By Martin De Angelis A recently signed tri-lateral agreement between China, Peru and Brazil set hopes for a bi-oceanic railway corridor. If feasible, the project would significantly reduce trade costs and shipping times to China. On May 23rd, China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang met with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala to sign the implementation of feasibility studies on a bi-oceanic … Continue reading
By Gillian Tett Five years ago, Guido Mantega, then the Brazilian finance minister, warned that the United States seemed to have embarked on an international currency war. Many shared his opinion: when the Federal Reserve introduced its policies of quantitative easing, it weakened the dollar to such an extent that it sparked numerous complaints from emerging … Continue reading
Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to decline for a fifth consecutive year to below 1 percent in 2015, although there are clear differences along North-South lines, the IMF said in its latest regional forecast. The IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for the Western Hemisphere projects growth in Latin America and the Caribbean at 0.9 … Continue reading
By Juan Felipe Espinosa and Bernardo Batiz-Lazo For more than a year now, Chileans have endured a crisis of cash access. Despite global moves toward new forms of payment such as contactless and mobile transfers, the crisis in Chile highlights the continuing importance of ATMs in today’s payment ecosystem for many people worldwide – particularly those with … Continue reading
By Sebastian Edwards Via VoxEU The conventional ‘trilemma’ view is that countries that allow free capital flows can still pursue independent monetary policies as long as they allow flexible exchange rates. This column examines the pass-through of Federal Reserve interest rates to policy rates in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. The author concludes that, to the extent … Continue reading
By José Niño In a little under three months, the Pacific Alliance is set to celebrate its four-year anniversary. Founded on April 28, 2011, the Pacific Alliance is a trade bloc whose main is goal is to promote greater integration among its members through free trade. Comprised of countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile, the Pacific … Continue reading
By Yagmur Ersan The first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held from January 8-9, 2015 in Beijing. Three presidents, President Luis Guillermo Solís of Costa Rica, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador and President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, as well as Prime Minister Perry … Continue reading
By The World Bank Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has become increasingly dependent on activity in China, partly as a result of heavy reliance on commodity exports. A 1 percentage point deceleration of growth in China has been associated with a 0.6 percentage point slowing of growth in the LAC region. Growth … Continue reading
The U.S. is constructing a global system of bilateral and multilateral alliances to assist it in more efficiently projecting power throughout the 21st century. As the world moves towards multipolarity, the U.S. is prepared to exploit this trend to its geopolitical advantage. . By Sputnik News, Andrew Korybko Instead of ‘going it alone’ as Bush was prone … Continue reading
By William Camacaro and Frederick B. Mills Introduction: A Decisive Battle is at Hand In a speech outside the Miraflores palace on January 17, 2015, upon his return from a twelve day trip abroad, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Moros addressed an expectant crowd of well wishers. Seizing the moment in … Continue reading