Latin Trade

Einigkeit, Europe?

Alberto J. Bernal-Leon — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:57 +0000

Alberto Bernal-Leon of Bulltick Capital Markets. What does the euro need to survive? It’s hard to believe, but nearly four years have passed since the outbreak of the worst global economic crisis since 1929. Many things have changed since that fateful September day when the U.S. Treasury committed the worst economic mistake in modern history: [...]

A Milestone For Latin American Businesswomen

Joachim Bamrud — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:57 +0000

The appointment of Maria das Graças Foster to the top job at Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, Latin America’s largest company, is seen as a major milestone for businesswomen in the region. “Maria das Graças Foster has become the most important role model for aspiring young women in the corporate world in Latin America,” says Susan [...]

Buenos Aires: First-hand tips for visiting Argentina’s Capital.

Mark Chesnut — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:48 +0000

Insights and advice from Francisco J. Cerezo, partner and chairman of the Latin America Practice at Foley & Lardner LLP; Nigel L. Page, senior vice president of the Americas at Emirates; and Paulo Piovano, president of Techint Inc., an Argentine who lives in New York. Latin Trade: What do you like most about traveling to [...]

CSR: When Care Has its Rewards

LT — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:44 +0000

The Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in Latin America. By David Haskel in Argentina, Taylor Barnes in Brazil, Gideon Long in Chile, Anastasia Moloney in Colombia, David Agren in Mexico, Lisa Wing in Peru and Doreen Hemlock in Miami. They nurture local suppliers, provide scholarships and teach nutrition. They plant trees, embrace renewable energy and [...]

Calderon’s Mixed Legacy: Success or Failure?

Joachim Bamrud — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:43 +0000

When Felipe Calderon leaves Mexico’s presidency in December, he will leave behind a mixed legacy, as our special report shows. That might not seem impressive at first glance, but there’s a case to be made that it actually could represent a certain degree of accomplishment and success for Calderon. After all, he faced an unprecedented [...]

The Contrarian: Reforms the key to improve competitiveness in Mexico

John Price — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:40 +0000

The World Economic Forum’s annual competitiveness ranking is the global beauty pageant for competing nations. Mexico, the darling of emerging markets in the 1990s, had gradually slipped into the “ugly duckling” range of nations, ranking No. 66 by 2010. But Mexico got a bit of a face lift in September 2011, rising eight positions to [...]

What do Logistics Companies Do?

Joseph A. Mann, Jr. — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:37 +0000

Here are some examples of the solutions supply chain companies provide to their customers. Logistics companies can help move mining machinery and parts from a factory in Europe to a warehouse in Chile so they can be stored there and shipped quickly to a Chilean mine that desperately needs a spare part. They can work [...]

Mexico: Opportunities Ahead

Juan Pablo Del Valle — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:36 +0000

Mexico, together with other Latin American countries, has a unique opportunity to assume a position of leadership, growth and deve-lopment. These countries have assets that must be appropriately valued, particularly regarding European economies and other developed economies. These are: 1) solid macroeconomic factors; 2) healthy financial systems that were not severely affected by the crisis [...]

Calderon’s Economic Legacy

Jonathan Heath — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:36 +0000

Research fellow at INEGI and former chief economist for Latin America and Mexico at HSBC Mexico. Vicente Fox’s economic legacy as president of Mexico was extremely mediocre, despite having consolidated the macroeconomic stability he inherited from Ernesto Zedillo. The average annual 2.1 percent growth over his six-year administration (the worst in Mexican history, with the [...]

Industry Report: Top franchisers

Taylor Barnes — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:34 +0000

FRANCHISING BOOM IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CHALLENGE OF ADAPTING TO LOCAL TASTES RIO DE JANEIRO – The Kentucky Fried Chicken meals in this seaside city come with Brazilian staples: black beans, rice and farofa, the popular side dish of crushed and seasoned manioc root. But the U.S. brand says its franchises are taking off [...]

Latin America’s Infrastructure Gap

LT — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:33 +0000

The total infrastructure gap in Latin America – the difference between existing and needed investments – is a whopping $170 billion per year to 2020, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). It warns that ports in South America will reach their capacity by 2020 if they don’t [...]

Industry Report: Thriving in Latin America Despite Obstacles and Slower Economic Growth

Joseph A. Mann, Jr. — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:29 +0000

AS TRADE GOES, SO GOES LOGISTICS And despite World Bank predictions of slower overall economic growth and trade activity this year in Latin America and the Caribbean, major players in trade logistics such as DHL, FedEx and UPS continue to invest in key markets in the region and expect significant growth in 2012. A multibillion-dollar [...]

Felipe Calderon’s Legacy on Security

Sergio E. Díaz — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:28 +0000

Managing Director, FTI Consulting Mexico In a national context marked by growing violence in recent years and a high crime rate, the full-frontal effort of Mexico’s federal government to combat organized crime is noteworthy, as is its determination to reform security forces and improve the legal and operative capacity of the Mexican state to fight [...]

Latin America will have to Compete Through Innovation

John Otis — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:20 +0000

Latin Trade: How will Latin America be affected by the economic turmoil in Europe and the continued slowdown in the United States? Bilbao: Latin America proved to be quite resilient during the 2008 crisis. But the deceleration of the global economy will probably affect Latin America’s economic growth because there will be less demand for [...]

Traders Cautiously Upbeat About Mila’s Year Ahead

Sophie Kevany — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:15 +0000

Pulling back from last year’s pre-launch hype, traders remain cautiously upbeat about the 2012 outlook for MILA, the integrated Mercado Integrado Latino-Americano, which in May 2011 linked the Colombian, Chilean and Peruvian stock exchanges. One of the most upbeat analysts is Bulltick Capital Market’s head of research, Alberto Bernal-Leon. He estimates that, separately, MILA’s three [...]

