For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - April 28, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the latest Industry Outlook. Today's outlook from Zacks Equity Research analyst Claudio Freitas discusses the Latin American sector. Highlighted stocks include: Vivo (VIV), Embotelladora Andina (AKO.A) and Gerdau (GGB).

Here is the latest on the Latin American sector:

In the current economic environment, what seems completely odd are the still unbelievably high Brazilian interest rates. After two cuts this year, Brazilian domestic rates still are at 11.25% per year. We believe Brazilian domestic rates will continue to fall in the very short-term, reaching somewhere in the 9% to 9.5% range in the end of 2009, despite the continued warnings of the Brazilian Central Bank over the so called "inflation risk." In fact, the Brazilian Central Bank is very orthodox -- it looks like a new version of the old

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We have been saying since the end of 2008 that Latin America, in general, will outperform more developed markets such as the U.S., Europe and Japan. Indeed it has been our mantra in the past few months. Currently, this view is becoming common sense.

According to the report released by the IMF this week, the Brazilian GDP should decline 1.3% this year. According to the same report, world economy is also expected to decrease 1.3%. The developed economies as a whole should decline 3.8%, with Japan the worst performer with a decrease of 6.2%. Among emerging economies, the worst case should be Russia with -6%; in Latin America the worst country would be Mexico with -3.7%. As expected, China will be the best performer with a growth of 6.5%. For 2010, Brazil is expected to grow 2.2%.

The market has already reacted to this understanding. Brazilian and Chinese equity markets have been

...

We have been saying since the end of 2008 that Latin America, in general, will outperform more developed markets such as the U.S., Europe and Japan. Indeed it has been our mantra in the past few months. Currently, this view is becoming common sense.

According to the report released by the IMF this week, the Brazilian GDP should decline 1.3% this year. According to the same report, world economy is also expected to decrease 1.3%. The developed economies as a whole should decline 3.8%, with Japan the worst performer with a decrease of 6.2%. Among emerging economies, the worst case should be Russia with -6%; in Latin America the worst country would be Mexico with -3.7%. As expected, China will be the best performer with a growth of 6.5%. For 2010, Brazil is expected to grow 2.2%.

The market has already reacted to this understanding. Brazilian and Chinese equity markets have been

...

We have been saying since the end of 2008 that Latin America, in general, will outperform more developed markets such as the U.S., Europe and Japan. Indeed it has been our mantra in the past few months. Currently, this view is becoming common sense.According to the report released by the IMF this week, the Brazilian GDP should decline 1.3% this year. According to the same report, world economy is also expected to decrease 1.3%. The developed economies as a whole should decline 3.8%, with Japan the worst performer with a decrease of 6.2%. Among emerging economies, the worst case should be Russia with -6%; in Latin America the worst country would be Mexico with -3.7%. As expected, China will be the best performer with a growth of 6.5%. For 2010, Brazil is expected to grow 2.2%. The market has already reacted to this understanding. Brazilian ...

by Edward Hugh: Barcelonabr /br /Well sometimes it never rains but it pours, and as far as Germany is concerned, economically speaking (and my condolences to each and every German for yesterday's tragedy) more than a "rainy season" what we seem to have is a monsoon, with a torrential downpour one day after the next. The lastest piece of bad news comes on the export front, with German exports dropping for a fourth consecutive month in January, as what is still Europe’s largest economy fell ever deeper into what is now its worst recession in 60 years. Working day and seasonally adjusted sales abroad fell 4.4 percent from December (when they dropped 4 percent). According to provisional data from the Federal Statistical Office, Germany exported goods to the value of EUR 66.6 billion and imported commodities to the value of EUR 58.1 billion in January 2009. Exports were thus 20.7% ...

As every woman who has ever had dealings with a man knows only too well, it is a lot easier for people to make promises than it is for them to keep them. And when Europe's leaders met in Paris on the 12 October, a lot of fine promises (which were all, surely, very well intentioned) were made. The reality of having to live up to them, however, is turning out, as might only have been expected, to be much more complicated.Basically, the kernel of the plan which is now being operationalised seems to have been thrashed out in Washington on 11 October, when key G7 leaders met with Dominique Strauss Kahn of the IMF, and it was decided to try and erect two great firewalls (corta fuegos) - at least as far as Europe is concerned. One of these was to be co-ordinated by the EU governments, ...