March 17, 2014

EXCLUSIVE Central America votes' effects on business
LBC spoke with J.P. Morgan's Franco Uccelli about El Salvador and Costa Rica's elections

Last week, El Salvador confirmed Salvador Sánchez Cerén’s  victory in the country's presidential elections, while in Costa Rica, PLN candidate Johnny Araya withdrew his campaign, leaving the victory open for PAC candidate Luis Guillermo Solís. With both elections decided, LBC spoke with Franco Uccelli, Executive Director of Emerging Market Research at J.P. Morgan about the economic implications of both elections.

U.S. TV studios worried about Mexico's new telecoms law
Measure would affect planned investments in programming for the Mexican market

Television studios from the United States have expressed their concern over Mexico's new telecoms and broadcasting law. The studios fear they will lose millions of dollars in revenue under a draft proposal that would transfer half of their available advertising time to distributors such as cable and satellite television companies, MarketWatch reports.

Liberty Global buys rest of Chile's VTR
U.S. firm studying a spinoff of its Latin American operations

Liberty Global, the cable company controlled by billionaire John Malon (left), acquired the remainder of shares in Chile's VTR, the country's largest cable operator, in exchange for about $422 million of its stock. Liberty Global has been studying a spinoff of its Latin American businesses in Chile and Puerto Rico, Bloomberg report.

Venezuela protests shrink after Maduro threats with use of military
President warned use of army to liberate middle-class areas of Caracas from barricades

Protests in Venezuela's capital Caracas lost momentum after President Nicolás Maduro threatened to use the country's military to liberate middle-class neighbourhoods of makeshift barricades. “Prepare yourself, we are coming for you,” Maduro warned protesters in an address to thousands of soldiers gathered in support of the president on Saturday, Businessweek reports.

Paris Club invites Argentine government for debt talks
Negotiation to start on the week of May 26

The group of financial officials known as the Paris Club has invited the Argentine government for talks concerning the payment of  its overdue $9.5-billion debt. "Our proposal seeks to develop investment inflows with the objective of confronting new challenges, after a period of 10 years of high and sustained economic growth," Paris Club secretary general Clotilde L'Angevin said, Reuters reports.

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