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December 19, 2017

US ECONOMICS - CANADA ECONOMICS


DoS. December 18, 2017. Western Hemisphere: Background Briefing Previewing Secretary Tillerson's Trip to Ottawa. Special Briefing. Senior State Department Officials. Via Teleconference

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us for today’s background call on Secretary Tillerson’s travel to Ottawa, Canada. That trip is going to take place tomorrow, December 19th. We are very pleased to have with us today [Senior State Department Official]. From here forward he will be known as a senior State Department official. As a reminder, this background briefing is embargoed until the end of the call. With that, I’ll go ahead and turn it over to our senior State Department official for opening remarks, and then we’ll take your questions.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Hi, everybody. Thanks a lot for joining today. Before taking your questions, I’d like to just start by providing a little preview of the Secretary’s trip tomorrow. This will be Secretary Tillerson’s first trip to Canada as Secretary of State. Secretary Tillerson will be joined on this trip by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco Palmieri, and they will be welcomed by relatively newly arrived Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft.

While in Ottawa, Secretary Tillerson will be meeting with Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and several other senior Canadian officials. This is part of the ongoing and very active relationship between our two great countries. You’ll recall that Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump met at the White House in February this year. At the press conference that day, President Trump said we share the same values with Canada, we share the love and a truly great love for freedom, and we share a collective defense.

So that’s what the Secretary will be doing with our Canadian colleagues. He’ll continue the dialogue on our mutual prosperity, defense, and security. The Secretary will discuss our shared concerns on global issues, including North Korea and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. In addition, he’ll talk to our Canadian partners about hemispheric issues such as the Lima group on Venezuela, which recently met in Canada. He’ll also talk about a range of issues that good neighbors always need to discuss such as border security and our economic relationship. As you know, both countries are always interested in making our border more secure and more efficient for the 400,000 people and 1.7 billion, with a B, worth of goods and services that cross it every day.

And with that, thank you very much. I’m happy to take a few questions.

OPERATOR: Once again, if you do have a question, please hit *1. Our first question comes from the line of Tracy Wilkinson with the LA Times. Your line is open.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you. You mentioned the economic relationship. I’m wondering if the Secretary will talk to the Canadians about NAFTA. It seems like the Canadians and the Mexicans are sort of joining forces against what they see as the United States’ more tough demands, and so I’m wondering what the Secretary – I know it’s not exactly his field but certainly he’ll talk about it, and I wondered what you could say. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, I find it hard to imagine that it’s not going to come up. Look, we continue to work hard toward modernizing NAFTA. President Trump remains committed to moving towards a deal for fair and reciprocal trade. We’re working with the Mexicans and the Canadians to seek solutions across the board. We’re looking to modernize NAFTA. As you know, it was 25-plus years ago that the treaty was initially negotiated. A lot of things have changed since then. I think according to our logic, there are lots of ways that we could all benefit from a modernization of the agreement.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Warren Strobel with Reuters. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you. That’s Reuters. Thanks for doing this. There’s been some reporting that the Canadians next month will host a meeting on North Korea in Vancouver and that the people invited would basically be the countries that contributed to the UN Force in the Korean War back in the ‘50s. I’m just wondering if that’s going to be a matter for discussion or maybe even a date announced for that meeting.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: North Korea will certainly come up. We’ve got a good partnership with Canada on the issue. Secretary Tillerson and Minister Freeland talk about it quite regularly. We are going to convene this conference jointly with Canada. It’s called the United Nations Command Sending States Meeting, and it will include Korea – South Korea, sorry, Japan, and other key affected countries to discuss how the global community writ large can deal with North Korea’s threat to international peace.

Beyond that, I don’t really have much more to say about it. Like I said, I’m sure it will be a major topic of conversation between Secretary Tillerson and Minister Freeland.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Josh Lederman with Associated Press. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thanks. Warren asked my question – North Korea. So we’re good.

