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Brazil & Southern Cone - June 2026
Introduction
When José Antonio Kast became president of Chile in March, markets rallied amid investor optimism that the far-right leader would push business-friendly reforms.... Read More
Chile
When José Antonio Kast became president of Chile on 11 March, the country’s equity markets rallied and the value of the peso rose amid investor optimism that the far-right leader would push business-friendly reforms and economic growth.... Read More
President José Antonio Kast has carried out a mini cabinet reshuffle just over two months into his term, replacing the security minister Trinidad Steinert with the public works minister Martín Arrau.... Read More
Chile’s President José Antonio Kast has appointed economist Bernardo Fontaine as the new chairman of Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, with a mandate to streamline the state-owned mining company and return it to growth.... Read More
Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has launched a new initiative dubbed the ‘Brazil against organised crime’ programme, which will focus on priorities such as combatting money laundering, improving the prison system, strengthening homicide investigations, and curbing arms trafficking.... Read More
The world wants rare earth minerals and Brazil has the planet’s second-largest reserves of them.... Read More
On 9 May Brazilian supreme court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended a law that proposed reducing prison sentences for individuals convicted in relation to the far-right riots in Brasília on 8 January 2023.... Read More
Less than a fortnight after the free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and South America’s Mercosur bloc [EB-26-02] took provisional effect on 1 May, Brussels announced plans to ban Brazilian meat imports from September onwards, citing non-compliance with food safety standards.... Read More
Paraguay
Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña shored up ties with Taiwan during a four-day state visit in May, affirming Paraguay as one of the few remaining countries to officially recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state.... Read More
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- Introduction
- Kast off to a rocky start in first 100 days
- Security minister replaced after two months in office
- Economist takes the reins at Codelco
- Lula boosts funding for law enforcement
- Balancing resource nationalism with attracting investment
- Governing institutions clash over far-right rioter sentencing bill
- EU to ban Brazilian meat despite Mercosur deal
- Peña under pressure over Taiwan visit
- Economic Highlights