Economy

• Friday, April 28th 2017 - 03:03 UTC

  Argentine economy contracted in February, but in March consumer confidence is picking up

  

  Argentina's economy contracted 2.2% on the year in February, indicating that the country's widely expected fiscal recovery may end up being slower than anticipated this year. The economy also shrank 1.9% from the previous month, the national statistics agency Indec reported. The data come after Argentina's economy grew 1.4% on the year in January.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 23:44 UTC

  Falklands airbridge working; no reply from Argentina on a second flight

  

  Falkland Islands lawmaker, MLA Mike Summers apologized on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the disruption that the flight diversion from Ascension Island had caused, but said he knew they were working hard to ensure proper arrangements were in place for the continuation of the air bridge with the UK.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 09:21 UTC

  Trump announces plan to lower taxes; Wall Street cautious, Democrats call it a handout to the wealthy

  

  President Donald Trump administration on Wednesday presented a sweeping plan to lower tax rates for individuals and businesses, saying it would create the biggest tax cut in United States history. However US markets slid at the close after the Trump administration outlined the tax cut plan and Democrats described it as a handout to the wealthy that would expand the deficit.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:20 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade agreement “closer than ever”, says Spanish president Rajoy

  

  The European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur should intensify talks to reach a trade agreement this year, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Tuesday, urging haste after 18 years of negotiations.

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 19:16 UTC

  UN forecasts South American countries average economic expansion at 0.6%

  

  The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) updated growth projections for economic activity in the region in 2017 and forecasts a 1.1% average expansion for this year, the United Nations body stated on Monday in a press release. This projection is slightly below the 1.3% that was estimated in December 2016.

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 07:59 UTC

  Markets' Macron rally on Monday: Wall Street, Europe, Asia

  

  European stock market rally sparked by the French presidential election spread to Wall Street on Monday. All three main US share markets jumped more than 1%, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index closing at a record high. Europe's main markets jumped at least 2% and the euro hit a five-month high as fears over the election eased.

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 07:54 UTC

  Financial aid to Santa Cruz province, if a serious plan to put accounts in order is presented

  

  Buenos Aires said on Tuesday it was prepared to help financially Santa Cruz province, but demanded a “serious program” to put in order the regional government´s accounts, which has seen its basic services of education, healthcare and justice paralyzed because of months in arrears to staff.

• Monday, April 24th 2017 - 14:36 UTC

  Trump receives Argentine president Macri at the White House on Thursday

  

  Argentine and United States presidents Mauricio Macri and Donald Trump will be addressing bilateral trade, the Venezuelan situation, combating drugs and declassification of documents from the last dictatorship when they meet next Thursday at the While House, according to Chargé d'Affaires Thomas Cooney currently running the US embassy in Buenos Aires.

• Monday, April 24th 2017 - 08:42 UTC

  Temer insists that the corruption scandal won't paralyze Brazil

  

  President Michel Temer insists that a growing corruption scandal in his government will not paralyze Brazil as it struggles to emerge from its deepest recession in history. “Brazil doesn’t stop,” he said in an interview broadcast on Spanish television TVE ahead of a visit Monday by Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. “So it won’t be corrupt acts that paralyze the country.”

• Monday, April 24th 2017 - 07:05 UTC

  Euro jumps to a five-month high as French election results bring relief to investors

  

  The value of the Euro jumped to a five-month high, after the first round of voting in the French presidential election on Sunday. Results indicate that independent pro Europe pro deregulation Emmanuel Macron, and far-right Marine Le Pen are through to the final round.