US ECONOMICS

TOURISM

U.S. Department of State. 10/24/2019. U.S. Department of State Announces Improvements to Tourism Safety Messaging for U.S. Travelers

On October 24, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs announced several important updates to our Safety and Security Messaging for U.S. citizen travelers. The Department has added a new section on tourism safety to all country information pages on travel.state.gov in order to provide more detailed information about each country’s tourism infrastructure and its ability to provide emergency services to foreign visitors. Additionally, the Department has launched a new adventure travel information page on our travel.state.gov website, along with an adventure travel-themed public outreach campaign on social media. The Department of State and our U.S. embassies and consulates abroad work closely with foreign governments and tourist industry officials to review existing tourism safety conditions and advocate for the safety and welfare of U.S. citizen travelers.

As more U.S. citizens travel abroad each year and engage in new, and sometimes riskier, forms of tourism, the Department of State is committed to providing clear, timely, and reliable information to help U.S. citizen travelers make informed decisions and travel safely. We work closely with U.S. and international partners to address leading risks, including road accidents and drowning, which continue to be common causes of serious injury and death for U.S. citizen travelers abroad, especially for those engaging in adventure travel activities. These new resources complement the wide range of existing resources for U.S. citizen travelers – which include Travel Advisories with standardized levels of travel advice for every destination country around the world, and tailored information for many types of travelers, from cruise ship passengers to students to travelers with disabilities. Visit travel.state.gov for more information.

We also encourage U.S. citizens traveling overseas to enroll their travel plans in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP.state.gov) so they can receive important messages about their destination(s), including timely Alerts and updates to our Travel Advisories.

The U.S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and welfare of U.S. citizens overseas. We will continue to update our public information as part of our ongoing commitment to serve U.S. citizens as they travel abroad.

DOCUMENT: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

BRAZIL

Brazil Travel Advisory. Updated on February 6, 2019. Travel AdvisoryBrazil - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution - C - Exercise increased caution in Brazil due to crime. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do not travel to:

• Any areas within 150 km of Brazil’s land borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay due to crime. (Note: This does not apply to the Foz do Iguacu National Park or Pantanal National Park.)
• Do not use public buses in and around Recife due to crime (see additional information below).
• Informal housing developments (commonly referred to in Brazil as favelas, vilas, communidades, and/or conglomerados), at any time of day due to crime (see additional information below).
• Brasilia’s administrative regions (commonly known as “satellite cities”) of Ceilandia, Santa Maria, Sao Sebastiao, and Paranoa during non-daylight hours due to crime (see additional information below).
• Recife’s Pina Beach from Dona Benvinda de Farias Street to the Brasilia Teimosa neighborhood after dark due to crime (see additional information below).
• Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, and carjacking, is common in urban areas, day and night. Gang activity and organized crime is widespread. Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Brazil:

• Be aware of your surroundings, especially when traveling to tourist locations and in crowded public venues.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Use caution when walking or driving at night.
• Avoid walking on beaches after dark.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
• Avoid using an ATM in low-light or remote locations. Never let someone “shoulder surf” or assist you. Be aware that criminals often target ATMs and businesses in the early morning hours. If you use an ATM, select those located inside of secure facilities, such as an airport, hospital, bank, or government building. 
• Use caution at, or going to, major transportation centers or on public transportation, especially at night. Crime statistics indicate that passengers face an elevated risk of robbery or assault using public, municipal bus transportation throughout Brazil. Consider avoiding the use of public, municipal buses, at any time of day, and especially at night.
• Use increased caution when hiking in isolated areas, and in particular around the city of Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado Mountain trails. Multiple violent robberies have occurred on the hiking trails leading to and from Cristo Redentor on Corcovado Mountain, which are not regularly patrolled by Brazilian law enforcement.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
• Review the Crime and Safety Reports for Brazil.
• U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

International Borders

U.S. government personnel are not permitted to travel to areas within 150 km of the international land borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay without advance approval from security officials due to crime. Travel to the Foz do Iguacu National Park and Pantanal National Park is permitted.

Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

Public Transportation

Crime statistics and trends indicate that persons face an elevated risk of robbery or assault using public bus systems throughout Brazil. Consider avoiding the use of public, municipal buses in Brazil at any time of day, and especially at night. The U.S. Government recommends against personnel using public, municipal buses in all parts of Brazil, and prohibits personnel from using public buses in and around Recife.

