Peru’s business regulations are not expected to change radically regardless of which presidential candidate is elected in the upcoming 2016 election. Peru’s fragmented political scene will require the next president to form alliances in Congress to pass legislation, slowing the legislative process for major regulatory changes. Protests and a militant threat in southeastern Peru will … Continue reading
By International Crisis Group The accelerating deterioration of Venezuela’s political crisis is cause for growing concern. The collapse in 2014 of an incipient dialogue between government and opposition ushered in growing political instability. With legislative elections due in December, there are fears of renewed violence. But there is a less widely appreciated side of the drama. … Continue reading
Most nations in South America are either already experiencing an economic recession or are right on the verge of one. In general, South American economies are very heavily dependent on exports, and right now they are being absolutely shredded by the twin blades of a commodity price collapse and a skyrocketing U.S. dollar. By Michael … Continue reading
China’s ambitious New Silk Road initiative — that aims to deepen the country’s economic integration with more than 40 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe by creating an unbroken transport and infrastructure network to boost connectivity — is credit positive for the emerging market sovereigns involved, Moody’s Investors Services said on Tuesday. Moody’s says … Continue reading
Latin American currencies are in the ‘eye of the storm’ as currencies of Brazil, Mexico, and Chile could fall as much as 10 percent in the next few weeks amid tumbling commodity prices, growth concerns in China, renewed Fed fears, and a deterioration of domestic fundamentals, Societe Generale (SocGen) said in a bearish report published on Tuesday. SocGen is advising … Continue reading
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded Brazil’s outlook to negative from stable on Tuesday and warned that it may cut the nation’s credit rating to junk amid their political and economic challenges and an ongoing corruption probe. S&P affirmed Brazil’s credit rating at BBB-minus, the lowest possible investment grade rating, and could downgrade the nation over the next 12 to 18 months. The … Continue reading
By Stratfor Global Intelligence In the wake of Brazil’s oil corruption scandal, the country’s ruling political coalition has all but fallen apart. The ongoing investigation of corruption charges against state-owned energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro has the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), a long-time ally of the ruling Workers’ Party, distancing itself from Brazilian President Dilma … Continue reading
Off the coast of Guyana, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, may lie oil and natural gas riches worth $40 billion dollars, or roughly 12 times more valuable than the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), Bloomberg reports. The discovery made by Exxon Mobil is likely to hold over 700 million barrels of oil, and crude production might … Continue reading
By Belén Marty The Central Bank of Argentina released record-setting figures this month: the monetary base is now at AR$510.5 billion, swelling 10 percent since the start of the year. The central government has used this substantial expansion — comprised of banknotes in circulation, cash in financial entities, and demand deposits in checking accounts — to finance its large fiscal … Continue reading
By Taylor Butch The Nicaraguan canal, once completed, will be deeper, wider, and nearly three times as long as the Panama canal, and this waterway is expected to transform Central America and the surrounding region. Construction of the $50 billion, 172-mile-long waterway that would transport goods between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean broke ground on … Continue reading