In an effort to enhance the economy, the Brazilian Government recently announced a reduction in Long-Term Interest Rate (TJLP) and Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI) until the end of 2009.

TJLP, which provides a reference for loans by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) to companies, will drop from 6.5% to 6% a year. Again, IPI will be lowered for 70 items manufactured by the machinery and equipment industry, including wind energy generators, industrial freezers and industrial valves. In 2009, BNDES plans to provide R$120 billion (US$ 61 billion) to enhance economic growth and increase investment in companies.

In order to boost sales in the capital goods industry, the government has reduced the cost of financing purchase of capital goods in the country. The lines of credit to finance capital goods will now see a 5.5% lower interest rate.

Two credit guarantee funds will be established for the

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By Guest Author: Adam Lass (www.taipanpublishinggroup.com)

Anyone who has ever flown on most any commercial airline is familiar with this scenario: Your plane is supposed to depart in the next few minutes. The big board says the flight is on time. The lady behind the counter is all smiles.

But you haven’t actually boarded or anything. In fact, as you squint out the window, you can see that there is no plane available to board, a fact that the oblivious clerk seems unable or unwilling to acknowledge.

Thirty minutes after your takeoff slot has come and gone, the ubiquitous screens that decorate the departure lounge’s walls suddenly blur, flicker and light up with the announcement that some flights may be delayed… by 10 minutes.

Airlines Crash and Burn

I’ve always wondered: Is this just wishful thinking? “Maybe pixies will make a plane appear!” Or more probably, “Maybe if we say nothing, no one will complain.”

When …

BA obviously can’t land its 2009 numbers. So when does arrogance become fraud?

Anyone who has ever flown on most any commercial airline is familiar with this scenario: Your plane is supposed to depart in the next few minutes. The big board says the flight is on time. The lady behind the counter is all smiles.

But you haven’t actually boarded or anything. In fact, as you squint out the window, you can see that there is no plane available to board, a fact that the oblivious clerk seems unable or unwilling to acknowledge.

Thirty minutes after your takeoff slot has come and gone, the ubiquitous screens that decorate the departure lounge’s walls suddenly blur, flicker and light up with the announcement that some flights may be delayed… by 10 minutes.

Airlines Crash and Burn

I’ve always wondered: Is this just wishful thinking? “Maybe pixies

...

Medvedev has established five key areas in the drive to modernize Russia's economy.  The President has met with IT specialists at the Kaspersky Lab and announced his intention to make the field of computer technology 'one of the most prestigious to work in'.  Mechel has re-opened three coke oven batteries to gain a strong market share on the steel ingredient.  Russia is focusing on civil aviation: it intends to begin selling its S-21 passenger aircraft as of 2016 or 2017.  The government is deciding whether to limit Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer to the sale of small jets in the Russian market so as to protect Russia's own Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.  Oleg Deripaska has agreed to reduce his stake in a Montenegro aluminum smelter and reduce the workforce at aircraft manufacturer Aviacor by 1500.  Inflation will reach 0.5-0.6% ...

Embraer (ERJ), the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, reported a 44% decline in fourth-quarter earnings to 72 cents per share, missing the consensus by 39 cents.

The stock has plunged more than 10% amid higher-than-usual volume levels.

The maker of business jets attributed the earnings decline to losses suffered from currency hedges. Revenues for the quarter decreased 3% to $1.82 billion.

ERJ's firm order backlog at the end of the fourth-quarter fell 3.2% to $20.9 billion as demand shrunk due to the global economic turmoil.

Earnings estimates for this year have been reduced by 19 cents over the past month and by 50 cents over the past 60 days. Analysts could reduce estimates further because of the negative earnings surprise.

ERJ is currently a Zacks #4 Rank ("Sell") stock.

"ERJ" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks Investment Research

The Boeing Co. (BA). is pushing back the schedule of its troubled 787 Dreamliner jet program by about six months as it works to unwind delays caused by the recently concluded union-machinists strike, and by thousands of improperly installed fasteners on the first couple of jetliners on the production line. This puts the high-profile airliner program about two years behind schedule.

The Chicago-based aerospace giant also has unveiled a series of management changes it says will improve supervision of both supply-chain management and production quality at improving oversight of supply-chain and quality problems that led to delays on all of Boeing’s jet programs in recent months.

With the move, the fuel-efficient jet’s first flight has been shifted into the second quarter of 2009 and first delivery into the first quarter of 2010. Prior to the strike that halted much of the company’s commercial airplane work from early September into November,

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The Boeing Co. (BA) may further delay first deliveries of its flagship 787 Dreamliner by at least six months – meaning the jet will enter service more than two years later than was originally projected – because of the recently concluded strike by union machinists and several other problems, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Sources told the Journal that the first deliveries of the fuel-efficient jet might not occur until the summer of 2010. Boeing’s most recent schedule called for initial deliveries in the third quarter of 2009. Officials with the Chicago-based aerospace giant are expected to announce the newest delays later this month, after making certain of the new timetable, the newspaper said.

A Recent Record of Costly Delays

Boeing has long prided itself for delivering new aircraft on time. That’s why escalating problems with the highly complex Dreamliner – a fuel-efficient jetliner that can carry between

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European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has officially opened its new assembly plant in China's northern city of Tianjin, Bloomberg reports.

Doing its part to try and avoid a potentially damaging strike from its Machinists union, major aircraft manufacturer Boeing (BA) has extended talks with the union another 48 hours.  It seems the company's "best and final offer" has a bit further to go in the next couple days.

On a big sell-off in the market Thursday, a strike could have sent BA shares plummeting.  As it is, the shares are trading down 4.3% today to around $63.25.  Past strikes suffered by the company, even short-lived ones, have proven damaging to scheduled plane deliveries, according to an AP article released today.

Analysts have not revised estimates for BA significantly in the past month, but a strike could be a game-changer.  For now, Boeing has avoided a major pitfall, though unionists OK'd the strike just yesterday.  The 48-hour reprieve may take the company through this week of trading, but the parties involved are

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