What’s going on with the Brazilian currency? Like many ’emerging market’ countries around the world, Brazil has recently been unpleasantly reminded just how linked its fortune is to the decisions of the United States, and the Federal Reserve. The real has been all over the place since 2008, making things quite difficult here, and that has(…)
Arquivo - Tag: Economy
Brazil economy – more bad news
So this is something almost no one would have predicted until recently. When I got to Brazil in 2010 the economy was on fire, growing at over 7% annually. We had a sharp slowdown in 2012, but had been waiting for a good comeback in 2013 and 2014. But these notes from Nomura’s Tony Volpon,(…)
Videos 2 and 3 – Protests explode, São Paulo
After the excellent video Dom Phillips and Otavio Cury sent in to From Brazil on Monday’sprotest, we have two more. All with English subtitles. Above, an extended interview with a lower middle class protester, and below, as the New York Times Lede Blog called it, a wordless glimpse of the energy on São Paulo’s(…)
Saga part two – Waiting for Vivo
Vivo gave me extra-special treatment, and a discount, which wasn’t exactly the point, and I’m still waiting on a promised interview about their customer relations practices. Submissions for questions welcome. Two weeks ago I wrote about the sorry state of customer service in Brazil, using a 7,000 reais mistake Vivo, my cell phone provider, had(…)
A 7,100 reais bill – My Vivo saga
A lack of consumer protections means big profits for companies. A Vivo employee, for example, admitted to me they make it as hard as possible to contest mistakes on a bill. But those really suffering as a result aren’t people like me (despite the 6,800 reais mistake in my phone bill yesterday, above) but poor(…)
Brazilian Funk goes bling – ‘ostentação’
Brash Funk Carioca emerged in the 1990s from the illegal underworld of Rio’s favelas. Now, in a nod to North American rap traditions and Brazil’s new economic moment, a group of kids in São Paulo has hit it big using the music to celebrate conspicuous consumption. By Dom Phillips Wearing gold chains and baseball caps,(…)
Brazil 2012 – year in review
This year, the country didn’t deliver on everything international observers thought the country had promised, but Brazil still remains one of the 21st century’s most remarkable success stories. 2013 could be decisive. For those paying attention to Brazil headlines, 2012 was mostly a bad year. For some, it was enough to re-evaluate the status as(…)
Brazil economy – bad news
Guido Mantega – Taking heat. In the last 3-4 days, international opinion on the Brazilian economy has turned. It all started last week, when Guido Mantega, Brazil’s Finance Minister, predicted the beginning of a turnaround in the country’s economy. Then the actual third quarter results came out, far below what he, and even the most(…)
Brazil under construction
South America’s largest country is finally, hopefully, on its way to patching up its woefully lacking infrastructure. But fixing one problem sometimes means dealing with others. By Dom Phillips Living in Rio can at times feel like living on a construction site. Construction is all around: a new metro line, new highways, the whole decayed(…)
How is life still improving despite economic fallout?
Two weeks ago, we published this piece in the Los Angeles Times in which I point to the surprising fact that, for the vast majority of normal Brazilians, life is still better than ever. This is despite an almost complete halt in growth over the last year. The story is told through a group of(…)
