Latinnews Daily - 4 August 2004

BRAZIL: The Confederação Nacional de Indústria raised its forecast for the growth in industrial output this year to 6%. This is the third increase so far this year. The CNI had started the year forecasting a rise in 4.5%. 

CHILE: The shortfall in the supply of imported gas in July was the lowest since the crisis started in May. The shortfall was 2.86m cubic metres, down from 7.3m cubic metres in May.

PANAMA: Economy minister Norberto Delgado said that Panama registered an average of 3.1% GDP growth during the four-year mandate of President Mireya Moscoso, who hands over to president-elect Martí­n Torrijos on 1 September. Unemployment stayed constant at 13.2% during this period.

VENEZUELA: The president of the official statistics agency, INE, forecast that the official unemployment rate will be down to 12% by the end of the year. At the end of 2003, the unemployment rate was 14.6%.