There has been an obvious loss of momentum in our economic growth, relative to our own past two decades and the rest of the emerging world. In figures, whereas in the 90’s and 2000’s Chile had an average annual growth rate of 6,37% and 4,34% respectively, the emerging and developing economies had equivalent growth rates […]
According to 2007 BP Statistical Review, 2006 world energy consumption amounted to 10.878 million tons oil equivalent – mtoe -, of which 36% corresponded to oil, 24% to natural gas, 28% to coal , 6% to nuclear energy and 6% to hydroelectricity, excluding solar, wind and other minor energy sources. The first two sources, which […]
Estimado Señor Director, A raíz del acuerdo entre Chile y Argentina de 1998 para precisar el recorrido del límite desde el monte Fitz Roy hasta el cerro Daudet, una distancia aproximada de 160 kms, ¿ pierde territorio nuestro país respecto del hasta ahora válido límite definido por el Laudo Arbitral de Su Majestad Británica de […]
Some useful lessons are going to be acknowledged after the present financial volatility period settles, particularly in the US. The most important one will be the divergence between the real economy and the perceived one, the dissociation between short and long term equilibrium values and Wall Street. Real activity in the US is certainly decelerating, […]
After the Second Punic War (218 BC to 201 BC), Rome replaced Carthage as the most important power in Western Mediterranean. Given that Macedonia and its Greek followers were also allied to the defeated party, Eastern Mediterranean was also delivered to Rome after a brief resistance. What is noticeable is that all these events occurred […]
Recientemente se solicitó al Tribunal de la Libre Competencia la aprobación de la fusión accionaria entre Falabella y DyS, que daría origen a una entidad financiera y de retail con una valorización bursátil de US$ 16.000 millones, ventas por US$ 7.500 millones (80 por ciento en Chile) y utilidades por US$ 450 millones anuales (40 […]
The continuing scarcity of cheap energy in the world, due mainly to an unexpected strong economic growth now going for almost 10 years, has not only ignited the search for new and more reliable sources, but also put again into the fore increasing gasoline taxes, particularly in the US. Have not you heard yet about […]
Intervention in Iraq in 2003 was a difficult and hard decision, but also unavoidable. Those who decried it did not offer credible and alternative solutions to a chronic Middle Eastern case of instability, poverty and human suffering, preferring to continue with the fiction of never ending verifications under a suspicious UN veil. It had to […]
Looking at China and India growing at 10 per cent in annual rates in their quest for a developed status is certainly goods news, for their combined 2.500 million inhabitants and the rest of the world. Their per capita incomes, less than US$ 2.000, compared to US standards, over US$ 40.000, just reflect how important […]
The world will soon complete almost a decade with unprecedented growth relatively well distributed across it. But this process has been associated with an impressive wealth transfer from energy lacking areas to those that have a surplus. It so happens that an energy supply problem has been gradually evolving into a foreign policy one that […]
Increasing world economic integration is a fact, as measured in goods trade and physical and human capital movements. But it tends to be deeper in surrounding countries – as it would equivalently happen at cities or neighborhoods levels -, basically because of communication and transportation costs that in essence determine efficient economic boundaries and in […]
For the last 12 months there has been an increasing pressure over the Federal Reserve to move into a more contractionary monetary policy than before. The basis for such a case has been the apparently low absolute values of the Fed Funds target rates being in place and some inflationary indexes that have been showing […]
After having systematically missed development opportunities during the first 3 quarters of the XX century, being on the verge of a civil war and military conflicts with neighboring countries in the 1970´s and having a successful transition to democratic governments in the 1990´s, Chile is again on the right track, almost irrespective of its political […]
In Chile, as it might possibly have happened in many other countries trying to close per capita income gaps with respect to developed countries, there have been two silent but impressive changes within the last 20 years that will have deep impacts in our economy: the fall – to stay – in “risk free” real […]
Last Wednesday night we could watch, for the last time, a restrictive debate between the two remaining candidates for next January 15th presidential election in Chile. It was, in fact, the debate between a president – Mr. Piñera – and a candidate – Mrs. Bachelet -. Restrictive debate ? Of course, when you are not […]
Every time a new survey over corruption and transparency goes published, Chile is usually well placed, especially with respect to our Latin American neighbors. And every time this event happens, those that rejoice on the significance of it should be reminded about the other corruptive process that is not considered in those surveys: that of […]
Almost two weeks ago, a going concern; right now, a company under bankruptcy protection. It does not make sense, if looked at from the outside, when this whole process is being triggered from a presumably undisclosed debt owed to the company by its CEO. As a financial intermediary, Refco operated in two formally regulated businesses […]
It is alarming that world leaders are not considering the consequences of present growth patterns of our population, and policies that could correct them. If the 20th century witnessed a massive increase in its numbers, quadrupling them from 1,5 billion people in 1900 to 6 billion in 2000, the 21st century could well be known […]
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