For the first time ever, serious questions have arisen as to the integrity of GDP growth figures published by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV). There are suggestions floating that ...

The results of one of the two most recent government auctions of bandwidth, known officially as Auction Number 21, has been validated by the regulatory authorities overseeing the industry....

Bad policy is pushing the country into recession, and we see no rescue in sight. Falling inflation rates are coming down only because of the recession—not because of successful anti-inflation...

The current account deficits in Brazil have been rising and will continue doing so. This is a consequence of macroeconomic policies that increase total domestic absorption above GDP ...

Two concurrent polls show opposite trends in President Ricardo Martinelli’s popularity ratings: one says his approval rating rose 10.7 points in July; the other that it dropped by ...

Leading indicators are all up and with the new mining production data showing good number we will soon have that trend up as well. Consumer confidence numbers reflecting the enthusiastic ...

One of the main risks afflicting the Argentine economy is the rapid growth of fiscal spending, which, together with a lax monetary policy and virtually no access to voluntary financing—either...

The most recent Datafolha poll, conducted between the 23rd and 24th of August, and published in today's edition of the newspaper Folha de São Paulo shows that Dilma’s lead has risen ...

H1 economic activity in GUATEMALA has shifted into recovery mode, rebounding from its severe slowdown in 2009, driven by merchandise exports and official capital inflows. As a result,

Behind President Rafael Correa’s ostensibly ideologically-neutral five-hour speech to the nation Aug. 10th was a core message of personal authority. The president went into detail ...

Economic expectations continue to be on the rise. Growth expectations for the whole of 2010 have converged to 5 percent including a second quarter growth rate of over 6 percent. This ...

On August 10th, President Chávez met with President Santos in Santa Marta, a coastal city in northern Colombia. The estate in which they met has symbolic significance, since it was ...

Inflation will rise in the coming months because the economy is still hot, the chances have receded that the global economy will negatively affect the Brazilian economy and the probability ...

The first debate between the four major candidates for president was considered lukewarm. There was no clear winner. Thus, the overall result ends up being positive for Dilma Rousseff ...

Sometimes no news is bad news. A case in point is that we have scarcely changed our bleak outlook for the Venezuelan economy since our April 2010 forecast. Our base case scenario, ...

According to the CNT / Sensus poll released today, the advantage of Dilma Rousseff (PT) over José Serra (PSDB) is the largest of all voting intention polls released so far. The PT ...

Since 2009 the Central Bank has accumulated over US$ 50 billion in additional reserves. In recent months it has purchased more than the net inflow of dollars. This has only been possible ...

In the Economic Panorama we examine the delicate situation of the social security in Mexico. The main program, the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), has essentially been bankrupt ...

The government’s controversial Law 30 ignited a public outcry, and moved the Martinelli administration to appoint a committee to subject it to a 90-day review. The law, slipped through ...

President Garcia annual address on Independence Day was mainly a long list of his government achievements with few announcements or proposals. Also, the traditional midyear cabinet ...

We are cautiously optimistic about the second half of the year. We see moderating forces that will compensate the current dynamism of retail, industry and construction. We are now ...

It is hard to imagine an external environment more favorable for Argentina. First, the global recovery is being driven by emerging economies with growing commodity demand. This keeps ...

In its Inflation Report for June, the Central Bank led the market to expect two consecutive 75-basis-point increases in the SELIC rate, the first at the July COPOM meeting and the ...

A fiscal law proposed by the outgoing government would limit future administrations’ spending flexibility, by requiring some oil and mining windfalls to be saved for leaner times, ...

Facing the World. Colombia is taking all necessary steps to force Chávez to either act against guerrillas and drug traffickers or face unwanted consequences....