Mercosur

• Tuesday, September 24th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Duhalde rejects advancing election

  President Eduardo Duhalde administration rejected once again demands to advance the Argentine general election for next December, instead of March 2003 as scheduled in the official electoral calendar.

• Monday, September 23rd 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  New low record for Chilean peso

  The Chilean currency opened this Monday with a new record low, 750 pesos to the US dollar, after a week of constant depreciation of the peso. Last Friday September 20th the US dollar was selling in Santiago for 743 pesos, a 1,4% jump in one just week since market operations had begun at 729 pesos to the US dollar Monday September 16th..

• Monday, September 23rd 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Budget to emphasize “social expenditure”

  Chile's 2003 national budget will be “austere” but more resources are to be destined to health, education and combating extreme poverty it was announced by the presidential spokesman last week.

• Monday, September 23rd 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Sheep farming lost 300 million US dollars

  Sheep farming that is gradually beginning to recover in Uruguay lost during the last decade approximately 300 million US dollars.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina expects 3% growth in 2003

  Budget estimates for 2003 anticipate the Argentine economy will grow 3%, annual inflation should not surpass 45% while debt payments to multilateral financial organizations will be equivalent to 4 billion US dollars.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Investment retraction

  Argentina and Brazil were the two countries most affected by the retraction of investments in Latinamerica which began in 2001 and extended into the first half of 2002.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  “Protest vote” set to reap 27%

  According to an Argentine public opinion polling company, in the coming presidential elections a quarter of Argentine voters will reject all candidates to express their anger with a “protest vote”, either by voting blank or destroying the ballot.

• Wednesday, September 18th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina rather “disgusted” with IMF

  President Duhalde's administration reacted to the latest warning from the International Monetary Fund saying Argentina can work its way out of the current financial turmoil “with or without IMF's aid”, and expressed increasing “disgust” towards the multilateral institution attitude.

• Wednesday, September 18th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula in the first round?

  Former left wing union leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, comfortably leading in the polls, increased this week his advantage and now stands with 42% of vote intention, which could ensure him the Brazilian presidency in the first round.

• Tuesday, September 17th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  US industrial production drops

  US industrial production dropped during August, the first time this year according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank.