Investments

• Monday, May 3rd 2010 - 20:18 UTC

  United/Continental Merger Create the World’s Largest Airline

  

  Two US-based airlines, United (NASDAQ: UAUA) and Continental (NYSE: CAL) are merging in a 3.1 billion deal, creating the world's largest airline. The combined firm will have nearly 700 planes, 88,000 workers, and fly to 370 destinations in 59 nations.

• Monday, May 3rd 2010 - 03:09 UTC

  Norway Takes Over Aluminium Business and Bauxite Deposits in Brazil

  

  Norway’s Norsk Hydro ASA (OSL: NHY), Europe’s third largest aluminum maker, agreed to buy mining and smelting assets from Vale (NYSE: VALE) in a deal valued at 4.9 billion US dollars, boosting its control over raw materials used in production.

• Saturday, May 1st 2010 - 07:28 UTC

  Euro Zone Leading Bank Praises Latam Growth and Financial System

  

  Latin America currently has “the best financial system in the world”, said Francisco Luzón, member of the Board and head of the Latin American Division of Spain’s Banco Santander (NYSE:STD), the biggest bank by market capitalization in the Eurozone.

• Friday, April 30th 2010 - 05:54 UTC

  Uruguay’s Fray Bentos Pulp Mill Boosts Profits of Finland’s UPM

  

  Finland’s pulp and paper manufacturer UPM's (OMX: UPM1V) Fray Bentos unit in Uruguay proved overwhelmingly the most profitable, helping to boost an otherwise first quarter profit of the year which was described as “unsatisfactory” by CEO Jussi Pesonen.

• Friday, April 30th 2010 - 02:49 UTC

  LAN Plans to Invest 2.83 Billion USD in 2010/2013 to Expand its Fleet

  

  LAN (NYSE: LFL), Chile's dominant airline and flag carrier, announced Thursday it would invest 2.83 billion US dollars between 2010 and 2013 to expand its fleet. CEO Jorge Awad told a shareholder meeting the company would invest 500 million USD in 2010 and 1 billion USD in 2011 to purchase both short and long-haul aircraft.

• Friday, April 30th 2010 - 01:16 UTC

  Repsol YPF Plans to Raise Cash to Keep Expanding in Brazil

  

  Repsol YPF S.A. (BMAD:REP), Spain’s biggest oil company, is considering the sale of about 40% of its Brazil assets in an initial public offering as early as this year, company executives said Thursday on a conference call.

• Wednesday, April 28th 2010 - 06:29 UTC

  Banks Serving Rich Argentines Moving from Bs. As. to Miami and Montevideo

  

  More than ten investment banks, including Wells Fargo, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, will leave Argentina in the coming weeks, a Buenos Aires newspaper reported Monday.

• Tuesday, April 27th 2010 - 21:40 UTC

  Canadian Fund Invests in Uruguay’s Flagship Carrier PLUNA

  

  Jazz Air Income Fund has agreed to invest 15 million US dollars for an indirect stake in Uruguay's flagship carrier, Pluna. The fund behind Air Canada's regional affiliate, Jazz Air, said that it will get a one-third, non-voting interest in Latin American Regional Aviation Holding Corp., which owns 75% of Pluna Lineas Aireas Uruguayas. The remaining 25% of Pluna is held by the government of Uruguay.

• Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 03:21 UTC

  Brazil forecasted to grow 5.5% in 2010 boosted by domestic demand, says IMF

  

  Brazil, Latinamerica’s largest economy and leading Mercosur partner is poised to grow 5.5% this year, almost a whole percentage point more than the previous forecast in January, according to the International Monetary Fund “World Economic Outlook” released in anticipation of the IMF and World Bank annual assembly this weekend in Washington.

• Friday, April 23rd 2010 - 03:17 UTC

  Forced by pickets Peru suspends 90 days controversial mining project

  

  Protesters in the southern Peruvian province of Islay ended their six-day general strike after the government agreed to temporarily suspend a controversial mining project.