Economy

• Tuesday, March 21st 2017 - 07:09 UTC

  UK £1bn export credit for British companies planning to trade with Argentina

  

  The British Government is re-introducing export credit financial support for UK businesses looking to trade with Argentina after an almost 20 year hiatus. The announcement was made in Buenos Aires as part of a visit to South America by International Trade Minister Greg Hands, covering Argentina, Brazil and Peru.

• Tuesday, March 21st 2017 - 06:55 UTC

  UK will notify withdrawal from EU on 29 March; talks expected to begin in May

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger EU withdrawal talks under Article 50 on March 29, Downing Street has announced. The Prime Minister’s letter officially notifying the European Council of the UK’s intention to quit will set in train a two-year negotiation process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on 29 March 2019.

• Monday, March 20th 2017 - 08:12 UTC

  Brazil desperate to minimize extent of “Weak Flesh”, exposing bribes and poor controls in meat industry

  

  Brazil's President Michel Temer has sought to reassure foreign trade partners that the corruption scandal engulfing the country's meat industry does not mean its products are unsafe. Meeting ambassadors from Europe, the United States and China to share a barbeque, Temer said his government remained confident about the quality of Brazilian meat.

• Saturday, March 18th 2017 - 10:26 UTC

  Argentina authorizes a low cost airline to fly Falklands/Comodoro Rivadavia

  

  The Argentine Ministry of Transport awarded American Jet authorization for an air link between Comodoro Rivadavia, in Patagonia and the Falkland Islands, according to Resolution 136-E/2017 published in the Official Gazette and signed by minister Guillermo Dietrich.

• Saturday, March 18th 2017 - 10:09 UTC

  UK hosts this week Argentine biggest business delegation in 20 years

  

  Finance minister Nicolas Dujovne will be heading this week the largest Argentine business delegation to visit the UK in twenty years, jointly organized by the Argentine-British Chamber of Commerce with support from the Argentine foreign ministry and the embassy in London.

• Friday, March 17th 2017 - 22:02 UTC

  Trade and protectionism in the G20 Brazil/US ministerial agenda

  

  Brazil's finance minister has said that he is ready to listen to the U.S. policies on trade at this weekend's G-20 meeting but speaks from experience when he says he believes a free economy is better for everyone. “Brazil actually has experience of closing down its economy,” Henrique Meirelles said on Thursday.

• Friday, March 17th 2017 - 21:55 UTC

  Unemployment in Argentina falls to 7.6%: less people looking for jobs

  

  Argentina's unemployment rate fell to 7.6% in the fourth quarter of 2016, the government's Indec statistics agency said in a report on Thursday, down from 8.5% in the third quarter as thousands of people stopped looking for work.

• Friday, March 17th 2017 - 07:38 UTC

  Macri administration faces unions' first general strike scheduled for April 6

  

  Argentina's largest union announced a one-day general strike on April 6, increasing pressure on President Mauricio Macri's conservative government six months before mid-term congressional elections. The CGT says Macri's policies, including austerity measures like reducing subsidies on fuel and electricity, are resulting in lower real salaries and lost jobs.

• Friday, March 17th 2017 - 07:15 UTC

  Bank of England cautiously leaves interest rates at the record low of 0.25%

  

  The Bank of England (BOE) held interest rates at the record low level of 0.25% and maintained asset purchases at £435 billion on Thursday. The decision, which was made by an 8-1 majority, had been almost unanimously anticipated by central bank watchers with many expecting the BOE to choose caution until more clarity emerges on the Brexit process and the U.K. economy's capacity to manage outside of the European Union.

• Friday, March 17th 2017 - 06:27 UTC

  UK government rejects Scottish independence referendum: “now is not the time”

  

  The UK government is to reject calls for a Scottish independence referendum before Brexit after Theresa May said “now is not the time”. The prime minister said the focus should be on getting the best Brexit deal for the whole of the UK.