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Latin American stocks were mixed, with Brazilian stocks extending yesterday's losses in light trading ahead of the Christmas holiday. Meanwhile, Mexican shares climbed, as investors were cheered by upbeat reports on U.S. durable goods and consumer sentiment.
Brazil's Bovespa Index dropped 181.60 points, or 0.54%. Mexico's benchmark Bolsa Index added 33.38 points, or 0.19%, while Argentina's Merval Index rose 12.88 points, or 0.85%. Brazilian stocks slumped again today, as investors continued taking some profits following recent strong gains on optimism about the economy and interest rates. Finance Minister Antonio Palocci said today that declining interest rates and improved investor sentiment will help 2006 economic growth repeat its performance from 2004, when the economy expanded 4.9%. "The conditions for strong growth are there. I believe the scenario for that is being created for 2006 is very close to that seen in 2003 and 2004," he said. Palocci also cited low inflation, improved sovereign debt risk, a growing foreign trade surplus, improving consumer income, and growing domestic credit and sales as indications of solid economic growth next year. Recent central bank surveys have given a less optimistic outlook, however, for growth of 3.5% in 2006. In economic data, the central bank said Brazil's November primary budget surplus was 3.55 billion Brazilian reais, down from 8.55 billion reais in October. The year-to-date surplus was 96.8 billion reais, which represents 5.58% of gross domestic product. On the corporate front, steelmaker Arcelor Brasil made its trading debut on the Brazilian Stock Exchange. Arcelor Brasil is the holding company for No. 2 global steelmaker Arcelor's Brazilian assets. Low-cost airline Gol announced a further move into the South American market, saying it will offer flights to the Argentine cities of Cordoba and Rosario in early January. Mining company Companhia Vale do Rio Doce confirmed that it is negotiating its entry into the controlling group of shareholders at steelmaker Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais. Mexican issues edged higher in light holiday trading. U.S. shares showed similar limited movement, but some upbeat U.S. economic data boosted Mexico, which sends the vast majority of exports across the border. New orders for U.S.-made durable goods increased 4.4% in November to a record high level of $223 billion. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan's December consumer sentiment survey came in with a reading of 91.5, well above forecasts. In corporate reports, Pemex's chief executive said the firm hopes to sell shares on the local stock market in 2006, if a proposal to grant the state-run firm autonomy is approved by Congress. Argentine trading, meanwhile, was strongly positive. Last night, the Senate approved the government's budget for 2006. The budget assumes inflation at 10% and sets spending at US$ 31 billion. Economic expansion is forecast at 4%. Thomson Financial Corporate Group - www.thomsonfinancial.com
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The small, coastal town of Condé is located just a twenty minute's drive from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. The Northeast of Brazil has historically been a place of encounter and mixing between peoples. For millenia groups of indigenous people fished, farmed, migrated and sometimes fought along this large, fertile area. 
The Brazilian diplo-MÁ-cia (bad diplomacy) carries on its accelerated course towards the non-acknowledgment of human rights, although sometimes it takes pleasure in saying that it does precisely the opposite. The visit of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is another example of a diplomatic omission that verges on hypocrisy. 
On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil. 
Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms. 
One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis. 
On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking. 
Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse. 
Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose. 
The push of vigilante groups in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (shantytowns) in the last three years is the most important and alarming information of the just-released study by the Rio de Janeiro University's Violence Research Center (Nupev-Uerj). 
A dispute over drug trafficking territory in Rio de Janeiro has intensified lately, leaving in its wake unprecedented acts of violence, such as the downing of a police helicopter in the northern zone of the city on October 17. Three policemen died and another two were injured. This event has drawn the attention of the international media, who are raising the issue of public security for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio.
...for 2005 growth :
- at end of 2004 ?
- early 2005 ?
- mid 2005 ?
- October 2005 ?
ALL WRONG AS USUAL ! SIMPLE !
Why could he then be more correct for 2006 ?
Predicting rosy growth rates only helps him hide his own mistakes, mismanagement and failures.
Facts are that Brazil grew far less than most developing countries since 2003, date Lula and his gang took power.
Facts are that corruption is actually at the maximum ever.
Their promises have never been fulffiled and never will be !