under control and fiscal reforms not enacted.

• Tuesday, November 22nd 2016 - 10:56 UTC

  TPP without the US would be “meaningless” says Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

  

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal would be “meaningless” without US participation, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said as United States President-elect Donald Trump announced he planned to quit the pact. PM Abe’s comment on Monday (Tuesday morning) came shortly before the Mr Trump released a short video about his plans for his administration, including an intention to have the US drop out of the TPP pact.

• Tuesday, November 22nd 2016 - 09:48 UTC

  Trump advances plans for his first day: quitting TPP, ending visa abuses and “job killing restrictions”

  

  President-elect Donald Trump says the US will quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal on his first day in the White House. He made the announcement in a video messaged outlining what he intends to do first when he takes office in January. The TPP trade deal was signed by 12 countries which together cover 40% of the world's economy. Trump also pledged to reduce “job-killing restrictions” on coal production and stop visa abuses.

• Tuesday, November 22nd 2016 - 09:00 UTC

  Santander bank confident of Brazil's “rapid recovery”

  

  President Michel Temer met on Monday with Banco Santander chairman Ana Botin, who expressed the Spanish banking giant's confidence in Brazil's economic future despite the current downturn being experienced by Latin America's largest economy.

• Monday, November 21st 2016 - 12:15 UTC

  APEC summit criticizes protectionism and consider Asia-Pacific free trade area

  

  Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski brought the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to a close in Lima on Sunday with a message against protectionism and awareness that the meeting was held “at a key moment in the world's economic history.”

• Monday, November 21st 2016 - 11:22 UTC

  Nobody is going to invest in Argentina while fearing populism could be round the corner

  

  Even admitting that the Argentine economy will expand 3% next year, nobody wants to invest in the country because they are not sure that populism won't be back in a couple of years, according to economist and former central bank chair Javier Gonzalez Fraga.