AMLO Update: Why He’s Cautious About Taking On the Banks
Reading Time: 2 minutes
López Obrador’s team pulled in the reins on Congress, after a proposal to limit bank fees hit markets and the peso.
Economics & Finance
Can Paulo Guedes Deliver in Brazil?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Investors are enthusiastic about President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s economic guru, but doubts persist about whether he’ll be able to fix an ailing economy.
Book Review: The Battle for Paradise
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Award-winning journalist and activist Naomi Klein takes on “disaster capitalists” in Puerto Rico.
Fermentando um reavivamento urbano em Porto Alegre
Reading Time: 5 minutes
As microcervejarias estão ajudando a revitalizar o Distrito 4, uma área de Porto Alegre há muito negligenciada.
Podcast: Can Anyone Fix Brazil’s Economy?
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Economist Monica de Bolle discusses the prospects of a fiscal turnaround under Brazil’s next president on this episode of “Deep South.”
Why Markets Should Be Skeptical of Jair Bolsonaro
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The leader in polls for Brazil’s October election does not have a pro-business past.
Argentina: Will the IMF Save or Doom Macri’s Reform Agenda?
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Argentina’s turn to the IMF to relieve pressure on the peso carries significant political risks for the president.
The Real Cost of Brazil President Michel Temer’s Pension Reform Failure
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Dogged by scandal, Temer spent his political capital on survival, leaving little for urgently needed reform.
Venezuela Should Consider Dollarization
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Replacing the bolívar with the dollar would mean losing a policy tool, but the short-term benefits might be worth it.
Por qué Venezuela debería contemplar la dolarización
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Cambiar el bolívar por el dólar implicaría sacrificar una herramienta monetaria, pero puede valer la pena.
Four Reasons for Brazil’s Credit Dysfunction – and How to Fix It
Brazil’s Central Bank raised eyebrows in December when it lowered its target interest rate to 7 percent. That’s high by global standards, and about average for other major emerging markets, but it was a milestone for Latin America’s biggest economy: 7 percent is the lowest key interest rate in Brazil’s history. That Brazil’s all-time lowest … Read more
Four Reasons for Brazil’s Credit Dysfunction – and How to Fix It
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Brazil’s sky-high cost of credit hurts the economy; lowering it could be an important step in boosting growth and jobs.
What to Make of Venezuela’s Last-Minute Debt Negotiations
Reading Time: 3 minutes
AQ spoke to a debt expert on what a default means for Venezuela and the world.
Trump’s New Cuba Sanctions Miss Their Mark
After two years of restored diplomatic ties, new U.S. regulations on Cuba are bringing back a thicket of travel, financial and trade restrictions – and a tougher stance toward the island. The goal of these restrictions, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, is to starve the Cuban government of money from travel, remittances and commercial … Read more
How Colombia’s Economic Outlook Puts Pressure on the Peace Deal
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Developing rural areas will be hard – and expensive. How will Colombia pay for it?
