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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 7th 2026 - 00:03 UTC

Economy

  • Saturday, December 3rd 2016 - 07:32 UTC

    US unemployment falls to nine-year low in November, 4.6%, but earnings slowdown

    The Federal Reserve will hold its next two-day policy meeting on 13-14 December when it is expected to raise rates

    United States unemployment rate fell to a nine-year low in November, adding to expectations that US interest rates will rise later this month. Figures from the Labor Department showed the US economy created 178,000 jobs in November, while the jobless rate fell to 4.6% from 4.9% in October.

  • Friday, December 2nd 2016 - 08:56 UTC

    Peruvian aquaculture expanding at an annual 20% rate

    “Production jumped from 6,596 tons a year in 2000 to 115,271 tons in 2014,” said Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Hector Soldi.

    Aquaculture activity grows at an annual average of more than 20% in Peru, ranking among the countries with the greatest increase of this activity in Latin America.“Our country is an important player in the supply of inputs for the world’s aquaculture industry, it is not foreign to the growth trends that this activity presents in the world. We changed from a production of 6,596 tons in the year 2000 to 115,271 tons in 2014,” said Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Hector Soldi.

  • Friday, December 2nd 2016 - 08:43 UTC

    Italy's referendum could knock out Rienzi and unleash a financial volcano

    There are real concerns that a defeat for Mr Renzi's proposals could unleash a chain of events that would set back the country's economy once again.

    The focus of the news from Italy this weekend will be political: there's a referendum on constitutional reform and the Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, has said he will resign if the proposals are rejected. This could be followed by new elections which could in turn benefit the Five Star Movement, an anti-Euro group led by the former comedian Beppe Grillo.

  • Friday, December 2nd 2016 - 08:31 UTC

    Prince Cruise Lines fined US$ 40 million for dumping waste off England

    The charges relate to Caribbean Princess cruise ship, which allegedly had been making illegal discharges since 2005, one year after the vessel started operations.

    A US cruise liner is to pay a record fine of US$40m for dumping oil-contaminated waste, the US Department of Justice has said. The investigation into Princess Cruise Lines followed a tip-off that the company had illegally discharged oily waste off the coast of England in 2013.

  • Friday, December 2nd 2016 - 07:58 UTC

    Strong interest for Falklands' squid licenses, despite poor catches in 2016

    MLA Phyl Rendell noted that in the past such poor seasons have been followed by much reduced interest in licenses, but happily this is not the case for 2017

    Despite a dismal last season for Illex fishing in the Falkland Islands, with very low catches, interest in licenses for the coming season is holding up and the process is likely to be oversubscribed, confirmed MLA Phyl Rendell last week.

  • Thursday, December 1st 2016 - 19:56 UTC

    Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile with the best third quarter performance

    Punta Arenas, capital of Magallanes, a hub for cruise tourism and supplying Antarctica bases during summer months

    Magallanes Region, in the extreme south of Chile, was the region with the strongest economic activity during the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago. Magallanes was closely followed by the regions of Tarapacá and Atacama to the north of the country, according to the latest release from the stats office, INE.

  • Thursday, December 1st 2016 - 15:39 UTC

    Argentine Senate passes 2017 Budget, caps Executive's “super powers” to reallocate funds at will

    It's a “realistic budget”, according to Senator Pedro Braillard Poccard

    The Argentine Senate passed Wednesday the 2017 National Public Administration Budget bill and approved a reform to the Financial Administration Law, which limits the Executive Branch's discretion and power to reallocate budget items.

  • Thursday, December 1st 2016 - 15:30 UTC

    Russia ready to do its part as OPEC countries agree on oil output cut

    Russia ready to follow suit after OPEC countries agree to cut down oil production, says minister Alexander Novak

    As the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has reached a deal among all 14 members to cut oil production for the first time since 2008, Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said his country was ready to do its part by reducing 300,000 barrels per day in the first half of 2017, provided OPEC adheres to the level of 32.5 mln barrels daily adjusted for Indonesia and on condition of maximum reciprocity from other non-OPEC countries. Russia is not an OPEC member.

  • Thursday, December 1st 2016 - 14:00 UTC

    ºBrazil central bank lowers Selic rate to 13.75%; warns about global uncertainty

    “The available evidence indicates the pick-up in economic activity may be later and more gradual than previously anticipated,” the central bank said.

    Brazil's central bank cut its key interest rate Wednesday for the second month running, as data showed that the recession hitting Latin America's largest economy continued into the third quarter. The central bank lowered the benchmark Selic rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to 13.75% -- still one of the world's highest.

  • Wednesday, November 30th 2016 - 10:49 UTC

    Maduro's Bolivar devalued 60% in November: 3,684 Bolivares to one US dollar

    “Inflation galloping, the Bolivar melts, unrest worsens and the government rectifies nothing,” said Henry Ramos Allup, president of Venezuela's National Assembly

    Leaders of the Venezuelan opposition have blamed President Nicolas Maduro's regime of causing the Bolivar to devalue to unprecedented levels against the U.S. dollar. According to data provided by the currency tracking website DolarToday, the Venezuelan Bolivar fell this week to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar in the black market.