Latin Trade

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Privatizations.(Illustration)
PRIVATIZATIONS SECTOR PROJECT DESCRIPTION AVIATION BRAZIL Maringa Airport 35-year operating c . . .

In the black.(Indicators)(Brief Article)
Latin America posted a collective current account surplus of US$5.31 billion in 2003--0.3% of their collective gross domestic product--the first such surplus in 50 years. That's good news, says John . . .

Rest of the world.(Indicators)(Illustration)
Rest of the World GDP % change on year ago EIU forecast latest 2003 20 . . .

Latin Trade index.(Indicators)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March '04 % CHANGE MARCH '04/'03 Total trade US$63.0 billion 29.9% Exports US$33.3 billion 30.0% Imports US$29.7 billion 29. . . .

Latin America and the Caribbean.(Indicators)(Illustration)
Latin America and the Caribbean GDP % change on year ago LT Consensus Forecast * . . .

Dominican Republic: bailing out.(Indicators)(Brief Article)
The Dominican Republic's economy shrank 1.3% in 2003, the sharpest drop in a decade, according to the United Nations. The slowdown came hand-in-hand with high inflation. Under the outgoing preside . . .

The World Bank.(Central America)(Brief Article)
THE WORLD BANK, a multilateral lending institution, said it expects to lend Costa Rica US$218 million between 2004 and 2007 through various projects and investment programs. The bank said investment . . .

The Inter-American Development Bank.(Central America)(Brief Article)
THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, a multilateral lending institution, said it approved a US$727 million debt relief plan for Nicaragua. The bank said the relief applies to debt due through 2019. . . .

The Inter-American Development Bank.(Argentina)(Brief Article)
THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, a multilateral lending institution, said it would earmark US$5 billion for Argentina to improve the country's energy sector. A bark spokeswoman said the organiza . . .

The Inter-American Development Bank.(Regional)(foreign remittances)(Brief Article)
THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, a multilateral lending institution, said Latin American immigrants living in the United States would send US$30 billion in remittances overseas in 2004. The bank . . .

"Ask U.S. Hispanics" Media Preference 2004 study.(Focus On)(Financial Stability)(Meneses Research and Associates)(United States)
Are you Interested in this Market? $540 Billion Dollars in Purchasing Power, Over 40 million Hispanics/Latinos; The fastest growing segment in the U.S.; Highest average annual income over any Lati . . .

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.(Brief Case)(Brief Article)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (DVD) A new, 95-minute version of one of the scariest movies made in the 1970s. It is the gory tale of murders committed by a family of cannibals in Texas. Based on a t . . .

Gustavo Cisneros: un empresario global.(Brief Case)(Brief Article)
Gustavo Cisneros: un empresario global, Pablo Bachelet With a foreword by Carlos Fuentes, this first biography of Gustavo Cisneros, one of Latin America's richest men, recounts how since the begin . . .

Necessary Dreams.(Brief Case)(Brief Article)
Necessary Dreams, Anna Fels Fels, a psychiatrist, explains how women perceive themselves and their careers, arguing that the passion to win is in conflict with femininity and showing what women wh . . .

Testosterone Inc.(Brief Case)(Brief Article)
Testosterone Inc., Chris Bryon In this saga boom-era CEOs, Byron finds nearly all to be white, middle-aged males thirsty for power. They also have something about them of addled young rock stars: . . .

So far, not so sorry.(The Sorrows of Empire - book review)(Book Review)
The Sorrows of Empire By Chalmers Johnson Metropolitan Books US$25 After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the only remaining superpower decided not to live in peace. Instead, the United States . . .

Combat ready.(Ask The Concierge)(Interview)
I travel a lot and need an unbreakable laptop. Any suggestions? A few come to mind, especially from the growing "ruggedized" laptop segment. These are magnesium-encased, steel-reinforced notebooks . . .

My port or yours? A Mexican engineer's ship has come in--and it's loaded with cash-laden tourists.(Cruising)
New Yorker Amanda Megibow clutches jewelry purchases as her husband, Andrew, squeezes into a pair of leather cowboy boots. The Megibows and their three young children are on a US$6,000 spending spre . . .

