United States

• Wednesday, May 9th 2018 - 07:10 UTC

  Latin American (and global) currencies hit by strong dollar and Trump's policies

  

  The dollar hovered near a four-month high on Tuesday, continuing to draw support from higher Treasury yields and upbeat prospects for the U.S. economy, leaving its major rivals such as the Euro struggling and other Latin American currencies including the Argentine peso down sharply.

• Tuesday, May 8th 2018 - 08:54 UTC

  NRA elects ex Reagan aide involved in the Iran-Contra scandal

  

  The influential US gun lobby the National Rifle Association (NRA) has elected a former aide to President Ronald Reagan as its new president. Oliver North, a retired US Marine Colonel, played a major role in the so-called Iran-Contra scandal.

• Tuesday, May 8th 2018 - 08:32 UTC

  Pence calls on Maduro to suspend sham elections and asks OAS to suspend Venezuela

  

  US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday urged Venezuela to suspend a divisive May 20 election he denounced as a “sham,” as Washington slapped fresh sanctions on Nicolas Maduro's regime. In an address to the Organization of American States, Pence slammed the upcoming presidential vote -- boycotted by the opposition and branded illegitimate by much of the international community.

• Tuesday, May 8th 2018 - 08:14 UTC

  Oil rises to US$ 70 a barrel, ahead of Trump's Tuesday decision on sanctions to Iran

  

  Oil prices rose for the fourth straight day on Monday to hit levels not seen since late 2014, boosted by the latest trouble for Venezuelan oil company PDVSA and the possibility that the United States could re-impose sanctions on Iran.

• Monday, May 7th 2018 - 09:15 UTC

  Facebook users in US remain loyal despite the data sharing scandal with Cambridge Analytica

  

  Most Facebook users in the US remain loyal, despite the recent data sharing scandal involving a political consultancy firm, a poll suggests. Facebook admitted last month that the data of 87 million users had been improperly shared with the UK-based firm, Cambridge Analytica.

• Monday, May 7th 2018 - 09:07 UTC

  Fed fines Goldman Sachs Group for unsound foreign exchange trading

  

  The United States Federal Reserve Board announced that it has fined The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., US$ 54.75 million for the firm's unsafe and unsound practices in its foreign exchange (FX) trading business.

• Monday, May 7th 2018 - 08:14 UTC

  US Navy resurrecting Second Fleet to patrol US coast and north Atlantic

  

  With tensions between NATO and Russia rising, the U.S. military is resurrecting a fleet to patrol the Atlantic Ocean and help respond to global contingencies. The U.S. Second Fleet will provide forces along the U.S. coast and in the northern Atlantic Ocean, according to Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, who made the announcement Friday during a change of command ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia.

• Saturday, May 5th 2018 - 09:08 UTC

  Trump said date and location for meeting with Kim Jong Un has been set

  

  President Donald Trump on Friday said the date and location have been set for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, building suspense for the unprecedented talks, as South Korea said it would oppose a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the area.

• Thursday, May 3rd 2018 - 08:44 UTC

  Uruguay´s soybean crop forecasted to drop 43% because of devastating drought

  

  Due to the recent devastating drought, soybean production in Uruguay is forecast to drop to 1.7 million tons in 2017-18, according to an April 30 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Wednesday, May 2nd 2018 - 20:45 UTC

  Fed leaves rates unchanged, confirms inflation near 2% target; hike expected at June meeting

  

  The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, confirmed that inflation is near its 2% target, and strangely enough did not mention a word about the looming international trade confrontation. The central bank after a two-day meeting said inflation over the next 12 months should “run near” the 2% target, updating its language from March that indicated inflation would “move up” towards that level.