OPERATOR: Okay. Our next question comes from the line of Alexander Panetta with the Canadian Press. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah, thanks for doing this. I just wanted to ask you for some background context on how this meeting on North Korea, from what I take it, in January in Vancouver, how it came to pass. Just kind of like the process that led to how this thing got put together. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. I’ll be brutally frank with you. I am not the person that deals with the North Korea issue on a daily basis here. I am not the person with all the answers, and I would also note that it’s been an issue that’s been dealt with at very senior levels, particularly Secretary Tillerson and Deputy Secretary Sullivan. So I don’t want to be in a position of giving you any information that isn’t correct, so I’m going to really leave it right there, if I might. Thanks.

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from the line of Carol Morello with The Washington Post.

QUESTION: Well, given what you’ve just said, you may not have any insight into this. But I was curious, also on North Korea, if Secretary Tillerson is satisfied with the steps that Canada has taken. There has been some reporting that there may – that Canada may even be able to form a back channel to North Korea via Cuba. So I was wondering if there was anything you could tell us about that, and if (inaudible) like Canada to do in regard to his pressure campaign against North Korea. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Great. No, thanks for the question. Obviously, it’s an understandable one. Again, this is something that’s being dealt with by folks who are typically expert in the East Asia Pacific region and particularly by Secretary Tillerson and Deputy Secretary Sullivan. I’m not party to those conversations, and I don’t want to be in a position of misleading you and giving you some false information.

MODERATOR: I think we have time for one more call after this.

OPERATOR: Okay. Our next question comes from the line of Katie Simpson with Canadian Broadcast. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. Thank you very much for taking our calls today, our questions today. My question has to do, again, with North Korea. And given what you’ve stated, I’m not sure if this is something that you can sort of provide some light on. But given the upcoming meeting next year on North Korea, we know that Secretary Tillerson as well as Foreign Minister Freeland have talked extensively about a diplomatic solution on this issue. Does Secretary Tillerson plan on discussing or addressing any other options that would not include a diplomatic solution – possible military interventions?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m not going to speculate on what is going to come up in conversations between two ministers. I think it’s safe to say that the Secretary and the foreign minister have a very regular and deep dialogue on this subject and, frankly, on a number of others as well. And not being someone who’s privy to those discussions, I really don’t think it’s appropriate for me to really characterize or to, frankly, speculate about what’s going to come up in their meetings in Ottawa.

MODERATOR: Okay. I think that wraps today’s call. Really appreciate everyone dialing in, and thanks for your time and attention. Have a great day.

Global Affairs Canada. 2017-12-18. Itinerary for Minister of Foreign Affairs: Visit of the U.S. Secretary of State

Event: Arrival of the U.S. Secretary of State to Canada
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 
Time: Noon ET
Location: Canada Reception Centre (Hangar 11), Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, 1000 Airport Parkway Private, Ottawa, Ontario
Notes for media: Photo opportunity only

Event: Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomes U.S. Secretary of State 
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Time: 12:50 p.m. ET
Location: 9th Floor, Lester B. Pearson Building, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario 
Notes for media: 
Photo opportunity only
Media should arrive no later than 12:20 p.m. ET.

Event: Bilateral meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Secretary of State
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Lester B. Pearson Building, 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario
Notes for media: 
Closed to media

Event: Special meeting of the Canada-United States Cabinet Committee
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Cabinet Room, Centre Block, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Notes for media: 
Closed to media

Event: Joint media availability
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Time: 5:15 p.m. ET
Location: House of Commons Foyer, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Notes for media: Open to media
The media availability will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Media should arrive no later than 4:45 p.m. ET.

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US ECONOMICS


DoC. BEA. December 19, 2017. U.S. International Transactions: Third Quarter 2017. Current-Account Balance

The U.S. current-account deficit decreased to $100.6 billion (preliminary) in the third quarter
of 2017 from $124.4 billion (revised) in the second quarter of 2017, according to statistics
released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The deficit decreased to 2.1 percent of current-
dollar gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.6 percent in the second quarter.

The $23.8 billion decrease in the current-account deficit reflected decreases in the deficits on
secondary income and goods and increases in the surpluses on primary income and services.

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BOX

Third Quarter 2017 Atlantic Hurricanes

During the third quarter, major hurricanes caused severe damage and flooding in several states
along the Gulf Coast and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See the section
“Impact of Hurricanes on Third Quarter 2017 Estimates” for more information.