Over the top: amid economic recovery, Aerolineas Argentinas sets sights on rival LAN.(Aviation)
When it comes to investing in Latin America's perennially underdeveloped air market, the sky's usually the limit. But back on planet Earth, few such ambitions take off. So what makes Antonio Mata, . . .

The digital home.(Special Advertising Feature)(Advertisement)
Although sophisticated home entertainment centers used to be prohibitively pricey, technological advances have now created products for almost every budget. Home theaters "in a box"--a 32-inch scr . . .

Latin Trade launches new language & new look: Portuguese-langugage edition hits newstands in Brazil in June 2004.(Focus On)(busi
LATIN TRADE, the No. 1 pan-regional business magazine covering Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrates 11 years of success in Brazil with the launch of a Portuguese-language edition in June 2004 . . .

Maximizing your transportation dollar: challenges and solutions for the global marketplace.(Special Advertising Feature)
Latin American shippers face three key challenges as they try to make the most of their transportation dollars: globalization, supply chain visibility, and rising cost pressures. As world markets be . . .

Low miles, clean: Iquique, on Chile's border with Peru, has turned into a entry point for used cars and clothing.(Smuggling)
Day and night, Chilean cops stop people hired to drive used cars over the border into Peru and Bolivia. Caravans of to vehicles or more cruise the frontier, looking for unguarded spots to cross with . . .

Copycats: FedEx and UPS battle for the small business market across Latin America.(Retail)(FedEx Corp.)(United Parcel Service of
Global courier FedEx's decision late last year to buy the privately held Kinko's copy chain for US$2.40 billion in cash earned the logistics giant 1,200 stores worldwide but only one in Latin Americ . . .

Mr. Clean.(Oil & Gas)(Interview)
Who's afraid of Peter Eigen? Central bankers and elected leaders everywhere, that's who. The former World Bank executive founded and is now chairman of Transparency International, which publishes an . . .

Buried treasure: Mexico's state oil company could make a killing in natural gas--if it could only get the stuff out of the groun
Even as the U.S. economy slipped in the past few years, its need for natural gas rose as supply from Canada declined. As the U.S. recovery begins, surely with major trading partner Mexico to follow, . . .

The giant 24 companies in Latin America: revenues ain't what they used to be, still, for the region's multinationals.
How cold is it out there? Our Giant 24 Companies in Latin America racked up some serious money--all but one is at least a US$1 billion company, just counting regional revenues--but most, are still s . . .

Direct from Dell.(Technology)(Interview)
Michael Dell is one of the few members of the one-name-only technology club, having built a computer-assembly business from a University of Texas dorm room--a school from which he famously dropped o . . .

Tax racket: who's afraid of a hundred million Chinese factory hands? Not Brazil.(Technology)
Nestled in quiet green hills in the countryside, Flextronics' Sorocaba plant has 1,500 employees. Wearing white coats, hairnets and special shoes to prevent static electricity from damaging equipmen . . .

The new kid: a Chilean forestry company finds out how hard it is to be big in a small town.(Forestry)(Alto Parana - Chilean fore
A deafening roar of cascading water tumbles down the world's mightiest single waterfall. The semi-circular Devil's Throat is one of hundreds of plunging cascades at Las Cataratas, a natural wonder i . . .

Hot! Hot! Hot! Colombia's Comexa turns an accident into an in-demand product abroad--pepper sauce.(Exporting)(Comexa Foods)
Colombia's Caribbean coast conjures images of sun sand, parties and beer. Rarely does one think of industry. Yet, in the tourism capital of the Caribbean, Cartagena, a small exporter is making a n . . .

Argentina, unplugged: the staring contest between the government and energy companies could stunt a promising recovery.(Energy)
There's more energy here than we know what to do with," says Marcelo Cardinali as he surveys the 80-meter thick concrete retention wall that bisects the Parana River. Cardinali knows what he's talki . . .