Informal Housing Developments (commonly known as “Favelas”)

Do not travel to informal housing developments (commonly referred to in Brazil as favelas, vilas, communidades, and/or conglomerados), even on a guided tour. Neither the tour companies nor the police can guarantee your safety when entering these communities. Even in these communities that the police or local governments deem safe, the situation can change quickly and without notice. In addition, exercise caution in areas surrounding these communities, as occasionally, inter-gang fighting and confrontations with police move beyond the confines of these communities. Except under limited circumstances and with advance approval, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to enter any informal housing developments in Brazil. Read the Safety and Security Section on the country information page for further information regarding favelas.

Visit our website for Travel High-Risk Areas.

Brasilia’s Administrative Regions (formerly known as “Satellite Cities”)

Without advance approval from security officials, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to travel to Brasilia’s Administrative Regions of Ceilandia, Santa Maria, Sao Sebastiao, and Paranoa between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (non-daylight hours) due to crime.

Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.

Recife’s Pina Beach

U.S. government personnel are prohibited from walking after dark on Pina Beach, located in the northern part of Boa Viagem, due to crime. This restriction covers the sandy areas of Pina Beach starting at Dona Benvinda de Farias Street and ending at Brasilia Teimosa neighborhood.

HAITI

Haiti Travel Advisory. Updated on June 11, 2019. Travel Advisory. Haiti - Level 3: Reconsider Travel - K - U - C. Reconsider travel to Haiti due to crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping.

Protests, tire burning, and road blockages are frequent and unpredictable. Violent crime, such as armed robbery, is common, and incidents of kidnapping have occurred. Local police may lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents, and emergency response, including ambulance service, is limited or non-existent.

Travelers are sometimes targeted, followed, and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport. The U.S. Embassy requires its personnel to use official transportation to and from the airport, and it takes steps to detect surveillance and deter criminal attacks during these transports.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in some areas of Haiti. The Embassy discourages its personnel from walking in most neighborhoods. Only adult family members over the age of 18 are permitted to accompany U.S. government employees assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. U.S. government personnel in Haiti are prohibited from:

• Visiting establishments after dark without secure, on-site parking;
• Using any kind of public transportation or taxis;
• Visiting banks and using ATMs;
• Driving outside of Port-au-Prince at night;
• Traveling anywhere between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.; and
• Visiting certain parts of the city at any time without prior approval and special security measures in place.
• Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Haiti:

• Avoid demonstrations. Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks.
• Arrange airport transfers and hotels in advance, or have your host meet you upon arrival.
• Be careful about providing your destination address in Haiti. Do not provide personal information to unauthorized individuals located in the immigration, customs, or other areas inside or near any airports in Haiti.
• As you leave the airport, make sure you are not being followed. If you notice you are being followed, drive to the nearest police station immediately.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Purchase travel insurance and medical evacuation insurance ahead of time.
• Review information on Travel to High-Risk Areas. 
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
• Review the Overseas Security Advisory Council report on Haiti.
• U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

ISRAEL

U.S. Department of the Treasury. 10/24/2019. Joint Statement on the U.S. – Israel Joint Economic Development Group

WASHINGTON – On October 23, more than 80 U.S. and Israeli officials gathered together at the U.S. Department of State to participate in the 34th meeting of the U.S. – Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG), the annual economic policy dialogue between the two nations first held in 1985. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the trajectory of bilateral economic relations and underscored respective commitments to expanding and deepening policy coordination and cooperation across a broad range of sectors.

This year’s agenda covered risk management for foreign investments, women’s economic empowerment, quantum information science and artificial intelligence research collaboration, exploration of technological innovations in public transportation, and the role of government in encouraging private sector investments for more sustainable development outcomes. 

Of particular note, Israel’s Higher Education Council and U.S. Department of Energy officials initiated discussions on the possibility of conducting joint research collaboration at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.  In addition, officials from Israel’s Finance Ministry and the U.S. Department of Treasury reviewed regulatory considerations and opportunities for investment cooperation in FinTech.

The Israeli JEDG delegation was headed by Director General of the Israeli Finance Ministry Shai Babad and included Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, Governor of the Bank of Israel Amir Yaron and Chief Economist Shira Greenberg, as well as officials from Ministries of Finance, Transportation, Foreign Affairs, Israel Tax Authority, Israel’s High Education Council, and academics from Bar Ilan University.

