Brazilian gross domestic product (GDP), on the decline since 2010, finally entered negative territory in 2015 at -3.0 percent. That said, the economy managed to outperform expectations by shrinking less than expected in the first quarter, indicating Brazil may be close to hitting bottom after a confidence crisis scuttled demand and plunged the nation into its worst recession in decades.

With so much bad news emanating from Brazil, one might ask what’s there to like about this BRIC? The answer is simple. It offers value as there’s potential for a significant turnaround story. Much of the bad news about Brazil appears already priced into the market. “Confidence indexes – both retail and industrial -showed large improvements in April and May, and this is happening on the back of the government change. According to CNN Money, Brazil’s stock market is one of the world’s best this year with the market index Bovespa up by 14.1 percent so far while the Brazil investing iShares EFT (exchange Traded Fund – NYSE EWZ), a $3 Billion fund, has seen a close to 60% growth since January.

Exports rose 6.5 percent, following a 0.1 percent increase last quarter. Government consumption rose 1.1 percent, following a 2.9 percent drop.

Opinion on Brazil has just begun to turn, as many long-term investors remain on the sidelines. In addition, lower real wages and declining labour costs are making the country more attractive for foreign business when measured against regional Latin American peers. However, a continued investor confidence recovery ultimately will rest on whether real political change and reforms occur.

On being asked his opinion about Brazil, Martin Gilbert said “…the global investment community has been slow at picking up on the more optimistic outlook for emerging markets”

“It’s an unloved rally. No one is putting huge amounts of money in it,” he said. “It will gather momentum, but very slowly. I think people are recognizing [where the growth is].”

Brazil, which rapidly fell out of investor favour because of political turmoil, is one of Gilbert’s favourite markets at the moment.

So while the mainstream press continues to sell copy by painting Brazil black, the institutions continue to snap up value at discounted prices.

North East Brazil

The state of Piauí in North East Brazil is rowing against the tide of the economic crisis. It is of the very few states of the entire Brazilian federation that has enabled the approval of foreign credit operations, with funds totalling more than R $ 1.2 billion and has contracts in operation with public financial institutions such as the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Caixa Economica Federal (CEF) and Banco do Brazil, totalling approximately R $ 2 billion, the most ever released.

State Governor Wellington Dias worked long and hard to have funding endorsed by the federal government and the Brazilian Congress, as well as negotiating with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for investment in various areas. “It was a long battle with the federal government and with members of Congress so that we could have the support for the implementation of investment of 320 million dollars, now worth more than R $ 1 billion. We can and are now preparing all of these applications in the areas that we consider essential” commented governor Wellington Dias.

There are two credit operations with IBRD: financing for development policies, worth 200 million dollars, and Multisectoral Approach to financing in the amount of 120 million dollars. Both operations are moving together and support the same areas: Education, Health, Environment, Land tenure, Employment and Income Generation in Rural and Public Management Environment. The first operation supports the development of policies that have been implemented in the state, while the second supports the implementation of these policies, therefore, they go hand in hand.

For more information regarding a new, exciting, secure real estate investment in Northeast Brazil, please contact us for details.

Tourism Nova Scotia reports that visitation jumped 18% over the two months compared with the same period in 2015 – that is more than 30,000 additional visitors to the province.

The winter of 2015 was unusually snowy and cold which depressed tourism activity, but the 196,000 tourists in 2016 was a marked increase from previous years as well. The province has not attracted so many people in the depths of winter since 2008.

Visitation was up 14% compared with the average from the previous five years.

Atlantic Canada and the capital Halifax were the biggest source of additional visitors. Numbers from within the region were up more than 26,000 from 2015. There were 2,400 more tourists from Ontario.

Nova Scotia drew 1,500 more Americans and 1,400 more overseas visitors this year.

Tourism Nova Scotia estimates revenue across the sector amount to $226 million over the two months. It’s the first time the Crown corporation has released monthly revenue estimates, so the numbers can’t be compared with previous years.

Trade and investment minister Lord Price is leading a visit to the country – the region’s third largest economy – today, and will call for progress on a trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The EU has been negotiating a free trade agreement with the group since 2000, and the two parties will exchange offers in May as they look to progress negotiations. Experts estimate that an agreement would be worth £2.5bn a year to the UK economy.

Lord Price said: “If we are to improve our exports to Latin America, it’s vital that we not only build stronger trade ties with traditional trading partners like Colombia, but build on renewed relationships like that with Argentina.”

He added that the growing economies of Latin America offered ‘huge opportunities’  for British businesses. The UK is already one of Argentina’s largest trade and investment partners in Europe.

Accompanying Lord Price is a delegation of senior executives from a range of sectors including finance, infrastructure, architecture and transport – all areas in which the UK thinks Argentina could benefit from British expertise.

