President-elect Dilma Rousseff has kicked off her cabinet appointments by announcing key figures in the economic team, reinforcing my view that the new administration will focus on continuing the economic policy mix started by the outgoing Lula government. Finance Minister Guido Mantega will remain in his post, while hawkish central bank president Henrique Meirelles is… [Read more]
Against an increasingly challenging global economic backdrop, Richard Hamilton, Head of Latin America analysis at Business Monitor International, outlines three core themes for the region. Having been among the first regions to emerge from the global economic downturn in 2009, we take a look at the likely impact of a double-dip in China and an… [Read more]
In symbolic terms, the nuclear swap deal with Iran brokered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva marks a major triumph for Brazil, tying in with what my colleagues at BMI and I have been saying for some time now: Brazil is rapidly becoming a diplomatic force to be reckoned with. • Charting A Path… [Read more]
In this week’s Business Monitor Podcast ‘role-reversal’ Terry Alexander, Head of Country Risk and Capital Markets at Business Monitor, interviews Mark Schaltuper, Head of Latin American Markets, on the investment outlook for Brazil in 2010. With much of the ‘Great Brazil Hype’ already priced in, Mark argues that the tide may be turning for Brazilian… [Read more]
The popularity and influence of Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, knows no bounds. As Lula enters his final year in office, his popularity continues to hover near record highs. Interestingly, as his ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores gears up for next year’s election (in which his chief of staff Dilma Rousseff is Lula’s hand-picked… [Read more]
With the economy taking a knock from global headwinds – and President Lula set to leave office in 2010 – can Brazil retain its place amongst the EM elite? Mark Schaltuper, Latin America country risk analyst at Business Monitor International, explains why he is still excited about the Brazilian growth story, and which are the… [Read more]
During Brazilian President Lula’s recent visit to China, the leaders of the two countries have been discussing, among other things, the prospects of abandoning the US dollar in bilateral trade operations. This would mean that Chinese importers would purchase Brazilian goods in Chinese yuan, and vice versa. Personally, I couldn’t agree more with former Brazilian… [Read more]
