quinta-feira, 22 de janeiro de 2009
Produção mundial de aço caiu quase 25% em dezembro
AFP
22/01/2009
A produção mundial de aço diminuiu 24,3% em dezembro de 2008, na comparação com o mesmo período do ano anterior, em consequência da crise econômica e financeira, anunciou a Associação Mundial do Aço.
A produção de aço caiu 1,2% ao longo de todo o ano, na comparação com 2007.
Em novembro, a redução havia sido de 19%, segundo a World Steel Association.
Governo federal vai leiloar mais 4 mil km neste ano
Gazeta Mercantil/Caderno C
22/01/2009
Mesmo com a crise financeira global, o governo não se intimida e anuncia que neste ano ocorrerão mais dois leilões de concessão de rodovias federais brasileiras. A afirmação foi feita hoje, pelo Ministro Interino dos Transportes, Paulo Sérgio Oliveira Passos.
"Pretendemos leiloar até o final deste ano quase 4 mil quilômetros de rodovias. Estamos levando em consideração a crise financeira mundial, em que ocorre a restrição do crédito, porém é temporário. Além disso, contamos com a ajuda do BNDES [Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social], fator que cria perspectiva favorável para os empreendedores", afirma o ministro.
Até junho deverão ser leiloados a BR 381 - de Belo Horizonte a Governador Valadares, com 30 quilômetros de extensão e investimentos previstos da ordem de R$ 2 bilhões; a BR-040 - de Juiz de Fora a Brasília, com 907 quilômetros e R$ 2,8 bilhões em investimentos e a BR-116 entre o limite da Bahia com Minas Gerais e no limite de Minas Gerais com Rio de Janeiro, com 817 quilômetros de extensão e R$ 3,5 bilhões em investimentos.
"Estes lotes estão agendados para junho de 2009, mas a expectativa é que ocorra antes deste prazo", acredita o Ministro Interino dos Transportes, Paulo Sérgio Oliveira Passos.
Já para o final deste ano serão leiloados mais 1.608 quilômetros de estradas, compreendendo a BR 101 BA, com 790 quilômetros, a BR 101 Espírito Santo, com 359 km e a BR 470 Santa Catarina, com 359 km. Os investimentos previstos pelo governo ainda não foram calculados para estes trechos.
Economia da China registra pior crescimento em 6 anos
Rodrigo Postigo
22/01/2009
O Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) da China registrou em 2008 o menor crescimento dos últimos seis anos: 9%. Pela primeira vez, desde 2003, o percentual é inferior a dois dígitos, informou o Bureau Nacional de Estatísticas nesta quinta-feira.
O país atravessa uma situação sem precedentes desde sua reforma econômica, há três décadas, já que os três principais compradores (EUA, União Européia e Japão) enfrentam a crise econômica mundial.
"A crise internacional está se tornando mais profunda e se estendendo, enquanto seu impacto na economia chinesa continua", disse o diretor do Escritório Nacional de Estatísticas, Ma Jiantang.
Sped Fiscal e Contábil Entraram Em Vigor Neste Ano Para Contribuintes do IPI e do ICMS
Contábil & Empresarial Fiscolegis
22/01/2009
Este mês de janeiro esta sendo fatídico para mais de 32 mil estabelecimentos contribuintes do IPI e do ICMS.
Já no início de 2009, empresas industriais e comerciais que entraram na lista divulgada pela Receita Federal em novembro passam a ter de escriturar seu faturamento com base nas regras do Sistema Público de Escrituração Digital (Sped).
Apesar de a transmissão dos arquivos digitais ter de ser feita mensalmente, a escrituração referente aos primeiros quatro meses do ano só terá de ser enviada ao fisco da União no fim de maio — novo prazo dado pela Receita devido a mudanças de última hora no lay-out dos registros, para integração com sistemas de fazendas estaduais.
O Sped é formado por três sistemas que trabalharão em conjunto para a Receita Federal e para as secretarias estaduais de fazenda: o Sped Contábil, que transforma os livros Diários e Razão em arquivos eletrônicos que passam a ser recebidos também pela Receita, além de serem autenticados pelos órgãos de registro civil; o Sped Fiscal, que receberá em um servidor central as informações de faturamento lançadas nos softwares fiscais das empresas, já apurando os impostos federais e estaduais devidos; e a Nota Fiscal Eletrônica, fechando o ciclo que permitirá aos fiscos da União e dos estados centralizar todas as movimentações dos contribuintes e evitar a sonegação.
