Brazil reiterated opposition to a French plan to impose regulation on commodity prices, saying it could have negative effects on major suppliers such as itself. Brazil is totally opposed to a mechanism of control or regulation of commodity prices, Finance Minister Guido Mantega told reporters, reiterating a position he gave last week.
Rising food prices have driven an estimated 44 million people into poverty in developing countries since last June as food costs continue to rise to near 2008 levels, according to new World Bank Group numbers released ahead of the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Paris.
Japan's finance minister made it clear Tuesday that Tokyo is particularly interested in discussing ways to deal with the problem of strong capital inflows into emerging economies when he meets with officials from the Group of 20 industrial and developing nations in Paris later this week.
Argentina’s Economy Minister Amado Boudou heads to France this week to participate in the G20 ministers meeting and will take advantage of the trip to further advance tentative negotiations to resolve the defaulted debt Argentina has with the Paris Club.
Brazil and Argentina came out Friday against a French proposal to be put to the G20 to regulate commodity prices whose recent rises are blamed for a spike in food costs.
France and the U.N. food agency FAO warned on Friday about the risk of a new global food crisis and ensuing riots, calling for greater regulation to curb speculation on commodities markets.
The Group of 20 (G20) nations reached in Korea a dramatic deal on Saturday as China, the United States agree to avoid “currency war” and to refrain from having too much trade surplus or deficit.
Brazil's government will implement new reserve requirements on credit operations undertaken by the nation's banks, in compliance with the latest changes in the Basel Index, by 2012, the Central Bank of Brazil said in a statement Monday.
Germany's Chancellor has insisted that Europe's leaders are making good progress in talks with the US about how to bolster fragile economic growth. Angela Merkel told journalists at the G8 summit in Canada there was mutual understanding with President Obama over deficit reduction plans. Leaders are attending summits of the G8 and G20 groups of leading states.
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman said China’s pledge to make the Yuan more flexible was an “exercise in bad faith” intended to fend off international pressure for a stronger currency at this week’s Group of 20 leaders’ summit.