Lord Price’s visit follows a meeting between Prime Minister David Cameron and Argentine president Mauricio Macri in January, as the two leaders look to thaw relations despite the longstanding sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands.

Mr Macri said he wanted “new kind of relationship”, although he will continue to contest the islands’ rule. Argentina claims it inherited the archipelago from Spain when it gained independence, but the UK maintains the islands have historically been under British rule and residents therefore have the right to vote to remain as a British territory.

In 2013, almost all Falkland Islands residents voted in favour of staying under British rule.

Article from The Telegraph

The primary job of a university is to provide education. But especially in Nova Scotia, which has the highest concentration of universities in Canada, the role that universities play in contributing to our economic and social wellbeing is much larger.

“We want to educate people in a number of different ways,” said Martha Crago, vice president research for Dalhousie University. “That’s part of being a knowledge centre. You’re creating new knowledge across many different domains.”

Universities are discovery centres, gathering places and community hubs. And while each of Nova Scotia’s universities are distinct in many ways, they are all rich with intelligence, ambition and potential. While speaking to Crago about what that means for Nova Scotia’s future growth, three key takeaways emerged.

ONE:

Through research partnerships, universities can play a critical role in bringing ideas to life.

More than 90 per cent of private-sector research in Nova Scotia happens at Dalhousie.

“This is a strength of our small university, one that many people would never have guessed,” said Crago. “We are a group of very qualified people who are open to and excited about working with companies to develop their capacity. This is important to a place like Nova Scotia because we have so many small and medium enterprises, many of which wouldn’t have the resources to conduct their own research.”

TWO:

Post-secondary education can cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation of labourers and leaders.

You’ve probably heard the comparison between book smarts and street smarts. These days, universities and colleges are finding ways to teach both.

“There is a real role for universities to play in encouraging students to develop more entrepreneurial ways of thinking and working, and you’ll see that throughout Nova Scotia,” said Crago.

Being entrepreneurial is about much more than creating a job for yourself. It’s about being resourceful, taking initiative, understanding risk, and thriving in the face of challenge — all of which are skills that can prove to be valuable across various industries and job titles.

THREE:

Universities are striving to create new knowledge, which we can’t do without.

Dalhousie is the leading research facility in Atlantic Canada. According to their website, they are home to $135 million in research funding, and last year recorded 1,654 research grants and 609 research contracts. In the most simplest terms, this means that scientific discoveries, universal truths, and ground-breaking possibilities are happening right here, in Nova Scotia.

“The discovery of knowledge can serve in many different ways, in both the public sector and the private sector,” said Crago.

There’s foundational research and eventually, there’s also the real-world application of some of those discoveries. Anyone who is familiar with innovation in a business setting will know this to be true. In that context, it often takes many, many ideas before a really good one makes it through to implementation and creates an impact.

“Unless you understand the chemistry of certain things, you can’t get to the specific application of things,” she says. “There’s foundational knowledge that we still need and we can’t go without that. Foundational, basic science discoveries do have applicability later. You can’t just focus on the applied piece of something, there’s a whole, bigger picture to look at.”

Living in Central London, it’s sometimes easy to forget the meaning of space. Seeing the endless miles of the barren Patagonia steppe stretch out as we fly from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, serves as a timely reminder that great swathes of this planet remain uninhabited by man, beast or tree.

Not so in Buenos Aires, where a hustling, intense metropolis acts as the focal point for an entire nation. It’s a city packed full of culture, cuisine, cars and concrete in more or less equal measure; the economic hub through which everything in Argentina passes.

It’s far from a sleepy town and not without its risks to those inhabiting the upper echelons of the city’s population. Just as many of London’s elite move to Surrey’s Stockbroker Belt, or New York’s high fliers take refuge in the Hamptons, there are those in Buenos Aires who are looking for a calmer, safer and more rounded existence than is offered by city life.

Increasingly, they are finding it in places like La Providencia.

The Road South…

To the South of Buenos Aires, it is the same road that takes travellers into the city from the international airport that allows city folk to escape to their new suburban refuge. Out past the training camp for the Argentinian FA, where Lionel Messi can sometimes be found preparing with his team mates, billboards start springing up advertising plots, condos and villas direct from developers and agents who have been quick to seize upon the opportunity.

A little more than 3kilometres off the main road, La Providencia is by far the most impressive. The works on the main access road – which is currently being doubled in width, will ease journey times for the new breed of commuter, who travel daily into the city from the peaceful sanctuary of their country club homes.

An Impressive Entrance

On arrival at La Providencia, all visitors must pass through a beautiful gated entrance, with nicely kept flower beds and friendly, but diligent, security. Driving through the massive estate, the golf course is peppered with huge villas, all on spacious plots and many bearing signs showing the architect responsible for the wonderful designs.