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The remainder of this release highlights changes from the second quarter to the third quarter in
major aggregates of the U.S. international transactions accounts, selected component contributions
to those changes, and updates to previously published statistics for the second quarter.

                            Current-Account Transactions (tables 1-5)

Exports of goods and services and income receipts

Exports of goods and services and income receipts increased $23.4 billion in the third quarter
to $858.7 billion.

   * Primary income receipts increased $9.4 billion to $234.5 billion, mostly reflecting increases
     in portfolio investment income and in direct investment income.

   * Secondary income receipts increased $6.9 billion to $41.1 billion, mostly reflecting an
     increase in U.S. government transfers, primarily fines and penalties.

   * Goods exports increased $5.2 billion to $388.1 billion, mostly reflecting an increase in
     capital goods except automotive, primarily civilian aircraft, engines, and parts and
     telecommunications equipment.

Imports of goods and services and income payments

Imports of goods and services and income payments decreased $0.4 billion to $959.2 billion.

   * Secondary income payments decreased $3.0 billion to $64.3 billion, mostly reflecting a
     decrease in private transfers, primarily fines and penalties.

   * Primary income payments increased $2.8 billion to $177.5 billion, reflecting increases in
     portfolio investment income and in other investment income.

                                    Capital Account (table 1)

Capital transfer receipts were $24.9 billion in the third quarter. The transactions reflected
receipts from foreign insurance companies for losses resulting from hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and
Maria.

                           Financial Account (tables 1, 6, 7, and 8)

Net U.S. borrowing measured by financial-account transactions was $105.6 billion in the third
quarter of 2017, a decrease from net borrowing of $114.4 billion in the second quarter.

Financial assets

Net U.S. acquisition of financial assets excluding financial derivatives decreased $7.0 billion
in the third quarter to $337.9 billion.

   * Net U.S. acquisition of direct investment assets decreased $13.9 billion to $76.7 billion,
     reflecting a decrease in net acquisition of equity assets.

   * Net U.S. acquisition of portfolio investment assets decreased $10.9 billion to $175.6
     billion, reflecting a decrease in net U.S. purchases of equity and investment fund shares.

   * Net U.S. acquisition of other investment assets increased $18.0 billion to $85.6 billion,
     partly offsetting the decreases in net acquisition of direct investment assets and in net
     acquisition of portfolio investment assets. The increase in net acquisition of other
     investment assets reflected an increase in net acquisition of currency and deposits.

Liabilities

Net U.S. incurrence of liabilities excluding financial derivatives decreased $6.5 billion to
$462.1 billion.

   * Net U.S. incurrence of portfolio investment liabilities decreased $7.2 billion to $284.0
     billion, reflecting a decrease in net foreign purchases of U.S. debt securities.

   * Net U.S. incurrence of other investment liabilities decreased $4.0 billion to $82.3 billion,
     reflecting largely offsetting changes in transactions in deposit and loan liabilities. In
     deposits, transactions shifted to net foreign withdrawal of deposits in the United States
     in the third quarter from net foreign placement in the second quarter. In loans, transactions
     shifted to net U.S. incurrence from net U.S. repayment.

   * Net U.S. incurrence of direct investment liabilities increased $4.7 billion to $95.8 billion,
     partly offsetting the decreases in net incurrence of portfolio investment liabilities and
     in net incurrence of other investment liabilities. The increase in net incurrence of direct
     investment liabilities reflected an increase in net incurrence of equity liabilities.

Financial derivatives

Transactions in financial derivatives other than reserves reflected third-quarter net lending of
$18.6 billion, an increase of $9.3 billion from the second quarter.

                              Updates to Second Quarter 2017 International Transactions Accounts Aggregates
                           Billions of dollars, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Preliminary estimate    Revised estimate
Current-account balance                                       -123.1               -124.4
Goods balance                                                 -201.4               -201.4
   Services balance                                             64.1                 59.7
   Primary-income balance                                       47.2                 50.5
   Secondary-income balance                                    -33.0                -33.2
Net lending (+)/borrowing (-) from
   financial-account transactions                             -112.5               -114.4 
Statistical discrepancy 10.6 10.0                      10.6                 10.0

FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/transactions/2017/pdf/trans317.pdf

DoS. December 18, 2017. The Post-Election Situation in Honduras

Washington, DC - The United States notes that Honduras’ Supreme Electoral Tribunal has declared incumbent president Juan Orlando Hernández the winner of the November 26 presidential elections.

