By Natiana Gándara One of the key economic activities for Central America is construction. During the past year, its performance was uneven, depending on each country's dominant economic activities and market size. In the case of Costa Rica, the slowdown in the construction sector at the end of 2022 represented the greatest drag on the […]
A group of investors is pressuring the US government to lift a ban on trading defaulted Venezuelan bonds, which have already fallen to alarmingly low prices, below 10 cents on the dollar. The debt currently totals US$60 billion, plus interest, and removing the ban would allow a level playing field, which according to the group, […]
By Blake Schmidt* Gautam Adani‘s fortune has fallen US$52 billion in just six trading days, a virtually unprecedented drop. It differs from that of fallen crypto star kid Sam Bankman-Fried and Bill Hwang of Archegos Capital Management, who went from having tens of billions to zero after their leveraged trades imploded. After all, even after […]
The Brazilian real rose to its highest level since last June on Thursday after central bank policymakers kept interest rates unchanged and expressed concern over the prospect of higher inflation, driven by tensions with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government. Monetary policymakers kept the benchmark Selic rate at 13.75% for the fourth straight time on […]
Eggs' prices have risen considerably due to the avian flu outbreaks in the United States; however, the so-called "egg inflation" has also affected Latin American countries. In Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, the price of eggs has risen considerably, and the food is even in short supply in some areas. The avian flu outbreak, […]
Now it could be as a group. Brazil has slightly opened the door to a Mercosur (Southern Common Market) bloc negotiation for a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, and the sale of fuels could be one of the central negotiation points. During his visit to Montevideo on 25 January, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula […]
The governments of the United States and 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries signed the joint declaration inaugurating the regional alliance to "promote economic development through cooperation among member countries". However, the exclusions are striking. A few days after the conclusion of the VII Summit of CELAC heads of state in Buenos Aires, which set […]
With 21 million certified tonnes of this metal, Bolivia has the world's largest lithium reserves. A few days ago, the government signed an agreement with the Chinese company CBC to exploit this resource through a new method. What are the advantages for the country? President Luis Arce announced the beginning of the "era of industrialization […]
Admittedly, I'm something of a news junkie. My primary fix is CNN, and I'm afraid I've become something of an unhappy addict. The horrific death recently of Tyre Nichols, a young Black man in Memphis, Tennessee, beaten without mercy, causing his death, murdered by five Black police officers, is heart-rending and inexcusable. Sadly, it is […]
The Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region (TRF2) revoked on Wednesday (1) the house arrest concerning one of the processes faced by the former governor of Rio Sérgio Cabral. However, the decision does not immediately benefit the politician, who continues under house arrest by another decision of the TRF2 on the process of Operation […]
The influencer ecosystem in Brazil is still evolving. In the last decade, it has gone through several phases. From basic professionalization through structuring to the expansion of content creators as brands. In this period, new platforms emerged, and others grew and took the lead in growth rate and market value, such as TikTok. In this […]
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, autism, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain are some diseases whose symptoms can be alleviated by cannabis-based medicines. The recognition of the plant's medicinal properties in recent years has resulted in a worldwide trend to relax and regulate the use of the active ingredients of cannabis in various countries. Ten years ago, Brazilian Alfonso […]
The province of British Columbia began a 3-year “experiment” Tuesday legalizing the world’s hardest drugs, with the absurd goal of decreasing overdoses. The province of British Columbia, in western Canada, becomes the first region in the West to fully legalize the possession of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamines, and non-medicinal morphine. As […]
The Ecuadorian government stabilized public finances and returned to fiscal surplus for the first time since 2012. With inflation stabilized and unemployment at historic lows, the economy is making way for growth. The Central Bank of Ecuador announced that the national government's fiscal deficit was completely eliminated by the second quarter of last year. A […]
Former President Donald Trump, now the Republican Party’s leading presidential candidate, released a video this week in which he criticizes public education for being taken over by “radical leftist maniacs” and promised to return power to parents. “Here’s my plan to restore control to American parents. First, we will cut federal funding for any school […]
The Road to Santiago de Compostela, a Unesco world heritage site that involves some countries and ends in Spain, is the biggest dream of many pilgrims. However, if traveling to Europe and following the traditional route is not an option at the moment, it is possible to venture through Brazilian itineraries with similar purposes. The […]
The United States was determined - and still is - that Uruguay should not buy ocean patrol vessels from China, and to prevent this, it not only promoted the option of Norwegian ships but also offered the South American country a juicy naval assistance package, with which to solve many of the current problems of […]
PoderData survey conducted from January 29 to 31, 2023, shows that 46% of Brazilians think life will improve in the next 6 months. The rate of optimists is stable compared to the survey carried out in December 2022 - it oscillated 2 percentage points upwards, within the survey's margin of error (2 p.p.). Those who […]
Federal deputy-elect Nikolas Ferreira (PL, right) said on Wednesday (Feb. 1), during a formal session at the House of Representatives, that the opposition will wage a "war" against Lula in Congress. In the video circulating on social networks, Nikolas says, "Let's go up. Because peace, you're not going to have it here. There's going to […]
The Peruvian Government formally submitted this Wednesday to Congress a bill with “urgent character” that proposes the development of general elections this 2023 as a solution to the political and social crisis that the country is going through due to the protests that have left 65 dead. As informed yesterday by the President of the […]
The Chilean government said Wednesday that the main challenges in international matters are revitalizing Latin America’s importance, boosting the industrial sector, and diversifying export markets. The acting Foreign Minister, José Miguel Ahumada, assured that for 2023 the priorities are to reactivate the industrial and manufacturing sector and push activities with more excellent added value, among […]
Congressman Arthur Lira of the Progressives Party was re-elected this Wednesday as president of the Chamber of Deputies with the support of 20 parties, garnering 464 votes out of 513 seats, the highest vote in history. His only opponents, Chico Alencar of the Socialism and Liberty Party (Psol) and Marcel van Hattem of the Novo […]
On Wednesday, the Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) decided to maintain the Selic, the basic interest rate, at 13.75% per year. This was Copom's first meeting in 2023. For the Central Bank, the maintenance of the Selic rate comes in the wake of inflationary pressures resulting from the deceleration of growth in the domestic […]
Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD), arguably one of the most despised Brazilian officials by the right, was re-elected President of the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, Feb. 1. He won the first round by beating Rogério Marinho (PL, right), the opposition candidate, by 49 votes to 32. The victory of Pacheco, elected with a larger […]
The Business Confidence Index (ICE), calculated by the Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (Ibre/FGV), fell to the lowest level since March 2021. In January this year, the reduction was 2.1 points, reaching 88.6 points. In March 2021, during the pandemic, the index reached 85.9 points. The fall in business confidence was […]