Economy

• Thursday, March 5th 2015 - 08:17 UTC

  Brazil raises benchmark interest to 12.75%, highest level since 2009

  

  Brazil’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to 12.75% Wednesday, the highest level since 2009, as it struggles to get price increases under control amid sluggish economic growth and deepening political turmoil.

• Thursday, March 5th 2015 - 07:25 UTC

  Car sales in Argentina plunge; worst February since 2009

  

  The second month of the year marked another negative result for auto sales in Argentina, which dropped 28% compared to February last year, showing how the sector’s downward trend appears to have no end in sight. Only 41,998 vehicles were sold last month, according to the ACARA Argentine car dealership association, the lowest figure for the month since 2009.

• Thursday, March 5th 2015 - 07:11 UTC

  Rousseff faces a revolt in Congress from her ruling coalition main ally

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, (and her political mentor Lula da Silva), raced on Wednesday to defuse a rebellion by legislators upset about her budget austerity plans and her handling of a corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras, which now threatens political stability.

• Wednesday, March 4th 2015 - 06:14 UTC

  Brazil's currency at its weakest since September 2004...and sliding

  

  The Brazilian Real reached on Tuesday its weakest level against the dollar in more than 10 years, amid concern the country’s political and economic situation is growing worse.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 22:37 UTC

  Malvinas' 50-Peso bill, an Argentine stunt, says Foreign Office minister

  

  Britain derided a new Argentine banknote featuring the disputed Falkland Islands as a stunt on Tuesday and said it had no intention of discussing sovereignty over the archipelago with Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 06:34 UTC

  Uruguay's economy vulnerabilities: inflation and budget deficit, says IMF report

  

  The Uruguayan economy is decelerating gradually after a decade of strong and inclusive growth. Export receipts are growing at a markedly lower clip than a few years ago and domestic demand growth is slowing towards a more sustainable pace. At the same time, inflation remains above the target range and the primary fiscal balance has weakened further in 2014.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 06:17 UTC

  Truckers strike in Brazil still disrupting traffic in several states; soy harvest delayed

  

  Striking truck drivers resumed some roadblocks in Brazil on Monday even as the government cracked down on protesters and promised to implement a law to lower toll costs and give other benefits to the transport sector.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 05:45 UTC

  London Heathrow and Star Alliance win the World's Airport of the Year award

  

  London Heathrow and Star Alliance have won the World’s Airport of the Year at Air Transport World’s (ATW) 41st Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards, honored jointly for their collaborative work on the new Terminal 2 at Heathrow.

• Monday, March 2nd 2015 - 06:21 UTC

  Germany sells five-year notes in Euros at a negative yield of -0.08%

  

  The German government sold five-year notes at a negative yield for the first time in its history on Wednesday. The milestone comes as the European Central Bank prepares to begin a bond-buying program, known as quantitative easing, in hopes of stimulating growth in economies across the Continent.

• Monday, March 2nd 2015 - 06:17 UTC

  Argentina's economic activity up 0.6% in December; industrial production down in January

  

  Argentina's economic activity index, EMAE, increased 0.6% in December 2014, compared to the same month of 2013, according to the country's Indec stats office latest release. This marks the third consecutive monthly growth, after previous negative results.