A Leisurely Lifestyle

La Providencia is set in more than 264 hectares of land, a large tract of which is dominated by the golf course, maturing nicely under the watchful eye of the imposing elevated clubhouse. Nine holes are already open and the other nine will open in November, ahead of a tournament being staged by the PGA of Argentina. Residents will pay around US$10,000 for lifetime membership and the privilege of bringing guests to play on the course.

Other sporting pursuits are also well-catered for at the club. There are two giant lagoons, where boating and kayaking are encouraged, but engine-powered boats are forbidden in order to preserve the tranquillity of the environment.

There are four polo fields, making the country club one of the best-equipped in the area for this most glamorous of pursuits. Polo aficionados can mingle with tennis-lovers, who are equally well-served – there’s a dedicated tennis clubhouse and some first-class clay courts (complete with a sizeable spectator area).

Phase I Sales Update

Most of the plots in first phase have now been sold and it is projected that this part of the development will be complete in 2018 (after starting in 2011). The marketing has followed a traditional path among developers in the region – newspapers, billboards, sporting events at the facilities – as well as some of the more modern channels such as Google, Facebook and email databases.

As expected, most buyers are from Buenos Aires, with around 70% coming to live here full time – entrepreneurs in business, people wanting a sporty lifestyle and those for whom the convenience to the international airport is a major plus.

Around 20% are weekend users, with roughly 10% buying for speculation or investment. In a country where currency fluctuations can be volatile, land is often seen as a reliable and stable investment compared to some of the other available options.

Next Up: The Mediterranean Village

The next stage of the development is the establishment of a Mediterranean village in the heart of the estate. This will see nearly 200 houses built in a colonial-style, with a 3,000 square metre swimming pool and sand beach as the focal point. While the smaller properties are likely to appeal to the older generation, the new school to be added to the site shows that the target demographic includes younger parents as well.

The Investor Opportunity

Landcorp International is offering investors a structured two or three-year fixed-exit opportunity, with up to 48% returns. This is based on the acquisition of land plots, which provides the developer with additional funding to accelerate the development programme, thereby adding value to the land and allowing plots to be resold to end-users at a higher value.

The model is working. The owners have recently acquired an adjacent site, which is even bigger – around 400 hectares in total. The plan for the site involves the gradual release of more than 700 additional plots, as well as a hotel, commercial centre, stables and much more.

Prospective clients who wish to find out more about land investment opportunities in Argentina can contact Landcorp International, on or .

Read original article here. 

Halifax Regional Council has approved a sweeping economic strategy that foresees the municipality growing to a population of 550,000 in the next 15 years.

Canadian resale housing market trends this year are expected to resemble those apparent in 2015, with very tight supply leading to strong price gains in British Columbia and Ontario. In line with the prevailing forecast for stronger Canadian economic growth beginning in the second half of 2016, Canadian home sales activity is now expected to rebalance in 2017.

British Columbia is again forecast to post the largest annual increase in activity (+11.8 per cent), with Alberta expected the record the largest annual sales decline (-18.7 per cent). A lack of supply is expected to hold activity in check in Ontario in 2016 (+0.3 per cent) despite the continuation of very strong demand.

Elsewhere, modest sales gains in Manitoba (+3.4 per cent), Quebec (+3.4 per cent), New Brunswick (+1.2 per cent), Nova Scotia (+1.1 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (+3.3 per cent) are forecast for 2016, reflecting expected improvements in these province’s economic prospects.

Consumer confidence is anticipated to strengthen and begin drawing homebuyers off the sidelines in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador as their economic prospects improve. This is anticipated to contribute to a modest rebound in sales activity in these provinces in 2017.

British Columbia is the only province forecast to post an annual decline in home sales in 2017, reflecting a combination of a growing shortage of single family homes available for sale and deteriorating affordability. Even so, activity is expected to continue trending near record levels. Ontario is forecast to see sales level off in 2017.

Sales activity is forecast to continue to push higher in Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia in 2017, reflecting the prevailing forecast for improving economic prospects in these provinces. Sales in Prince Edward Island are also forecast to improve as the province continues to benefit from a lower Canadian dollar.

Slower national average price growth in 2017 reflects weaker price gains in British Columbia and Ontario. Price trends in these provinces reflect an anticipated slowdown in luxury sales activity, a continuing supply shortage of relatively more affordable low rise family homes and an anticipated increase in relatively more affordable condo unit sales as a proportion of total sales activity. In other provinces, an ample supply of listings relative to demand will continue to keep price gains in check.

BUENOS AIRES — Ahead of President Obama’s trip to Cuba and Argentina next week, nearly all the attention — and controversy — has centered on his visit to the communist island, the first by a sitting U.S. president in 88 years.

But Obama’s trip to Argentina is no afterthought and is arguably more important to the future of U.S. relations with Latin America.

