
Brazil’s stock exchange Bovespa is facing a loss in market share estimated at as much as 30% by HSBC Holdings Plc and Banco Itau BBA SA as the nation considers boosting competition among trading platforms.

Brazil and China will sign an agreement in the coming weeks to swap as much as 30 billion in their two currencies, Brazil Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.

Finance minister Guido Mantega said the latest release from investment bank Credit Suisse forecasting Brazil’s 2012 GDP growth at 1.5%, was “a joke”.

The German government and opposition reached on Thursday a deal that will allow parliament to approve the European Stability Mechanism, ESM, next week, but Germany's top court may delay the rescue fund's start date, saying it needed time to study the treaty.

Spain's medium-term borrowing costs spiralled to a Euro-era record on Thursday and independent auditors said Spanish banks may need up to 62 billion Euros in extra capital, to be filled mostly by a Euro zone bailout.

A delegation of Foreign Affairs ministers should be arriving late Thursday to Asunción where the Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo is facing political impeachment that could have him out of office.

The Paraguayan Senate has summoned President Fernando Lugo for Friday midday to commence the political impeachment process which was voted almost unanimously in the Lower House (76 to 1) and will decide on his future.

Argentina’s head of organized labour confederation CGT, Hugo Moyano came on stage Thursday afternoon to announce the end of the national strike led by the Teamsters’ union.

Uruguayan Minister of Economy Fernando Lorenzo expressed deep concern regarding events in Europe and warned that “the longer the delay in effectively analyzing the cost of the crisis” then everything will work out “much costlier”.

Following on the UK policy to establish closer ties with Latin America, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced plans to re-open the British Embassy in Paraguay and a new British Embassy in Haiti.