We understand this decision triggers a five-day period, as established by Honduran law, to present any challenges to the election result. We encourage political parties to use this avenue to raise any concerns they may have.

We call for all Hondurans to refrain from violence. We urge all political parties and leaders to stress to their supporters the need to resolve their differences peacefully. It is also important the government ensure Honduran security services respect the rights of peaceful protestors.

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ORGANISMS


ILO (OIT)18 December 2017. Latin America and the Caribbean. Unemployment up for 3rd consecutive year, expected to drop in 2018. ILO’s annual Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean shows a continued rise in unemployment. The region presented mixed challenges, with signs of improvement in some areas and indications of deterioration in others.



LIMA (ILO News) – Unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean increased for the third consecutive year, affecting more than 26 million people in 2017, but labour markets in the region are expected to improve in 2018. 

“The labour market in the region appears to be going through a change of cycle after a period of generalized deterioration of labour and social indicators, but improvements will depend on achieving greater economic growth”, warned the ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs. 

The Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2017  highlighted a mixed performance of the main labour market variables. The average performance of those indicators rose from 7.9 per cent in 2016 to 8.4 per cent at the end of 2017. The number of people seeking but failing to find work rose by two million to 26.4 million. 

The average was strongly influenced by the situation in Brazil, which is home to almost 40 per cent of the region’s workforce and where the rate of unemployment stood at around 13.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2017. 

An upturn is expected in 2018, when the unemployment rate could drop for the first time in three years, to 8.1 per cent. 

“The main change in this Labour Overview is that, generally speaking, there is a glimpse of the end of the widespread deterioration of the labour markets registered over the last two years and the start of an acceleration in the expected growth in 2018 which should materialize, and trigger a new phase of improvement”, said Salazar. 

But he pointed out that unemployment is merely the most visible part of the labour market. “There are other dimensions of employment which must be taken into account in the countries of the region, such as persistent gender inequality, the lack of employment for youth and issues associated with the quality of employment which contribute to perpetuating informality”, he underscored. 

For the first time in years, the participation of women in the labour market exceeded 50 per cent, at 50.2 per cent. But the gender gap persists. Participation rates and employment rates are 20 percentage points lower for women than they are for men. The unemployment rate for women, at 10.4 per cent in the third quarter, remains 1.4 times higher than it is men. 

The average rate of youth unemployment rose from 18.9 per cent to 19.5 per cent in 2017, which means that one in every five youths in the workforce cannot access work. It is estimated that this situation affects some 10 million youths. 

Salazar warned that forecast economic growth of 1.2 per cent to 2 per cent is “insufficient to speedily reduce poverty, and to satisfy and finance the demands of the middle classes and to have really transformative impacts on the social and labour market indicators.” He said countries in the region needed to achieve 5 to 6 per cent economic growth, and that “this will only be achieved by bridging the gaps in productivity and the lack of productive development and diversification, as well as in education and vocational training and infrastructure”. 

“Only in this way can we advance more sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth with more and better jobs”, Salazar said. 

FULL DOCUMENT: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---americas/---ro-lima/---sro-port_of_spain/documents/publication/wcms_614132.pdf


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ECONOMIA BRASILEIRA/BRAZIL ECONOMICS


BACEN. 19/12/2017. Apontamentos do presidente do Banco Central, Ilan Goldfajn, no evento "Correio Debate – Desafios para 2018", promovido pelo Correio Braziliense, em Brasília.