He arrives at a moment of ­epochal political change in South America. After more than a decade of dominance by leftist populist leaders, many of whom thrived on opposition to the United States, the continent is swinging back toward the center. Obama wants to push it along.

Falling prices for oil, minerals and other commodity exports have sapped economic growth and crimped government spending on social welfare programs, ripping bandages off old problems such as corruption, crime and lousy public services. Leftist incumbents across the region who once seemed unassailable are now in trouble.

Argentina was the first pin to fall. In November, voters elected center-right candidate Mauricio Macri, bringing an end to 12 years of rule by the late Néstor Kirchner and his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who had aligned the country with Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela and clashed eagerly and often with Washington.

A wealthy businessman fond of jeans and polo shirts, Macri ­presents himself as a problem-solving pragmatist, a non-ideological figure who wants to bring transparency and turn down the temperature of Argentine politics. He promises to deliver growth by attracting new foreign investment and reengaging Argentina with the rest of the world. He is not in the habit of referring to the United States as “the Empire.”

“Argentina is the first country on the continent to turn away from the populism of the previous era, and that has made Macri a regional leader, whether it was his intention or not,” said Dante Sica, director of an economic consulting firm in Buenos Aires.

Macri’s success is far from certain. He moved swiftly to lift Kirchner-era currency controls on the Argentine peso, and since then it has lost 40 percent of its value against the dollar. Domestic food prices soared after he slashed export taxes on Argentine grains. His decision to cut electrical subsidies jacked up Argentines’ utility bills.

Macri and his team of economic advisers, many of whom bring Ivy League pedigrees and Wall Street résumés, insist that these shocks are one-time bitter pills to fix a badly distorted economy. But for a president elected by a narrow margin — Macri won just 51.5 percent of the vote and lacks a majority in Argentina’s Congress — he is under enormous pressure to show results before his honeymoon runs out.

Macri momentum?

Macri scored a major victory early Wednesday when Argentina’s lower house approved his proposed settlement with holdout creditors whom the Kirchners had cast as “vultures” because they refused to renegotiate debt from Argentina’s 2001 default. After a 20-hour debate, the package won backing across the political spectrum. It now faces a vote in Argentina’s Senate that is also expected to break Macri’s way.

A deal would pave the way for a badly needed injection of foreign currency, lowering the demand for dollars and helping stem inflation.

Coupled with the visit by Obama — the first by a U.S. president in nearly 20 years — a settlement would send the signal that Argentina is open for business, said Lucas Llach, vice president of Argentina’s Central Bank. “Obama’s visit is a sign that we are returning to world markets,” he said, noting that it follows visits by the Italian prime minister and the French president.

Macri’s adjustments should start to bear fruit in the second quarter of this year with slowing inflation, Llach said. But they have left him vulnerable to criticism by still-powerful Kirchner loyalists who see Macri as the latest incarnation of the laissez-faire economic policies many Argentines associate with the 2001 crisis that paved the way for the Kirchners’ rise to power.

Macri is banking heavily on his ability to attract new investment from foreign companies, particularly American firms that have been wary of putting money into Argentina over the past decade. Here Obama’s visit is critical as well. To offset the economic downturn, Macri, a civil engineer by training, is planning to launch big infrastructure projects. Advisers say he is acutely aware of the need to create new private-sector jobs as he fires thousands of government workers hired by the Kirchners.

“We’re coming out of an era in which we hid unemployment with public-sector jobs,” Macri said this month.

A thaw with the U.S.

With its on-again, off-again relationship with the United States, Argentina has been a bellwether for relations with Latin America in recent decades.

The country’s ties to the United States were so close in the 1990s under President Carlos Menem that his foreign minister famously called the relationship a “carnal” one. Then came the crash of 2001, which wiped out the savings of millions of Argentine families and left the country deeply skeptical of liberal economic-policy prescriptions.

Elected in 2003, Néstor Kirchner brought stability, then presided over an economic bonanza driven by China’s voracious demand for Argentine grain and other exports.

It was in Argentina in 2005 that Latin America essentially split into two blocs during the Summit of the Americas. President George W. Bush arrived to promote a hemisphere-wide free-trade agreement but faced massive protests and ridicule from Chávez. The free-trade deal failed, and the Chávez-led bloc urged Latin American integration instead.

The United States is now partnering with Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Macri’s win raises the possibility that Argentina might seek to join the alliance.

During Obama’s visit, analysts say, Macri must execute a balancing act by embracing the U.S. president but not appearing too solicitous.

In an interview broadcast this week, Obama told CNN en Español that Argentina was an example of the United States’ changing relationship with Latin America, now that Macri had left behind policies that were “systematically anti-American.”

Macri, Obama said, “recognizes that we’re in a new era and that we should look forward, and that ­Argentina, that has historically been a powerful country, has seen itself weakened by not adapting as efficiently to the world economy as it could.”