LatinNews Regional Monitor: Brazil & Southern Cone - 11 June 2018

Development: On 10 June, Datafolha published its latest opinion poll ahead of the 6 October general election in Brazil, showing a slight increase in support for the far-right hopeful, Jair Bolsonaro. Significance: In scenarios without former president Lula da Silva (2003-2011), Bolsonaro has strengthened his position in the polls ahead of the first-round vote, rising to 19% of voting intentions, up from 17% in April.... Read More

* The joint command of Brazil’s armed forces has reported that a contingent of over 1,000 soldiers and police officers has launched a new security operation in Rocinha, the largest favela in the city of Rio de Janeiro, on 9 June.... Read More

Development: On 10 June, the Argentine press published an interview with President Mauricio Macri in which he called on the political opposition in the federal congress to exercise “responsibility” and not seek to block any upcoming economic reforms in congress.... Read More

Chile: Chile’s local media is reporting that last month staff at Banco de Chile, the country’s commercial largest bank, shut down 9,000 computers after a virus was detected, affecting some client operations.... Read More

Over roughly the last three decades the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region has been laboriously building up a patchwork of free trade agreements and sub-regional trade blocs.... Read More

The largest economies in Latin America have been affected by instability in global financial markets in recent weeks, which forms part of broader aversion towards emerging markets’ currencies.... Read More

An 11-day strike by truck drivers, followed by a short stoppage by petroleum workers, has led to the resignation of Pedro Parente, chief executive of Petrobras (the state-owned oil company), weakened the government, had a negative impact across the economy, and increased investor worries ahead of the October presidential elections.... Read More

After a major run on the Argentine peso the government announced on 8 May that it was seeking a financial support agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).... Read More

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Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) exports grew by 10.6% in the first quarter of this year, but there are signs that the pace of expansion is beginning to slow.... Read More

Just under three months after taking office, President Sebastian Pinera used the annual state of the nation address on 1 June to unveil his economic policy objectives for the duration of his term in office.... Read More

While Brazil is widely seen as a carnivorous society, one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of beef, a surprising new trend is beginning to make itself felt: the growth of vegetarianism.... Read More