Brazil & Southern Cone - October 2007 (ISSN 1471-4431

What the right does not like to admit is that President Néstor Kirchner's economic policies have delivered. Since 2002 the poorest 10% of the population has seen its income triple. The average monthly wages for this portion of the population is now US$106 a month. Proportionally, this is a greater rise than that enjoyed by the richest 10%: this segment saw its average monthly income merely double from Arg$3,461 to Arg$6,678 (US$1,088 to US$2,100). What this means that the poorest 10% of the population is living on only US$3.5 a day while the richest 10% lives on an average daily income of US$220. 

The immediate outlook for the economy is slightly worrying. In August industry saw its biggest ever month-on-month rise: 9.7% seasonally adjusted. Year on year the jump was the same: 9.7%. 

Inflation: The official consumer price inflation rate for September was 0.8%. This was up a bit on August's 0.6%, but much lower than most independent economists had calculated.