Business Monitor International (BMI)’s Commodities Team believes that La Niña weather patterns are likely to return at the end of 2011. The US National Weather Service warned on September 8 that La Niña, the weather condition that caused volatility in commodity markets at the beginning of 2011, has already returned and should strengthen by the… [Read more]
Currently, the price of a tablet computer in Brazil is prohibitively expensive for most Brazilians. An Apple iPad 2 in the United States costs US$449, while the same device would cost a Brazilian consumer US$1,049. However, BMI believes this disparity will not exist much longer. The Brazilian government is eliminating a series of taxes on… [Read more]
Brazil’s economy benefits from an almost perfect commodity mix, a rapidly rising consumer base and a government committed to improving the country’s investment climate, suggesting that it will continue to grow at a robust pace over the coming years. However, a reluctance by monetary policymakers to tighten credit conditions, for fear of hurting growth and… [Read more]
Brazilian drinks giant AmBev has had an incredibly successful time in post-global crisis Brazil. It is one of the crown jewels in AB InBev’s global portfolio with the lion’s share of the Brazilian market and some of the global beer industry’s strongest margins. What AmBev has done so well over the past few years is… [Read more]
Political risk has ceased to be a dominant theme in Latin America over the past couple of years, allowing the region to emerge ever more prominently on global investors’ radar screens since the global financial crisis. The focus, instead, shifted towards the region’s resource wealth, the vast capital investment growth potential and the growing consumer… [Read more]
The impact of rapid real appreciation on Brazil’s export competitiveness will remain a key political and economic policy issue for the foreseeable future. Robust economic growth and huge fiscal stimulus injections in Latin America’s largest economy continue to fuel higher inflation, leading to higher interest rates and attracting real-boosting capital inflows due to a widening… [Read more]
The United Nations has published its latest population forecasts for the world from now to 2100. The accompanying press release is worth reading, and the online database has been updated accordingly. Of note, the UN sees the world population rising to 10.1bn in 2100, with Africa’s population more than tripling to 3.6bn over the next… [Read more]
