All Entries in the "The Scene" Category
Mexico Prepares for China Rush
Mexico Opens Up Its Market. Mexico’s shoe sector is bracing for a tough 2012 after the country in December implemented long-awaited rules easing imports from China as part of World Trade Organization agreements. Other sectors, like clothing and toys, also expect to be impacted by stronger competition from lower-priced Chinese goods. The winners? Mexican consumers. [...]
The World of Eike Batista
What the Brazilian billionaire, Latin America’s second-wealthiest man, keeps close to his heart.
Boosting British Ties
Jeremy Browne, the U.K. Minister of State for Latin America, is bullish these days.
Bold Plans for Rio’s Port Zone
A makeover, akin to those of Barcelona and Buenos Aires, aims to transform a rundown district.
Sales Rev Up for Porsche
Porsche is zipping along in Latin America, a region where the luxury carmaker has dramatically grown over the past decade.
The Cat Runs Fast
While it’s no secret to Latin Trade readers that Latin America is a global growth star, research by Latin Business Chronicle shows which multinationals are benefiting most from that boom.
What’s in a Name?
Companies put a lot of thought into product brands and names, but what happens when two companies use the same name?
Job Hunting Via TextMessages
Through his world travels, Assured Labor CEO David Reich had met smart people who could not find jobs.
Brazil’s Homemade Drones
How AGX Tecnologia finds success developing and selling drones
Rio’s Favelas – A New Frontier?
RIO DE JANEIRO — A gray-haired and skeptical student raises his hand to interrupt the Brazilian bar association course on slum property rights: “I hear there are gringos living in favelas!”
Latin America: World-Class Potential
Raul Rivera, a Chilean native and former partner of Boston Consulting Group, talks to Latin Trade about his new book, Nuestra Hora (Pearson).
Time to Buy a Watch?
Although demographics in Latin America support luxury-goods consumption, in-region purchases of items such as men’s watches likely do not reflect the market potential, analysts and industry experts say.
Snapshot: Digital Cameras
Camera phones may be the go-to choice for documenting good times with friends — or revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East — but the market for dedicated digital cameras is growing in Latin America, makers of the device say.
English as Lingua Franca
Mandarin may have the most speakers in absolute terms, but in the globalized economy of the 21st century, English is the language of international business.
Inflation Champions
Argentina’s economy grew by 9.2 percent last year — Latin America’s second-best performance, after Paraguay. This year, Argentina’s economy should expand by another 6 percent, the International Monetary Fund estimates. Nomura Securities is more bullish, estimating an 8 percent expansion.
Air Traffic: European Boom
Despite economic turmoil in several countries, more flights traversed the Atlantic from European airports to all points in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010 compared to 2009.
Uruguay: Strong Growth, Solid Outlook
The economic indicators coming out of Uruguay give government officials much to cheer about. Last year, the economy grew by 8.5 percent, the fourth-highest increase in Latin America, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Officials estimate growth of 5 to 6 percent this year.
Mexico: The Comeback Kid
After a difficult few years, Mexico is gaining traction. Mexico is expected to see an average annual GDP growth of 4.4 percent over the next five years, according to a Latin Trade analysis of projections from the International Monetary Fund. That compares with 4.2 percent annual growth in Brazil.
Branching out to the new middle class
SÃO PAULO — Many bankers don’t like using words or phrases such as “poor people” or “favelas.” Instead, they are more likely to use euphemisms like “the new middle class” and “popular communities.”
Drivers’ Ed
In major cities around the world, taxis are an integral and indispensable component of the transportation mix. To make them a better part, General Motors launched Chevrolet University in Bogota last year.
Retail: Drugstore Pioneer
Deusmar de Queiros took an unconventional path when building Brazil’s first national network of pharmacies. Now he is going to the markets to keep his retail chain Pague Menos growing.
What’s behind Brazil’s incredible shrinking families?
RIO DE JANEIRO — From television soap operas to the halls of power, small families are increasingly becoming the norm – and Brazilian women appear to be fans of the shrinking family.
Commodities lifted regional stock exchanges in 2010
Investors in Latin American stocks had plenty of reasons to cheer 2010 as most stock exchanges closed out the year with stellar performances, thanks to the steady rise of commodity prices and renewed confidence in emerging markets.
Political (Mis)Fortunes
POLITICAL (MIS)FORTUNES: Leadership has its perks — and plenty of pitfalls. Here is Latin Trade’s guide to a few of the biggest challenges elected officials in Latin America and the Caribbean are confronting.
Latin American companies play catch-up on productivity
Despite more than three decades of market-friendly reforms and fiscally conscious governments, productivity per employee in large companies in Latin America is still substantially lower than in the United States, according to 2009 figures compiled by Latin Trade.
Presidential Paydays
What’s a head of state worth?
In Latin America, it is a hard number to pin down.
President Felipe Calderón of Mexico is the highest-paid leader in Latin America, with an annual salary of nearly $200,000. Not far behind is President Sebastián Piñera of Chile, whose population and economy are a fraction of the size of Mexico’s.
Revolutionary Marketing
An onslaught of soccer-related advertising inundated consumers in the region during this year’s World Cup. Mexican marketers have also been rolling out products and campaigns to mark the momentous anniversary of its independence movement from Spain.
Vox Populi
The worst of the global economic crisis may be retreating, but governments, businesses and other institutions seeking to regain public esteem have their work cut out for them.
The French Connection
Germany may overshadow France as the European export powerhouse to Latin America and the world, but the Paris government has revved up its efforts to boost commercial ties with the region.
Is Beef the New Banana?
Taking advantage of high-level meetings in Madrid, the European Union and the Mercosur trading bloc are ready to attempt to breathe new life into a proposed trade agreement after a break of six years.