DOCUMENTO: http://www.bcb.gov.br/conteudo/home-ptbr/TextosApresentacoes/PDF%20-%20Apontamentos%20do%20Presidente%20-%20Evento%20Correio%20Brasiliense.pdf

BACEN. REUTERS. 19 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2017. BC vai trabalhar compulsórios de forma estrutural, mas não para política monetária, diz Ilan

BRASÍLIA (Reuters) - O presidente do Banco Central, Ilan Goldfajn, afirmou nesta terça-feira que trabalhará em 2018, de forma estrutural, os compulsórios bancários no Brasil como um dos objetivos para reduzir custos do crédito.

O movimento, no entanto, não será feito como um instrumento de política monetária.

“Qual o melhor nível dos compulsórios, vocês sabem que há exigência do sistema bancário de ter um nível de compulsórios elevados, que aumentam o custo de crédito. O sistema que nós pudermos contribuir para a redução do custo nós vamos fazer”, afirmou ele em apresentação durante evento em Brasília.

“Mas nós vamos fazer de uma forma estrutural, pensando na queda ao longo do tempo e não como medida de política monetária”, acrescentou.

Os compulsórios bancários são a parcela dos recursos depositados nos bancos que fica presa no Banco Central, recebendo ou não remuneração.

Ilan voltou a alertar ainda que não se pode contar que o cenário internacional permanecerá benigno “perpetuamente”, como ocorre neste momento, e que é importante dar continuidade à agenda de reformas no Brasil.

“Para a frente, é preciso notar que nem tudo permanecerá favorável para sempre”, afirmou.

Ilan também reforçou a necessidade de continuar com as medidas de ajustes e reformas, sobretudo a da Previdência. “É importante para o equilíbrio da economia, com consequências favoráveis para a desinflação, a queda da taxa de juros estrutural e a recuperação sustentável da economia brasileira”.

O presidente do BC voltou a afirmar que a política monetária será feita com cautela daqui para frente, indicando mais corte nos juros básicos no curto prazo. No início desse mês, o BC reduziu a Selic para a mínima histórica de 7 por cento ao ano e, para a primeira reunião de 2018, em fevereiro, as amplas apostas são de que mais um corte virá.

CNI. 19 de Dezembro de 2017. Uso da capacidade instalada na indústria é o maior em quase três anos. Sondagem Industrial mostra também que a produção do setor teve pequeno crescimento em novembro frente a outubro. A intenção de investimento segue em trajetória de alta 

A indústria operou, em média, com 68% da capacidade instalada em novembro. Esse foi o maior percentual do indicador em quase três anos. Apesar da alta, o índice está 6 pontos percentuais abaixo do registrado na média dos meses de novembro entre 2011 e 2014. As informações são da Sondagem Industrial divulgada pela Confederação Nacional da Indústria (CNI) nesta terça-feira (19).

Conforme a pesquisa, houve crescimento de 0,6 ponto no indicador de utilização da capacidade instalada (UCI) efetiva em relação ao usual para o mês. No entanto, o índice, que atingiu 43,6 pontos, mostra que ainda há distância entre o nível de atividade atual e o esperado para o mês. Os indicadores variam de zero a cem pontos. Quando estão abaixo dos 50 pontos, mostram que a UCI está abaixo do usual para o mês.

A produção da indústria teve pequeno crescimento, com indicador em 50,5 pontos. Esse é o maior índice para o mês desde 2011 e, desde 2013, o indicador de evolução da produção sinalizava queda, com indicador abaixo dos 50 pontos. “Os dados trazidos pela Sondagem Industrial nos últimos meses mostram que a indústria está em trajetória clara de recuperação da atividade”, destaca o economista da CNI Marcelo Azevedo.

O índice de número de empregados caiu 0,7 ponto, para 49 pontos. De acordo com o levantamento, com a retração, o indicador volta a se afastar da linha de 50 pontos, apontando queda moderada do número de empregados em novembro frente a outubro. Valores abaixo de 50 pontos indicam queda.

Já os estoques mantiveram-se ajustados ao planejado pelas empresas, com índice efetivo em relação ao planejado praticamente sobre a linha dos 50 pontos, em 49,8 pontos. O índice de evolução ficou em 48,9 pontos, sinalizando retração moderada nos estoques.