U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Brent McIntosh headed a large U.S. delegation that included Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Tom Feddo, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Seth Appleton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rayburn and other officials from the Departments of State, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and Transportation, as well as USAID, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Under Secretary McIntosh underscored the strength and durability of U.S. – Israeli relations, expressing his appreciation for the JEDG and the opportunity it provides "to expand cooperation and help accelerate growth in both our economies."  In his remarks, Director General Babad noted that excellent “cooperation on the government level enables private sector firms to operate jointly through the establishment of R&D centers by U.S. multinationals and allows Israeli companies to expand to U.S. markets.” 

The U.S. – Israel Joint Economic Development Group, which has met since 1985, is the premier platform for U.S.-Israel bilateral economic dialogue.

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ORGANISMS

DOING BUSINESS 2020

THE WORLD BANK. OCTOBER 24, 2019. Doing Business 2020 – Sustaining the pace of reforms

FULL DOCUMENT: https://www.doingbusiness.org/

Doing Business 2020, a World Bank Group flagship publication, is the 17th in a series of annual studies measuring the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 190 economies—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe—and over time.

HIGHLIGHTS

Main findings for Doing Business 2020:

• Doing Business captures 294 regulatory reforms implemented between May 2018 and May 2019. Worldwide, 115 economies made it easier to do business.
• The economies with the most notable improvement in Doing Business 2020 are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India and Nigeria. In 2018/19, these countries implemented one-fifth of all the reforms recorded worldwide.
• Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean continue to lag in terms of reforms. Only two Sub-Saharan African economies rank in the top 50 on the ease of doing business; no Latin American economies rank in this group.
• Doing Business 2020 continues to show a steady convergence between developing and developed economies, especially in the area of business incorporation. Since 2003/04, 178 economies have implemented 722 reforms captured by the starting a business indicator set, either reducing or eliminating barriers to entry. 
• Those economies that score well on Doing Business tend to benefit from higher levels of entrepreneurial activity and lower levels of corruption.
• While economic reasons are the main drivers of reform, the advancement of neighboring economies provides an additional impetus for regulatory change.
• Twenty-six economies became less business-friendly, introducing 31 regulatory changes that stifle efficiency and quality of regulation.

Regulation exists to protect workers, public safety, businesses, and investments. But inefficient or inadequate regulation can stifle entrepreneurial activity and business growth and impact the ease of doing business. It takes over 200 hours to complete export border requirements for maritime transport in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. In contrast, it takes only 10 hours in Singapore. Border compliance costs for export at seaports in Gabon average over $1,600, but just over $300 in Mauritius.

Burdensome rules may drive businesses away from the oversight of regulators and tax collectors into the shadows of the informal sector or out of the country in search of a more supportive business environment. Foreign investors may shun economies where rules prevent economic activity from flourishing.

Cumbersome red tape holds back more than individual businesses or investors: an economy’s ability to grow sustainably may suffer. Economic freedom to do business goes hand in hand with economic development and a thriving private sector, and these in turn underpin poverty elimination and the pursuit of shared prosperity.

Doing Business 2020 measures regulations across 190 economies in 12 business regulatory areas to assess the business environment in each economy. Ten of these indicators were used to estimate an ease of doing business score this year, over the 12 months ending April 30, 2019. This is the 17th edition of a study that has motivated governments worldwide to undertake business reforms with the goal of bolstering sustainable economic growth.

The study looks at rules affecting a business from inception through operation to wind-down: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency.

What is measured in Doing Business?

Best places to do business

The top 10 best places in the world to do business, according to the study, are New Zealand (with a score of 86.8 out of 100), Singapore (86.2), Hong Kong SAR, China (85.3), Denmark (85.3), the Republic of Korea (84), the United States (84), Georgia (83.7), the United Kingdom (83.5), Norway (82.6), and Sweden (82).

Economies that score highest on the ease of doing business ranking share several common features, including the widespread use of electronic systems. The top 20 economies have online business incorporation processes, electronic tax-filing platforms, and allow online procedures related to property transfers. Moreover, 11 economies have electronic procedures for construction permitting.

In general, the 20 top performers have sound business regulation with a high degree of transparency.

Most improved places to do business

Doing Business also looks at which economies improved the most. Doing Business 2020 found that the 10 economies that improved the most in their ease of doing business score were Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India, and Nigeria.

In Saudi Arabia, authorities established a one-stop shop for company incorporation and eliminated the requirement for married women to provide additional documentation when applying for a national identity card. The country also streamlined and merged pre- and post-registration processes.

