Argentina: YPF vows to continue gas supplies

Argentina’s biggest oil firm, YPF, has pledged to keep providing gas supplies to local customers, as the dispute over its forced nationalization continues.

Brazil's Congress approves changes to enviro law

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's lower house of Congress on Wednesday approved a bill that weakens the nation's benchmark environmental law protecting the Amazon and other areas, a move that some fear will lead to a spike in deforestation.

Colombia Proves Latin America’s Best Equities Since 2002

Colombia (IGBC), Latin America’s murder capital when Pablo Escobar ran the Medellin drug cartel in the 1980s, produced the region’s best risk-adjusted stock returns over the past decade as improved security bolstered economic growth and foreign investment.

Standard & Poor's puts Argentina on 'negative watch' over YPF nationalisation plan

Standard & Poor's has put a "negative watch" on Argentina's credit rating, citing "rising restrictions to international trade" and "steps to nationalise oil company YPF" as reasons for the move.

Cuba plans massive shift to "non-state" sector

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba will move nearly 50 percent of the state's economic activity to the "non-state" sector, a senior Communist party official said at the weekend, the latest signal the island is headed toward a mixed economy.

Argentina's Economy Probably Grew 4.5% In February

BUENOS AIRES -(Dow Jones)- Argentina's national statistics agency, Indec, is expected to report a moderation in economic activity in February, owing to a downturn in construction and industrial output.

Chile Finance Minister: 2012 GDP Growth Over 4% Would Be Good For Economy

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Any economic growth over 4% in 2012 would be "very good" for Chile considering the deterioration in the global economy, the country's finance minister said Wednesday.

Asian investment boom seen in Latin America

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Selling soybeans, iron and copper ore and other commodities to Asian countries has transformed Latin America over the past decade, stabilizing economies despite worldwide crises and lifting tens of millions of people into the middle class. Now, say officials from both Asia and Latin America, a second gold rush is under way.

Brazil Signals Rate May Fall to Record on Global Fragility

Brazil signaled it may cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low as a still “fragile” global economy eases inflationary pressures in the world’s sixth-biggest economy.

Argentina's Oil Grab Draws Fire

Madrid threatened to retaliate as soon as this week in response to Argentina's proposed seizure of a prized unit of Spain's flagship oil company, as Argentina's nationalization drive drew international rebuke and threatened to drive the relationship between Spain and its former colony to its lowest level in decades.

IMF Sees Latin America, Caribbean GDP Growth At 3.7% In 2012

MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean remain promising, with economic growth expected to pick up pace in 2013 after a slight slowdown in 2012.

Argentina to expropriate Repsol oil subsidiary YPF

The Argentine government will seize a controlling interest in oil company YPF owned by Spanish firm Repsol.

In Colombia, Obama seeks to focus on US economy

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Putting an election year spin on his international agenda, President Barack Obama on Friday cast Latin America's rapid rise as a business opportunity for the U.S. economy.

Mexico's President Calderon in Cuba for talks

HAVANA (AP) — Mexican President Felipe Calderon was sitting down with Cuba's Raul Castro on Wednesday to strengthen economic cooperation and further repair a relationship that has been strained during more than a decade of center-right rule in Mexico.

Argentine graft probe dims Boudou's election glow

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The election night celebrations must seem a distant memory for Argentina's vice president, Amado Boudou, as he faces intense scrutiny over an influence-peddling investigation just four months after taking office.

Brazil's Rousseff tells Obama of 'currency war' worries

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Monday expressed concern to President Barack Obama that the easy money policies of developed countries threaten the growth of emerging economies like Brazil.

Mexican plan for Gulf deepwater wells sparks new worries

MEXICO CITY _ Two years after the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, Mexico's state oil company is about to test its hand at drilling at extraordinary depths in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. backs Argentine stance on defaulted debt ruling

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The U.S. government has backed Argentina in the latest legal battle over a 2002 default, arguing the nation should not have to pay "holdout" creditors when servicing debt held by investors who accepted a harsh restructuring, court documents show.

Brazil's Economy To Grow 3.5% In 2012, 5.1% In 2013 -Itau Unibanco

AO PAULO – Brazil's economy will expand at a faster pace in 2012 than the disappointing 2.7% expansion registered in 2011, primarily because of interest rate cuts and fiscal measures aimed at fueling activity in Latin America's largest economy, said Itau Unibanco chief economist Ilan Goldfajn.

Robert Zoellick calls for Brics bank

Robert Zoellick said the World Bank would support a Brics bank, an idea formally proposed at a summit in New Delhi last week.

Falklands row could hit UK's South American ambitions

LONDON (Reuters) - Thirty years after Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falklands, relations are at their chilliest in years as Buenos Aires launches a multi-pronged diplomatic offensive to assert its claim to sovereignty over the South Atlantic islands.

Peru CPI Quickens to Eight-Month High on Food, School Fees

Peruvian consumer prices rose in March at the fastest pace in eight months on increases in the cost of food, fuel and schooling.

America Movil to Benefit as Brazil Predicts Jump in Pay-TV Homes

Phone companies America Movil (AMXL) SAB, Telefonica SA and Oi SA (BRTO4) will see growth opportunities in Brazilian pay TV, as regulators predict a more-than threefold percentage increase in homes paying for service in 10 years.

U.S., EU blast Argentina's trade restrictions at WTO

(Reuters) - Argentina came under a barrage of criticism at the World Trade Organization on Friday, where the United States, European Union, Japan and 10 other countries accused it of tying up imports in red tape.