Venezuela's deepening economic troubles, and in particular the weakness of the bolivar and restrictive currency controls, have hurt U.S. corporate profits for the fourth quarter of 2014 and are set to inflict further pain this year.
South/Central America
Levy Acquisition Corp in the lead to acquire Del Taco: sources
Levy Acquisition Corp (LEVY.O), the blank-check acquisition vehicle of Chicago restaurateur Larry Levy, is in advanced talks to acquire Del Taco Inc, a U.S. fast food chain specializing in Mexican cuisine, according to people familiar with the matter.
New Petrobras CEO must walk political, accounting mine field
By picking a banker instead of an oil executive to run Petrobras, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff appears to have recognized that the state-run company's biggest priority is to clean up its books and acknowledge how many billions of dollars it lost to a corruption scheme in recent years.
Brazil's Petrobras taps state banker as CEO; shares dive
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff tapped a confidant from a state-run bank to be the next head of Petrobras on Friday, chilling investor hopes that a more independent new management team would steer the oil firm out of a huge corruption scandal.
Brazil's Rousseff urges cabinet to back belt-tightening
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff urged her cabinet on Tuesday to embrace fiscal belt-tightening and other measures aimed at restoring business confidence and growth in her second term.
Latest News
A deal on a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade pact could be concluded in mid-March, Mexico's economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, said on Thursday.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's crusade to win back investor confidence has entrusted policymakers with the tough mission of hiking interest rates while major central banks cut them, raising the prospect of another recession in Latin America's biggest economy.
Argentines have been complaining for a while now about the country's product shortages. And, until recently, the government has managed to brush aside such protests, which have centered around Argentina's import restrictions.
Mergers and acquisitions activity in Brazil this year is likely to have a performance similar to last year's even if sluggish growth further weighs down confidence in Latin America's largest economy, a senior Credit Suisse Group AG dealmaker in the country said.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc's decision to suspend purchases from a pork producer that ran afoul of its animal welfare rules could bolster its reputation with diners but threatens sales and profits this quarter.
Brazilian industrial output took an unexpected step backward in November as production of durable goods declined sharply, further damping hopes of a recovery in the long-beleaguered sector.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday he will visit China and several unspecified OPEC countries during a week-long tour meant to improve the South American nation's finances, which have been weakened by tumbling crude prices.
Banco do Brasil SA (BBAS3.SA), the nation's largest bank by assets, said on Friday it received approval from the central bank for a joint venture with card payment processor Cielo SA (CIEL3.SA), but it will not be able to book accounting gains from the deal.
Brazil's government plans to rework parts of the country's new mining code currently stalled in Congress, the new Mines and Energy Minister Eduardo Braga said on Thursday.