EXPECTATIVAS – As expectativas dos empresários em dezembro estão mais otimistas neste fim de ano do que no fim de 2016. Apesar de recuarem na passagem de novembro para dezembro, os índices de perspectiva de demanda e de compras de matérias-primas permanecem acima dos 50 pontos. Enquanto o de expectativas de demanda registrou 53,8 pontos, o de compras de matérias-primas ficou em 52,1 pontos.

Já o índice de quantidade exportada aumentou 1,3 ponto em dezembro frente a novembro e alcançou 53,5 pontos, sinalizando otimismo em relação às vendas externas. Os empresários esperam queda do emprego no início de 2018, com indicador de 48,7 pontos.

O índice de intenção de investimento aumentou 1,6 ponto em dezembro na comparação com novembro e atingiu 52,2 pontos. Foi o sexto mês consecutivo de alta no indicador, que está 7,6 pontos acima do registrado em dezembro de 2016 e é o maior desde dezembro de 2014, quando registrou 52,4 pontos.

A Sondagem Industrial de novembro ouviu 2.274 empresas do setor entre 1º e 13 de dezembro. Das empresas consultadas, 936 são pequenas, 813 são médias e 525 são de grande porte.

Sondagem Industrial. Aumento no uso da capacidade instalada da indústria

A Sondagem Industrial de novembro mostra continuidade da dinâmica de recuperação do setor. A utilização da capacidade instalada atingiu 68% em novembro, o maior percentual em quase três anos.



Sondagem Industrial: https://static-cms-si.s3.amazonaws.com/media/filer_public/28/db/28db2e0d-9959-4e71-a80f-0d77dce16f2a/sondagemindustrial_novembro17.pdf

FGV. IBRE. 19-Dez-2017. Inflação pelo IPC-S recua em quatro das sete capitais pesquisadas

O IPC-S de 15 de dezembro de 2017 registrou variação de 0,34%, 0,05 ponto percentual (p.p.) abaixo da taxa divulgada na última apuração. Quatro das sete capitais pesquisadas registraram decréscimo em suas taxas de variação.

A tabela a seguir, apresenta as variações percentuais dos municípios das sete capitais componentes do índice, nesta e na apuração anterior.

1512

DOCUMENTO: http://portalibre.fgv.br/main.jsp?lumPageId=402880972283E1AA0122841CE9191DD3&lumItemId=8A7C82C55EC04CF101606E1FA6D95590

CADE. REUTERS. 19 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2017. ENERGIA. Cade aprova aquisição de parte de fatia da Statoil em Carcará pela Exxon

SÃO PAULO (Reuters) - O Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (Cade) aprovou sem restrições a aquisição pela norte-americana ExxonMobil de uma fatia detida pela norueguesa Statoil no bloco BM-S-8, na Bacia de Santos, onde está situada a descoberta de Carcará, segundo despacho do órgão no Diário Oficial desta terça-feira.

A operação envolve aproximadamente 1,3 bilhões de dólares, e representa a entrada da ExxonMobil no bloco mediante aquisição de 33 por cento da participação da Statoil, enquanto a participação das demais empresas no contrato de concessão permanecerá inalterada.

O negócio entre as companhias foi anunciado no final de outubro, após ExxonMobil, Statoil e Galp vencerem, em um consórcio, o leilão pela área do pré-sal de Norte de Carcará, por um bônus de assinatura de 3 bilhões de reais.

A Statoil disse na ocasião que iria vender 33 por cento de sua fatia de 66 por cento no BM-S-8 para a Exxon.

A Statoil ainda deverá alienar mais 3,5 por cento do bloco para a ExxonMobil e outros 3 por cento para a Galp após concluir a compra de uma fatia de 10 por cento da Queiroz Galvão Exploração e Produção (QGEP) no empreendimento.

A operação com a QGEP foi aprovada pelo Cade, mas ainda não formalizada até o momento, conforme informação das empresas ao órgão antitruste.

O Cade avaliou que a operação entre ExxonMobil e Statoil não levanta preocupações quanto à concorrência porque o bloco BM-S-8 é um ativo pré-operacional e a norte-americana possui “participação restrita a poucos blocos (no Brasil), até o momento, todos eles em fase de exploração”.

Por Luciano Costa

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LGCJ.: