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Reforms promise better things to come
 Latin America has entered the new millennium in better shape than many would have thought possible in January last year when the continent appeared to be on the brink of financial and economic chaos. The most recent crisis has proved to be milder and more short-lived than many had feared. After registering zero growth in 1999, Latin America is expected to expand by 3.5 per cent this year. ...more
MARKETS:
Appetite for assets rediscovered
Even before Moody's awarded an investment grade rating to Mexico earlier this month, North American and European investors were rediscovering their appetite for Latin American assets.The decision by the rating agency had been expected by the markets and was preceded by a steady rise in Mexican bond prices. ...more
BRAZIL:
Back from the brink of abyss
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Brazil was perched perilously close to the abyss. The currency crisis last January had threatened to bring back inflation and undermine all the achievements of the previous five years. ...more
POVERTY:
Policymakers focus on the region's poor
Poverty is becoming a preoccupation for Latin America's economic policymakers.Inequality and other social issues are also rising up the political agenda, amid worries that the continent's highly uneven wealth distribution and public dissatisfaction with economic austerity will constrain the scope for recovery after last year's economic setbacks. ...more
MEXICO:
Bittersweet challenge for Zedillo
Mexico has a bittersweet challenge in this election year that has often led to its undoing in the past - administering an abundance of dollars.In the first quarter of the year Mexico has been showered by a triple dose of good news - high oil prices, powerful growth in the US, and its coveted ranking as an investment-grade country. ...more
VENEZUELA:
Windfall in export revenue
With oil prices soaring to their highest level in a decade, it would not be unreasonable to expect Venezuela to be making provisions for the future from a windfall in export revenue. Yet all the signs indicate that in the next two years this oil-rich country will make only a modest recovery from one of its deepest recessions. ...more
COLOMBIA:
Recession is still curbing revival
After stumbling last year through its worst economic performance in more than six decades - a 5 per cent fall in gross domestic product - Colombia needs to get back on track in 2000. But shaking off the recession will be difficult. ...more
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