Brazil Makes Biggest Lending Rate Cut in 5 Years
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 21, 2009
Filed at 8:22 p.m. ET
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's central bank issued its biggest interest rate cut in five years Wednesday, slashing its benchmark rate to 12.75 percent amid signs that growth in Latin America's largest economy may be slowing to a virtual halt.
Policy makers slashed the so-called Selic rate by 1 percentage point to its lowest since March 2007, when Brazil enjoyed a boom that ended abruptly with the global economic crisis late last year.
The cut was Brazil's first since September 2007, and its biggest since December 2003, when the Selic was clipped to 16.5 percent from 17.5 percent. Economists surveyed by the bank predicted that it will continue cutting the rate this year, bringing it to 11.25 percent by 2010 to stave off rapidly slowing growth and rising unemployment.
Industry and labor leaders across the country have clamored for lower rates to spur lending and production and slow layoffs.
But union members, who protested by the thousands on Sao Paulo's streets ahead of the bank's decision, criticized its move as too conservative, demanding a 2 percentage point cut instead.
''A reduction of 1 percent isn't much,'' said Artur Henri, head of the Central Workers Congress.
One of the nation's top big business lobbies, the National Confederation of Industry, called the cut ''rational and pragmatic,'' the Agencia Estado news service reported.
Brazil's economy shed 654,000 jobs in December, more than any month since May 1999. Unemployment reached 7.6 percent in November, and December's jobless rate is due to be announced on Thursday.
Economists surveyed by the central bank have revised their 2009 growth forecasts to 2.5 percent from 4 percent in recent months. Some analysts predict an even greater slowdown as the world economic crisis stalls demand for the commodity exports on which many Brazilian companies rely.
Exporters of everything from cars to minerals to food have been laying off employees, while others have sent workers on paid vacations and idled plants because Brazilian labor laws make firings too costly.
Despite the country's slowing growth, the central bank's monetary policy committee had resisted cutting rates amid spiraling prices. Recent data shows price gains have eased, with inflation now expected to dip to 4.9 percent in 2009, according to economists surveyed by the bank.
Brazilian politicians and economists have said a significant rate cut would encourage Brazilians to spend more on homes and consumer goods, boosting the economy.
''Maintaining a credible monetary and exchange rate policy framework will be critical for Brazil to weather the unfavorable external environment and minimize the fallout from global recession, falling commodity prices and global de-leveraging,'' said Shelly Shetty, senior director with Fitch Ratings' Latin American Sovereign Group.
Five of the monetary policy committee's eight members voted for Wednesday's 1 percentage point cut, while three favored a reduction of 0.75 percentage points, the central bank said in a statement.
Brazil bond, stock offerings seen rising in 2009
Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:24pm EST
SAO PAULO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Stock and bond sales in Brazil may grow as much as 20 percent in 2009 as risk appetite rebounds and lower borrowing costs lure companies back into local capital markets, the country's investment banking association said on Wednesday.
Sales may reach 120 billion reais ($51.02 billion) in 2009, said Alberto Kiraly, a vice president at the association, known as ANBID, after a 30.7 percent slump in 2008 to 101.85 billion reais.
Kiraly said the bulk of the sales would be in bond offerings as investors slowly regain their appetite for risk and companies become more willing to borrow as benchmark interest rates fall. A turmoil in global markets last year crushed demand for corporate debt and triggered a drought in initial public offerings.
"The recovery of this market is conditional on the return of foreign investors," said Kiraly, who is also a director at Banco Votorantim.
Investors have started to require lower yields on Brazilian corporate bonds than in the final months of 2008, prompting several companies to prepare to sell debt in the local capital markets, he said.
Companies may tap the fixed income market with bonds maturing between 18 months and 24 months as yields on long-term debt remain high.
Debt sales should compensate for an expected dearth of stock offerings in the first half of 2009, Kiraly said.
Brazil's ItauBBA, the investment banking arm of Banco Itau Holding Financeira (ITAU4.SA), led the ranks in equity and bond underwriting in Brazil, ANBID said.
Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) and UBS (UBSN.VX), which led the rankings in stock offerings for several years, fell to second and third in 2008, the association said. Bradesco's (BBDC4.SA) investment banking unit ranked second in bond underwriting, while Banco do Brasil (BBAS3.SA) ranked third. ($1 = 2.352 reais) (Reporting by Aluisio Alves; Writing by Elzio Barreto; Editing by Richard Chang)
A Look at Economic Developments Around the World
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 21, 2009
Filed at 6:25 p.m. ET
A look at economic developments and stock-market activity around the world Wednesday:
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LONDON -- Unemployment in Britain rose to nearly 2 million in November, fuelling speculation that statistics later this week will show the economy contracting at its sharpest rate since the early days of Margaret Thatcher's government -- by up to 1.5 percent in the final quarter compared to the previous three month period, on top of the 0.6 percent decline posted in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the British pound fell to a 23-year low against the dollar and a record low against the yen amid mounting fears about the British banking sector and expectations the Bank of England will start pumping money into the economy within weeks. A group of influential British lawmakers wrote a letter to the financial regulator expressing concern at last week's lifting of a ban on short selling of financial stocks, which was immediately followed by a sharp sell-off in leading bank shares. Record losses at Royal Bank of Scotland have raised concerns about the nationalization of more banks. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed down 31.52 points, or 0.8 percent at 4,059.88.
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet lent his weight to new British and French moves designed to support their economies by shoring up banks in an attempt to get them lending to businesses and consumers again. He said the euro-zone central bank had to make sure that banks return financing to the economy -- in a year where governments will be the only driver of demand in Europe's recession-hit economies.
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BERLIN -- The German government forecast that the country's economy will shrink by 2.25 percent this year, which would easily be the nation's worst performance since World War II as exports decline sharply amid the global downturn. The new forecast for Europe's biggest economy was down drastically from the government's previous prediction, made in mid-October, for 0.2 percent growth. The DAX closed up 21.30 points, or 0.5 percent, at 4,261.15.
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PARIS -- France is preparing a second round of bank bailouts, which should get a quick approval by European authorities, the finance minister said. Christine Lagarde said the second tranche of euro10.5 billion ($13.58 billion), which must be discussed with the European Commission, is expected to gain approval faster than the first round. France's CAC 40 dropped 19.71 points, or 0.7 percent to 2,905.57.
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SINGAPORE -- Singapore slashed its 2009 growth forecast for a second time this month, saying the economy could shrink as much as 5 percent, as the city-state reels from plunging demand for its exports. During the last two weeks, weaker than expected retail sales, unemployment and industrial production in the U.S. and Europe, and falling Asian exports forced the government to rethink its expectations for this year, the Trade and Industry Ministry said. The Straits Times index fell 1.1 percent to 1,704.52.
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SHANGHAI -- Chinese shares retreated for the first time in four days on dismal corporate earnings forecasts. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended down 0.5 percent, or 9.09 points, to close at 1985.02. The Shenzhen Composite Index for China's second exchange faded 0.4 percent to 604.57.
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SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Brazil's central bank reduced its benchmark interest rate to 12.75 percent as industry and labor leaders called for eased lending to boost the country's stalling economy. Policy makers slashed the so-called Selic rate by 1 percentage point to its lowest level since March 2007. The cut was Brazil's first since September 2007. The Ibovespa stock index rose 3.4 percent to 38,543. Mexico's IPC index rose 1.5 percent to 19,497, and Argentina's Merval index jumped 1.7 percent to 1,062.
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HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's main stock index retreated nearly 3 percent amid worries that banking woes will prolong the global slump. The blue-chip Hang Seng Index dropped 381.19 points, or 2.9 percent, to 12,578.58.
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TOKYO -- Ominous clouds hovering over the global banking sector sent Japanese stocks tumbling again. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average lost 164.15 points, or 2 percent, to 7,901.64. -- its lowest close since early December. The broader Topix index fell 2.2 percent to 787.15.
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MANILA, Philippines -- Shares plunged, tracking the overnight slump on Wall Street on concerns over the U.S. economy. The Philippine Stock Exchange index shed 57.81 points, or 3 percent, to 1,840.12, extending Tuesday's 1.3 percent loss.
