All Entries in the "The Scene" Category

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.

LT CFO Events-Miami, USA, August 28, 2009

The outlook for the region is turning brighter, And CFOs are looking ahead to 2010.

Atlas of Disaster

Latin America and Caribbean are no strangers to disasters, either natural or man-made. The earthquakes in Haiti and Chile this year are only the latest natural calamities that have befallen the region. Here are some of the other most destructive events in modern history.

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Shaken Not Stirred

Natural disasters are ever-present threats, but few Mexicans bother to insure their homes and belongings
MEXICO CITY -— It may be the national tendency toward fatalism. Or perhaps the impact of economic dislocations and devaluations over the years that historically made long-term planning difficult.
But Mexicans are reluctant to safeguard their property through insurance, despite the earthquakes [...]

It’s Good to be Slim

Mexicans have long felt the might of Carlos Slim – the tycoon famed for buying on the cheap who has been elevated to the No. 1 spot among the world’s richest people by Forbes. His family’s net worth, built on investments in 200-plus companies, represents 6 percent of Mexico’s total gross domestic product. Slim makes [...]

Digging Out

The world community and Haitian leaders and elite have repeatedly pledged a new start; this time it will be even more difficult to stay the course despite the more than $1 billion in government and private aid pledged.

A Decade of Up

The performances of Latin America’s bolsas were all the more striking given that the U.S. stock market ended the decade in negative territory – its worst performance since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The Chinese Are Still Coming

As trade, investment and lending ties deepen between Latin America and China, some leaders discover that relationships can be complicated.

Fewer Dollars, Fewer Crossings

The impact of the U.S. economic crisis on Latin America is reflected in a sharp drop in remittances, depriving many countries of a critical source of income.

Waiting For Recovery

Latin American ports are ready and willing, but when will international trade pick up?

Murder, Headlines and Statistics

Even as these reports of killings lead the news in a number of countries, governments fight back with their own statistics.

Commodities Rising

Last year’s sharp decline in global commodity prices posed a huge factor in the slowing economies in much of Latin America and the Caribbean. But rising commodity prices offer relief to many of the region’s big exporters.

Fatal Roadways

Residents of Latin America and the Caribbean have a higher chance of dying in highway accidents than their counterparts in Europe and North America. At the high end, road accidents kill more than 3,300 people per million vehicles in Paraguay each year. Only about 100 people per million vehicles die in the Netherlands or Australia, [...]

War of Words

The rhetoric has escalated since June 28, when the Honduran military arrested and exiled President Manuel Zelaya. Despite overwhelming international support for restoring him to power, public opinion in Honduras remains bitterly divided.

Sprinting To a Finish

Chile’s finance minister lands in New York, intent on convincing investors that the country is on the right financial track.

A New World [Religious] Order?

Pope Benedict blames the “pernicious effects” of greed and a misplaced desire for technological advancement at any cost, as the reasons for the economic recession gripping the globe.

The China Syndrome

Chinese financial authorities have carped about the dollar’s role as the sole world reserve currency, most recently at the G8 meeting of industrialized nations in L’Aguila, Italy. The world will rely on the greenback for international transactions for the foreseeable future. But China is already testing the waters in Latin America, where the country has [...]

A Tale of Two Regions: Capitalism versus Socialism

An opinion poll showing only 53 percent of Americans considered capitalism a better system than socialism raised questions over whether the financial crisis was taking a toll on faith in the free market.

Arturo Valenzuela – Western Hemisphere Affairs

“We’ve made progress liberalizing trade and opening markets, but now we have to make sure that the benefits of economic growth reach all people.”

How Does the World See Latin America?

The debate continues over whether Latin America and the Caribbean have made progress on corruption and transparency in recent years. Clearly the region still struggles with the public perception that it is a difficult or dangerous place to do business in. Every year, the U.K.-based consultancy, Maplecroft, publishes indices that measure corruption, transparency, compliance with [...]

Book Diplomacy?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s gift of a classic book favored by left-wing Latin American circles to an unsuspecting President Barack Obama at the V Summit of the Americas sparked controversy, humor and a sales blitz.

Timothy F. Geithner – U.S. Treasury Secretary

“On top of the financial and economic challenges we face… there is another: a lack of faith.” – Timothy F. Geithner – U.S. Treasury Secretary

The Hot Spot

Panama is experiencing a boom thanks to sun, surf and New World charm

They Love Me, They Love Me Not

With economic challenges buffeting the entire region, the political winds in Latin America seem to be shifting as well. Polls measuring presidential popularity during the first quarter 2009 show marked changes compared with polls taken in the last quarter of 2008, indicating the strain people are feeling.

Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile

“Chile has always opposed the extension of discriminatory trade practices.” – Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile