All Entries in the "Main Articles" Category
Mauricio Funes: A Leftist in Prime Time
Funes, a political neophyte, is the quintessential non-politician. He is sometimes at odds with the more radical elements in the FMLN, the party of former leftist guerrillas, who as the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front waged a 10-year war against the U.S.-backed government until a 1992 peace treaty. But his candidacy finally brought to power the FMLN. The Funes victory ended the lock on national power that the right-wing ARENA party had held for 20 years.
Ricardo Martinelli: How a Supermarket Magnate Came to Lead the Nation
Panamanian entrepreneur Ricardo Martinelli enjoyed the wealth and acclaim accorded to a captain of retail and industry. But his experience in government sparked a determination to make a difference in the lives of Panamanians.
Mexico Takes a Break From M&A
Fewer companies came to the table in 2009 as the economy made deal-making harder to digest for some. Even telecommunication tycoon Carlos Slim’s appetite waned. But the deals that did go down were intriguing and foreshadowed what may lie ahead.
Brazil Turns up the Deal-making Heat
As the global financial crisis shook up Brazil’s economy, sturdier companies snatched up their more vulnerable rivals, some at bargain-basement prices. Now, with the economy back on track, more mergers and acquisitions are on the horizon, especially in the retail and consumer goods sectors.
The Cost of Opportunity
A Colombian social entrepreneur takes on the education deficit.
Mexico’s Jet Set
Eager to shed its reputation as the bargain basement for American manufacturers, Mexico is staking its industrial ambitions on a loftier sector – jet planes. It has some high-flying help. The world’s No. 3 aircraft maker, Bombardier Aerospace, is about to break ground on its fourth plant in Querétaro, a bustling industrial hub 140 miles northwest of the Mexican capital.
Personal Development Lands DHL At Top – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009
If you think that work and fun don’t mix, you’d be surprised by the atmosphere at DHL Bolivia, the country’s leading courier and express mail service provider.
Christus Invests In Employees, Sees Returns – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009
t Mauricio Zambrano, head of human resources for Monterrey-based Christus Muguerza Group, believes in having fun – even for those people who save lives for a living.
More Than Drinks and Spirits at Diageo – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009
Diageo, whose operations span 180 countries and territories and has a broad scope of spirits, wine and beer brands, wins frequent accolades for its positive work environment.
Colombia’s Biggest Bank Meshes Diverse Corporate Cultures – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009
So successful are BanColombia’s efforts to instill a unified corporate culture in its different units, that all but one of the group’s seven subsidiaries made the top 25 Great Places to Work in Colombia. All seven made the cut for the top 100 in Latin America.
The 15th Annual Latin Trade Symposium & BRAVO Business Awards
Led by Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, winners of the 15th bravo Business Awards walked down the red carpet to the evening gala to receive their 2009 awards for excellence and achievement. More than 350 leading business executives, government officials, academics and environmental and humanitarian leaders attended the 15th bravo Business Awards dinner and ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami on October 30.
LT Holiday Gift Guide
Extravagant and not-so-extravagant gifts for your loved ones: from a BMW Z4 to a simple bottle of her perfume to a five-figure all-electric motorcycle.
Outlook 2010: Consensus Economic Forecast
Five years of stellar growth came to a crashing halt late last year as the global economic recession took hold. A year later, governments around the world have instituted economic stimulus packages that seem to have stemmed the worst effects of the crisis and have set the stage for a recovery in 2010 – at [...]
Waiting for the U.S. To Grow
Many Mexicans cannot remember having lived through a recession like the current one.
Economists are forecasting Mexico’s economy will shrink by 7 percent this year, its worst economic setback in eight decades and one of the deepest contractions of any Latin American nation.
With Oil Prices on the Rise Venezuela Set to Rebound in 2010
Now the nascent financial recovery in industrialized nations appears set to pull Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy out of its slump, keeping it from becoming collateral damage in the global meltdown.
Pinning Hopes On a Bumper Crop
Argentine economists warn that the government’s restrictive economic policies, combined with a lack of access to international financial markets, will thwart any rapid return to the heated expansion of recent years.
Mining To Recovery
Strong gold exports offered Peru a needed lifeline during the global financial turmoil of the past year. Now, copper, silver, zinc and lead could help lead the economic recovery in the resource-rich nation.
From Bad To Worse?
Although the rest of Latin America and parts of the Caribbean are showing early signs of economic recovery, experts said there are few indications Central America is emerging from its worst economic crisis in the past quarter-century.
Caribbean Grapples with Downturn
The worldwide economic crisis has interrupted the Caribbean’s most robust rate of sustained economic growth since the 1960s. From Antigua to Trinidad & Tobago, nations are grappling with a slump in exports, a decline in tourism, rising fuel costs, higher unemployment and a drop in both foreign direct investment and remittances.
The LT 500
The LT 500: Latin America’s 500 largest companies, including both privately held and publicly traded companies, as well as the largest state-run companies.
Plummeting Production Nudges Pemex to Drill
Pemex has served as Mexico’s standard-bearer of nationalism, but the burden of funding the government is taking a heavy toll.
Brazil Wants In On the Big Oil Club
Brazil, coming off one of the biggest oil finds of the decade, is positioning itself to play a major role in an energy hungry world.
The Long Goodbye: Repsol YPF Inches Out of Argentina
Repsol YPF intend to carry out a sale and companies have approached the Spanish-owned oil company about buying the Argentine subsidiary. Potential buyers include China National Petroleum Corp.
Is the Party Over for Venezuela’s PDVSA?
Venezuela claims to have 172 billion barrels of reserves, but some oil analysts peg the figure at 99 billion and are more concerned with PDVSA’s declining output.
Out of Brazil and Into Africa
The increasing heft of Brazilian corporate giants and smaller firms in Africa is boosted by a national strategy in which Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has played a central role.
For the Region, Oil is Still King
Skyrocketing oil prices made 2008 the best of times and the not-quite best of times for oil companies in Latin America.
Chile’s SONDA Seeks Safe and Sound Acquisitions
SONDA has undertaken a number of complex public works projects in its home country, but now, 35 years after it was founded and more than two years after its initial public offering, SONDA is positioning itself as a regional heavyweight.
Latin American Billionaires
The global economic tsunami, which has wiped out trillions of dollars of assets and millions of jobs – has also slashed the fortunes of Latin America’s captains of industry and finance.
The Seeds of Giving
Latin America’s titans of industry and finance have proven their ability to make money. Now some are trying to solve the region’s intractable social problems.
Emerging Leaders
In the region of new democracies, is this the shape of things to come?