Country report: Mexico

David Agren — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:14 +0000

Calderon’s rough ride and what still lies ahead. Macroeconomic stability has become Mexico’s calling card in business circles. MEXICO CITY – Jose Avalos grows gourmet lettuce hydroponically in greenhouses covering 12.5 acres near Leon in Mexico’s west-central state of Guanajuato, near the presidential library opened by former leader Vicente Fox, who ended 71 years of [...]

Made in Peru: Asparagus

Naomi Mapstone — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:12 +0000

Year-round sunshine, sophisticated irrigation systems and United States trade preferences have helped Peru become the world’s biggest exporter of asparagus. The Andean nation bounced back from an economic-crisis-induced slump with asparagus export totals of $480.3 million in 2011, up from $395 million in 2009 and $431 million in 2010. William Arteaga, head of agriculture and [...]

The Evolution of Hotel Security in Bogota

Mark Chesnut — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:11 +0000

When General Orlando Salazar retired from his military position nearly a decade ago and became general manager of what then was the InterContinental Tequendama, the norms for security at five-star hotels in Colombia’s capital were decidedly more intense. “Ten years ago, we had to have three layers of security,” Salazar recalled. Arriving guests had to [...]

Competitiveness: The gap to be reduced

John Otis — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:08 +0000

As Latin America struggles to become more competitive, the tiny isthmus of Panama stands out for its great ambitions but also for its epic backwardness. Panama is spending billions to widen the Panama Canal to accommodate larger ships and double the waterway’s cargo capa-city. Yet even as this titanic project moves forward, Panama has yet [...]

Latin American Advertising

Paula Ancery — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:07 +0000

What makes an advertisement a hit tends to be emotion or humor. What makes an advertisement “good” is a never-ending discussion among advertisers. It isn’t the awards at festivals or the pre-and post-campaign sales, or academic criteria that provide a scale that fairly measures the quality of a piece of advertising. But when an ad [...]

Leapfactor

Joseph A. Mann, Jr. — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:13:31 +0000

Latin-Run Enterprise Develops Business Apps for Burgeoning Mobile Device Market. When Bolivian-born Lionel Carrasco, who has worked in IT for more than a quarter-century, got his first iPhone several years ago, he was pleased to find he could access applications – such as weather reports – in two clicks. “Can we do this with business [...]

Graphic Designer

LT — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:49:55 +0000

Job Title: Graphic Designer Location: Miami, Florida Latin Trade Group is currently seeking a talented Graphic Designer to support the graphic design and development needs of the Art and Marketing departments under the supervision of the Art Director. The candidate will be responsible for assisting with the development of various contents including but not limited [...]

Korea: Role Model for Latin America

jbamrud — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:24:22 +0000

Two-way business is growing between Korea and Latin America. SEOUL – While China is getting the lion’s share of attention these days, another Asian nation is also boosting its business with Latin America: South Korea. Throughout Latin America, Korean companies like Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK are expanding. At the same time, Koreans are [...]

Best of Travel Press Coverage

LT — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:45:40 +0000

Portal Seguro, Brazil, Feb.8, 2012. Refers the 2012 Best of Travel survey. Diario La Opinion, Colombia, Feb 7, 2012. Refers to the 2012 Best of Travel survey. InsideWorldFootball, UK, Feb 7, 2012. Refers to the 2011 Best of Travel survey. Portafolio, Colombia, Feb 5, 2012. Refers to the 2012 Best of Travel survey. Airwise, Australia, [...]

Colombian Giant

Anastasia Moloney — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:57 +0000

Grupo Sura’s $3.7 billion acquisition of ING assets has created one of the top financial service firms in Latin America. BOGOTA– It has been a stellar year for Colombia’s Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana (Grupo Sura). With the acquisition of most of Dutch group ING’s Latin American insurance and pension portfolio in July, the Colombian investment [...]

The Bottom Line: Investor Confidence

Alberto J. Bernal-Leon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:17:26 +0000

If you were to judge the future of Colombia from what you read on Twitter, you would have a gloomy vision of what is to come. Every day, without exception, many of us who try to play an advocacy role on this social network receive striking insults largely for presenting numbers-backed evidence about pragmatic global [...]

The Contrarian: Does Europe Matter Anymore?

John Price — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:11:05 +0000

How might Latin America fare in such a gloomy environment? Surprisingly well thanks to its own fiscal and monetary discipline and an historic pattern of declining European trade and investment links. Many Latin Americans are proud of their European heritage and go to great lengths to sustain their cultural links to the old continent. Fortunately [...]

Ask the Concierge

Ruth Bradley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:38:18 +0000

The opening of the W Santiago in 2009 marked the hotel chain’s debut in South America and Chile’s capital remains its only location in the region. The hotel, in the heart of the fashionable El Golf district, caters mostly to businesspeople and is a particularly popular choice with younger executives. Along with two restaurants – [...]

Santiago: Firsthand tips for visiting Chile’s capital

Ruth Bradley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:25:18 +0000

Insights and advice from Daniel Picciotto, president of Colombia-based PDC Vinos y Licores Ltda., and José Luis Portela, general manager of the Chilean subsidiary of Spain’s Telepizza. L.T. What do you like most about traveling to Santiago? Daniel Picciotto: As a frequent traveler, I appreciate the efficiency of the city’s airport and the fact that [...]

Made in Mexico: Avocados

David Agren — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:50:56 +0000

MEXICO CITY — Super Bowl Sunday can mean food and fun as much as football – and the food part often means guacamole. Super Bowl fans in 2010 wolfed down more than 50 million pounds of avocados used to make the creamy sauce. Over the past 15 years, the Super Bowl staple has been made [...]