United States

• Saturday, August 2nd 2014 - 08:58 UTC

  Argentina suggests Griesa and Pollack are actively helping holdouts by declaring a 'default'

  

  The Argentine Economy Ministry claimed on Friday New York judge Thomas Griesa has benefited “vulture funds” during negotiations over Argentina's defaulted debt with holdouts and asked the (Argentine) National Values Commission (CNV) to start an investigation over alleged “speculative moves”.

• Saturday, August 2nd 2014 - 08:32 UTC

  US economy creates 209.000 jobs in July but unemployment edges up to 6.2%

  

  The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department reported on Friday. However the unemployment rate edged up to 6.2% from 6.1%, somehow confirming the Federal Reserve concern about still weak employment.

• Saturday, August 2nd 2014 - 04:08 UTC

  Griesa orders Argentina/holdouts to resume negotiations and an end to 'misleading information'

  

  US District Judge Thomas Griesa presiding over Argentina's bitter dispute with two hedge funds left the country stranded in default on Friday, ordering it to hold new negotiations and calling for an end to “mistrust”. In a stern tone Griesa slammed the decision by Argentina to defy his order that it pay in full holdout investors and instead opted to default on 29 billion dollars in debt.

• Friday, August 1st 2014 - 08:33 UTC

  US calls on Argentine government to seek 'practical solutions' with holdouts

  

  Kevin Sullivan, US interim ambassador in Argentina affirmed on Thursday that the country must seek “practical solutions” with the 'holdouts' or the so called vulture funds over defaulted bonds.

• Friday, August 1st 2014 - 07:57 UTC

  World economists call on US Congress to take action on the Argentina/holdouts rulings

  

  Over 100 economists, including Nobel laureate Robert Solow, Branko Milanovic and Dani Rodrik called on the United States Congress to take action to mitigate the harmful fallout from the recent ruling by Judge Griesa of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that requires Argentina to pay holdout creditors at the same time as the majority of creditors.

• Friday, August 1st 2014 - 07:52 UTC

  Argentine president defies Judge Griesa rulings and mocks 'selective default'

  

  President Cristina Fernández said on Thursday she will not “sign an agreement” that compromises Argentina's future, while blasting “vulture funds” for wanting to “collect Griesa's usurious sentence”, following the Wednesday failure of negotiations between the country and holdouts.

• Friday, August 1st 2014 - 02:43 UTC

  Saying Argentina has defaulted is “an atomic nonsense” underlines Kicillof

  

  Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof denied point blank that Argentina defaulted on its debt and described such statement as “an atomic nonsense”. The minister gave a press conference in Buenos Aires a day after the failed negotiations with holdouts in New York and claimed ”those who today cheer the apocalypse, applauded the 2001 (crisis).”

• Thursday, July 31st 2014 - 22:10 UTC

  Judge Griesa summons Argentina and holdouts for a Friday hearing

  

  After negotiations between the Argentine government and the speculative funds, led by US Special Master Daniel Pollack failed, New York District Judge Thomas Griesa called for a new hearing between the parties for Friday at 12 pm (Argentina time).

• Thursday, July 31st 2014 - 07:29 UTC

  US imposes travel restriction on a number of Venezuelan officials

  

  The United States is imposing travel restrictions on a number of Venezuelan officials. Washington did not specify how many people would be affected, but said those “who have been responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses” would not be “welcome” in the US.

• Thursday, July 31st 2014 - 07:13 UTC

  Fed further tapers bond-buying program but concerned with labor market

  

  The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that US growth in economic activity rebounded in the second quarter and labor market conditions improved, with the unemployment rate declining further. However, a range of labor market indicators suggests that there remains significant “underutilization of labor resources”.