By Anthony Esposito MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico is evaluating whether buying Citigroup Inc’s Mexican consumer unit would help boost financial inclusion, potentially in combination with a state-run bank such as the Banco del Bienestar, a top finance ministry official said. U.S. lender Citigroup scrapped its sale of the Banamex unit last week and said…
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s central bank purchased $451 million of foreign currency on Wednesday to bolster its dwindling hard currency reserves, after daily sales from farm exports topped $1 billion, providing some relief for the country’s hard-hit finances. The currency move on Wednesday marks the biggest such purchase since late December. In May, the…
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s formal job creation fell short of expectations in April, with a net of 180,005 positions, according to figures released by the Labor Ministry on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters were expecting that 204,800 jobs would be created in the month. All five activity groups surveyed showed positive results, led by the…
By Ana Isabel Martinez MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s president took office in late 2018 pledging to boost local output of gasoline while phasing out imports, but so far state refineries have instead set a different course: bumper production of highly-contaminating fuel oil. To make Mexico self-sufficient, leftist resource nationalist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador…
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican retail and bottling giant Femsa said Wednesday it had reached a “definitive” agreement to sell its stake in Jetro Restaurant Depot for $1.4 billion, furthering its strategy to simplify its business, and sending its shares up. The transaction will close in the second quarter of this year, when it will receive…
HOUSTON/CARACAS (Reuters) – A group of Venezuela-related expropriation claims at U.S. courts pursuing Citgo Petroleum’s assets surpass $20 billion, making it difficult for the Houston-based refiner to compensate them all, the chief of a board supervising the company said on Wednesday. However, some payments can be negotiated, said Horacio Medina, head of the board that…
By Gabriel Burin BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Brazil’s economy likely surged back to growth in the first quarter of the year, powered by record-breaking crops and solid crude oil output that more than offset the drag of subdued manufacturing activity, a Reuters poll of economists showed. Strong exports by commodities-producing sectors were seen adding to…
By Tibisay Romero, Deisy Buitrago and Marianna Parraga VALENCIA/CARACAS (Reuters) – The new CEO of Venezuelan state-run PDVSA is targeting endemic corruption at the financially troubled oil company while hoping to win over its 95,000 workers, a move critical to securing much needed cash for the country, home to the world’s largest crude reserves. Pedro…
BERLIN (Reuters) – A global employment divide between high-income and low-income countries is worsening as rising debt levels hit developing countries disproportionately, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Wednesday. It urged nations to offer global financial support on job creation and social protection to help narrow the gap. While global unemployment is expected to…
By Janina Nuno Rios MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Usain Bolt said he is desperate to play a role in reviving the sport that made him a global superstar but has experienced something of a decline since his retirement six years ago. The Jamaican, who dominated men’s sprinting for nearly a decade after the 2008 Beijing…