Jordan joins the top reformers for the first time with three reforms. The economy strengthened access to credit by introducing a new secured transactions law, amending the insolvency law and launching a unified, modern and notice-based collateral registry. In addition, Jordan made paying taxes easier by implementing electronic filing and payment for labor taxes and other mandatory contributions.

With five reforms to business regulations, Togo ranked among the world’s top 10 most improved economies on the ease of doing business score for the second year in a row and for the third time in the past five years. Authorities abolished the requirement to notarize company documents and reduced the time to register a company. The government streamlined the process for getting a construction permit and made it easier to connect to the electrical grid. It also facilitated the processes of registering property and getting credit.

Among other top reformers:

• Bahrain made getting electricity easier. It is now faster and cheaper to get connected to the grid, and power is more reliable;
• Pakistan made registering property easier by making it faster and easier to register a deed and by increasing the transparency of the land administration system;
• Tajikistan made getting credit easier with the launch of a unified, modern, and notice-based collateral agency;
• Kuwait strengthened protection for minority investors by providing a 21-day notice for general assembly meetings;
• China made paying taxes easier by implementing preferential tax treatment on corporate income tax rates for small and thin-profit enterprises, among other steps;
• India made trading across borders easier by cutting the costs and time associated with border and documentation requirements;
• Nigeria made enforcing contracts easier by enhancing the quality of judicial processes.

Reforms in every region – More in some than others

Overall 115 economies around the world implemented 294 business regulatory reforms making it easier to do business.

The Middle East and North Africa was one of the strongest regions in implementing business-facilitating reforms, carrying out 57 regulatory changes. Economies of the Gulf region were particularly active, carrying out 35 reforms. Four economies in the region are among the 10 most improved globally. Getting a construction permit in the region takes 28 days less than among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) high-income countries. Reform efforts were most active in the areas of getting electricity and dealing with construction permits. However, getting credit in the Middle East and North Africa remains harder than anywhere else an in the world. In addition, barriers to female entrepreneurs are widespread across the region.

Economies in Europe and Central Asia accelerated an already strong momentum to improve business climates and carried out 56 reforms. The region hosts two of the world’s top 20 economies to do business – Georgia ranks 7th while North Macedonia places 17th. The region implemented nine reforms in the area of paying taxes. Since Doing Business began to research business climates, 22 economies in the region have allowed electronic filing of taxes. The region also carried out six reforms in enforcing contracts. And the economies of the region stand out on the ease of registering property: the costs of transferring a property are lower on average than among OECD high-income economies.

South Asian economies maintained a solid pace of regulatory reforms, as both India and Pakistan earned spots among the top most improved economies. India carried out four reforms, including making getting construction permits easier. Pakistan implemented six reforms, including improvements to getting electricity. However, Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka made no regulatory changes. Resolving a commercial dispute in the region takes on average almost twice as long as among OECD high-income economies.

While many economies in the East Asia and the Pacific region make doing business relatively easy, the pace of reforms has slowed from previous years. Reforms were implemented in fewer than half of its economies (12 out of 25). Even so, five East Asia and the Pacific economies are among the top 25 global performers, including Singapore (2nd), Hong Kong SAR, China (3rd); Malaysia (12th); Taiwan, China (15th); and Thailand (21st). China jumped in the ranking to 31st and is among the top 10 improvers for a second consecutive year.

Economies of the Caribbean carried out a record 19 reforms and 11 of 16 economies implemented business-facilitating reforms primarily focused on starting a business, getting electricity, paying taxes, and enforcing contracts.

Latin America lagged other regions of the world in smoothing the path for domestic small and medium-size enterprises to do business. No economy in the region has appeared in the 10 top improvers list over the past two years and no Latin American economy ranks among the top 50 best places globally to do business. At 60th, Mexico remains the region’s top-ranked country, but for the second year in a row Mexico did not introduce any major business climate improvements.  However, there are some bright spots. Colombia has implemented a total of 37 reforms since 2005 and continues to lead reform efforts in the region. The country, ranked 67th globally, initiated three major reforms over the 12-month period to May 2019.

Incentives to reform

Doing Business is in its 17th year, and since its inception, 178 economies have implemented 722 reforms in the area of starting a business, reducing or eliminating barriers to entry. Despite such improvements, however, considerable gaps still exist between developed and developing economies on most Doing Business indicators.

However, the incentives are clear. Economies that score well on Doing Business indicators benefit from a higher level of entrepreneurial activity. This in turn generates better employment, greater government revenue and higher incomes. In addition, where burdensome and protracted regulatory processes exist, the temptation to resort to corruption to get things done may be greater.

