
The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department reported on Friday. However the unemployment rate edged up to 6.2% from 6.1%, somehow confirming the Federal Reserve concern about still weak employment.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who hopes to be re-elected for a second term in October’s elections, has defended her government’s industrial policy in front of the sector’s business leaders, the National Confederation of Industry (CNI).

US District Judge Thomas Griesa presiding over Argentina's bitter dispute with two hedge funds left the country stranded in default on Friday, ordering it to hold new negotiations and calling for an end to mistrust. In a stern tone Griesa slammed the decision by Argentina to defy his order that it pay in full holdout investors and instead opted to default on 29 billion dollars in debt.

The maker of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona beers experienced a sharp surge in sales in Brazil during the World Cup with the month-long contest leading to consumption of an extra 140 million liters or 2 million barrels.

Mercosur members finally agreed this week on a draft joint proposal to be presented to the European Union with the purpose of negotiating a long delayed trade and cooperation agreement with EU, according to Uruguayan diplomatic sources.

Aurelius Capital Management has shot down speculation that the hedge fund was fielding a viable private-sector proposal for selling its untendered Argentine sovereign debt in a bid to shorten the amount of time Argentina is in default.

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) said on Thursday it had received its first request to consider whether a credit event had occurred, according to the ISDA website.

Kevin Sullivan, US interim ambassador in Argentina affirmed on Thursday that the country must seek “practical solutions” with the 'holdouts' or the so called vulture funds over defaulted bonds.

Argentine shares and bonds plunged on Thursday as investors reacted to the failed negotiations between Argentina and the holdout hedge funds in New York. At the Buenos Aires City stock market the Merval index closed down by 8.4% to 8,187.99 points, far from yesterday’s record 6.9% climb.

Over 100 economists, including Nobel laureate Robert Solow, Branko Milanovic and Dani Rodrik called on the United States Congress to take action to mitigate the harmful fallout from the recent ruling by Judge Griesa of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that requires Argentina to pay holdout creditors at the same time as the majority of creditors.