Itchy trigger fingers: the U.S. military wants to buddy up with Latin America's armed forces. Now there's a bad idea.(Silicon Ja
Latin America militarism could be revived if the top U.S. general in the region has his way. In March, Gen. James T. Hill, commander of the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, told a congressional commi . . .

Getting better.(Radar)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
The ability of Latin American companies to raise money on the markets by mid-year had recovered to its 1999 peak, despite the disastrous collapse of three years ago. Although last year suffered in c . . .

Drop by drop.(Radar)(Texaco Caribbean facing lawsuits over how it handled two gasoline spills)(Brief Article)
Even as U.S. oil giant ChevronTexaco works to close down a long-running court case in Ecuador over how a subsidiary disposed of oil-laden water at an Amazon well, oil and water is becoming a problem . . .

Stood up.(Radar)(negotiations between Argentina and its creditors)(Brief Article)
Negotiations between Argentina and its creditors have been anything but smooth. In June, the Argentine government stood firm on its offer to pay only 25% of the US$100 billion of its defaulted debt. . . .

The world according to Hugo ...(Radar)
--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (BBC Mundo) . . .

What'll you have?(Radar)(Brief Article)
Latin Americans drink a lot of beer: The big regional beer companies AmBevInterbrew, FEMSA, Polar and Bavaria could toll you that. Yet Chile and Argentina, home to world-class wine industries, stand . . .

Rebel sell.(Radar)(Leniz and Lobato)(Brief Article)
They don't wear a milk mustache. In fact, they wear nothing at all. A parade of Chilean celebrities is baring all in a new ad campaign on behalf of an embattled national dairy industry. Chileans kno . . .

Venezuelan roulette.(Radar)(Smartmatic is supplying voting machines for the elections)(Brief Article)
Young Venezuelans seeking capital for high-tech start-ups can usually find supporters. But when those Venezuelans are supplying the voting machines for a hotly-contested national referendum--Preside . . .

Brazil.(Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
A civil court in Brazil ruled that pharmacies cannot sell foodstuffs and said they could sell prescription drugs only. The court claimed that Farmacias Araujo in Belo Horizonte had been selling soda . . .

Guatemala.(Procurement)(Brief Article)
Guatemala issued a resolution requiring all public entities that auction off goods and services to private companies to post all relevant information and results on the Guatecompras Internet procure . . .

Ecuador.(Customs)(Brief Article)
Ecuador amended a law to allow the import of rebuilt or upgraded machinery, provided the equipment is no more than 10 years old and is kept in operation for at least five years after the import date . . .

Panama.(Telecommunications)(Brief Article)
Panama put a 12% tax on all inbound and outbound international long-distance calls, regardless of technology used, to include voice-over-Internet services. Internet service providers do not normally . . .

Argentina.(Telecommunications)(Brief Article)
Argentina approved a resolution giving cellular telephone service providers 90 days to implement a system that will block service on accounts reported stolen by customers. Providers must block the s . . .

Argentina.(Energy)(Brief Article)
Argentina imposed a 20% tax on natural gas exports in an effort to boost fiscal revenue. Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna said the tax could pump up to US$40 million into the nation's coffers for th . . .

Argentina.(Agriculture)(Brief Article)
Argentina passed a resolution giving tax breaks to fruit producers who purchase pheromone-based products to exterminate the codling moth and the oriental fruit moth, a process known as the sexual co . . .

PDVSA.(Venezuela)(Capacity)(Brief Article)
PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, said it would increase its daily oil production capacity to 5 million barrels per day (bpd) from the current 3.5 million bpd by 2009. In 2003 production c . . .

Home Depot, a U.S. home improvement retailer, will buy Home Mart Mexico, a move which would give Home Depot 20 new stores in tha
HOME DEPOT, a U.S. home improvement retailer, will buy Home Mart Mexico, a move which would give Home Depot 20 new stores in that country. According to a Home Mart spokesperson, the deal is pending . . .

Mexico.(Panorama)(Brief Article)
MEXICO said it would formally request associate membership in the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) trading bloc in July. Mexico's President Vicente Fox said his government plans to boost economic t . . .