The results of Doing Business 2020 demonstrate that in almost every economy in the world, there is some scope to streamline or expedite rules to make it easier to do business, allow entrepreneurship to flourish, and make it possible for economic activity to reach its full potential.

BANCO MUNDIAL. PORTAL G1. 24/10/2019. Brasil cai em ranking do Banco Mundial que mede a facilidade para fazer negócios. País passou da 109ª posição em 2018 para a 124º neste ano. Ministério da Economia avalia que resultado não traduz as medidas implementadas pelo governo Bolsonaro.
Por Laís Lis, G1 — Brasília

Levantamento do Banco Mundial aponta que o Brasil caiu no ranking que mede a facilidade para fazer negócios. O país passou da 109ª posição em 2018 para a 124º neste ano. O levantamento considera o período entre os meses de maio dos dois anos (veja no vídeo abaixo).

O relatório anual "Doing Business" mede o impacto das leis e regulações e da burocracia no funcionamento das empresas. Entre os itens avaliados estão o número de dias gastos na abertura de empresas, no pagamento de impostos, na obtenção de alvarás de construção, na conexão com a rede elétrica e no registro de uma propriedade, na obtenção de crédito e na execução de contratos e resolução de insolvência.

O país melhorou em 3 dos 10 itens avaliados: abertura de empresas, registro de propriedades e resolução de insolvências na Justiça.

O Banco Mundial destaca no estudo que as economias mais atrasadas nesse tipo de reforma são as de países da América Latina e Caribe, e da África Subsaariana.

O primeiro lugar do Doing Business foi ocupado pela Nova Zelândia, seguida por Cingapura e Hong Kong. O Brasil ficou bem atrás de países como China (31º colocado), Turquia (33º), Chile (59º) e México (60º). Por outro lado, ficou à frente de vizinhos como Argentina (126º) e Venezuela (188º).

Avaliação

O secretário especial de Produtividade, Emprego e Competitividade do Ministério da Economia, Carlos da Costa, afirmou que o resultado do ranking "Doing Business" é algo para se lamentar, mas que o resultado não traduz as medidas implementadas pelo governo do presidente Jair Bolsonaro.

Costa afirmou que se o relatório fosse feito hoje o país já teria uma melhora significativa no ranking. "Os formulários foram preenchidos de fevereiro a início de março e, portanto, não traduzem ainda as medidas implementadas por esse governo", afirmou.

Segundo Costa, a equipe econômica trabalha para entrar na lista dos 50 melhores resultados já no final do mandato do presidente Jair Bolsonaro.

"Isso não é algo impossível. É algo factível e pé no chão. A Índia avançou mais de 60 posições nos últimos 3 anos. É algo factível, o que precisa é de determinação, foco e vontade política", disse.

Pedido de revisão

O indicador que sofreu a maior queda de 2019 para 2020 foi o de obtenção de eletricidades que caiu 58 posições. Segundo Costa, a maior redução ocorreu no custo para instalação do serviço de energia elétrica, quando o Banco Mundial levou em consideração um caso padrão ocorrido em uma empresa de São Paulo.

Segundo o secretário especial de Modernização do Estado, José Ricardo da Veiga, o aumento de custo para a instalação do serviço de energia foi muito grande e, como o serviço de energia elétrica é regulado pela Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Aneel), eles acreditam que pode ter havido um erro.

Essa revisão, no entanto, pode não alterar a posição do Brasil, mas, segundo o secretário, o que o governo quer é a verdade sobre o tema.

Pagamento de impostos

O Brasil manteve a mesma pontuação do ano passado e aparece na 184ª posição no ranking de pagamento de impostos. O Brasil continua sendo o país onde as empresas gastam mais tempo para calcular e pagar impostos: 1.501 horas por ano em média.

Segundo o estudo, atualmente, o total da taxa tributária – valor dos impostos e das contribuições obrigatórias – representa no Brasil 64,7% dos lucros. O melhor desempenho do estudo ficou em 26,1% em 33 economias entre elas, Canadá, Dinamarca e Singapura.

Alvarás de construção

Já no aspecto da obtenção de alvarás para construção o Brasil piorou. Um dos motivos é o fato de outras economias terem avançado mais. Segundo o levantamento do Banco Mundial, um grupo de dez países realizou 20% das reformas econômicas registradas no ano em todo o mundo.

2018

A posição do país piorou com relação ao levantamento divulgado em outubro do ano passado quando o Brasil avançou 16 posições, passando da 125º para o 109º lugar.

Segundo os dados do ano passado, Brasil facilitou o ambiente de negócios ao criar sistemas on-line para simplificar o registro de empresas e foi o país que obteve o maior avanço no ranking entre as economias da América Latina e Caribe.

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ECONOMIA BRASILEIRA / BRAZIL ECONOMICS

INFLAÇÃO

FGV. IBRE. 24/10/19. Índices Gerais de Preços. IPC-S Capitais. Inflação pelo IPC-S recua em cinco das sete capitais pesquisadas

O IPC-S de 22 de outubro de 2019 registrou variação de -0,07%,ficando 0,06 ponto percentual (p.p.) abaixo da taxa divulgada na última apuração. Cinco 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 nas apurações anteriores.

DOCUMENTO: https://portalibre.fgv.br/navegacao-superior/noticias/inflacao-pelo-ipc-s-recua-em-cinco-das-sete-capitais-pesquisadas-5.htm

FGV. IBRE. 24/10/19. Sondagens e Índices de Confiança. Sondagem do Consumidor. Confiança do Consumidor recua em outubro e reflete perspectivas futuras voláteis

O Índice de Confiança do Consumidor (ICC) da Fundação Getulio Vargas recuou 0,3 ponto em outubro, para 89,4 pontos, após duas altas consecutivas. Em médias móveis trimestrais, o índice manteve-se no terreno positivo, ao subir 0,4 ponto no mês.

“Após subir nos dois meses anteriores, a confiança dos consumidores recuou em outubro. A avaliação sobre a situação da economia no momento atual parece ser dúbia e por isso os indicadores que refletem perspectivas futuras continuam voláteis. As expectativas sobre a situação financeira melhoraram, mas as intenções de compras só se mantiveram mais altas para os consumidores de maior poder aquisitivo. No quarto trimestre, a confiança deve se manter abaixo do patamar neutro, considerando a recuperação ainda lenta do mercado de trabalho, o que daria maior fôlego aos consumidores, e a incerteza elevada” afirma Viviane Seda Bittencourt, Coordenadora das Sondagens.

Em outubro, se manteve estável a percepção dos consumidores em relação a situação atual e o otimismo em relação aos próximos meses acomodou. O Índice de Situação Atual (ISA) segue com 77,4 pontos enquanto o Índice de Expectativas (IE) reduziu 0,4 ponto, para 98,3 pontos, se mantendo em patamar ainda abaixo do nível neutro de 100 pontos pelo sétimo mês consecutivo.

Entre os quesitos que compõem o ICC, o indicador que mede o grau de otimismo com a situação econômica futura foi o que mais contribuiu para a queda da confiança em outubro após recuar 1,5 ponto, para 114,3 pontos, o menor valor de junho de 2019 (111,9 pontos) mas acima do nível considerado neutro. Em sentido oposto, o indicador que mede a satisfação do consumidor sobre o momento atual da economia avançou 0,8 ponto, para 83,1 pontos, o maior valor desde março de 2019 (83,5).

Quanto à situação financeira das famílias, o indicador que mede a avaliação desse quesito no momento atual diminuiu pela segunda vez seguida, dessa vez de 73,1 pontos em setembro para 72,3 pontos em outubro, enquanto o indicador que mede o otimismo desse quesito em relação aos próximos seis meses subiu 1,7 ponto, para 101,1 pontos, retornando ao patamar acima dos 100 pontos.

Em outubro, a análise por faixas de renda mostra que houve queda da confiança dos consumidores com menor poder aquisitivo (renda familiar mensal até R$ 4,8 mil) e, em contrapartida, aumento da confiança para os consumidores com renda superior a R$ 4,8 mil. A maior contribuição para a queda do ICC no mês vem da renda baixa (até R$ 2,1 mil) cujo índice caiu 1,5 ponto, para 85,6 pontos, devido a piora das expectativas, principalmente em relação à situação econômica nos próximos seis meses. O ICC das famílias com renda alta (acima de R$ 9,6 mil), no entanto, subiu 1,6 ponto, para 94,4 pontos, impulsionado por um crescimento da intenção de compras de bens duráveis pelo segundo mês consecutivo.

DOCUMENTO: https://portalibre.fgv.br/navegacao-superior/noticias/confianca-do-consumidor-recua-em-outubro-e-reflete-perspectivas-futuras-volateis.htm

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LGCJ.: