Latin America

[winston]

This country’s currency is now worth less than a napkin

by Justin Dove

Source: The Crux

http://thecrux.com/this-countrys-curren ... -a-napkin/

[winston]

The Most Exciting Economy In The World Is…

By Simon Black

Source: Sovereign Man

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2015/10 ... -world-is/

[behappyalways]

FARC rebels in the Colombian jungle
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpict ... 34592.html

[winston]

Venezeula

Venezuela delivered a super-majority in the parliament to the opposition parties, which is “legitimately bearish for oil”, because Venezuela has heavy oil reserves that are second only to Saudi Arabia.

Source: CS

[winston]

Lots to Love in Latin America

By Martin Hutchinson

Latin America’s governance appears to be improving rapidly – and that means there must be a decent chance that its economic performance will improve, as well.

Source: Wall Street Daily

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2015/12 ... n-america/

[winston]

This Currency Lost a Quarter of Its Value Overnight, and That's Good

By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

Argentina's currency lost a quarter of its value in one day earlier this month...

And that's a good thing.

How could that be a good thing? Here's how...

Argentina's new President Mauricio Macri said he would make massive free-market changes in the country – including lifting the government controls on the currency – to attract investors and to kick-start the economy.

He has lived up to those promises... In his first two weeks as the country's leader, he has removed most agricultural export taxes, cut personal income taxes, and eliminated farming quotas.

"It's necessary to remove all current conditions that go against transparency, simplicity, openness and reason," the government said this week.

This is actually exciting stuff...

It could be the start of a major turnaround in one of my favorite places on the planet.

Nobody in the investment world is paying attention to Argentina today – and that's something I like to see.

Meanwhile, you have new political leaders in place that have the strength to sacrifice a major short-term loss for a long-term gain. I'm not sure we have any U.S. politicians that would be willing to sacrifice 25% of the people's savings overnight to make things better over the long run.

Buenos Aires, if you don't know, is truly the Paris of the Americas. Bariloche is an undiscovered gem and one of my favorite places to visit. And Cafayate is a little oasis of perfection. I could go on – I love Argentina.

Throughout history, the country has been blessed with great lands... and cursed with terrible politics. The result of poor political policies is clear: Argentina was the picture of success in 1910 – one of the world's top-10 largest economies. Over the last hundred years, it has fallen to 55th on the list – an incredible fall.

The new president is quickly undoing the policies of his predecessor, attempting to reshape Argentina into a more free-market country.

I am hopeful... both as a person who loves Argentina, and as an investor...

You see, often when an emerging-market country makes free-market changes like these, the stock market can rise hundreds of percent. So hopefully, they'll stick.

The simplest way to own Argentina is through the Global X MSCI Argentina Fund (ARGT).

As I write, this fund is still bouncing along near its 2012 bottom. There are no signs of life in Argentine stocks yet. But I suspect there will be. I look forward to seeing an uptrend in shares of ARGT.

Keep an eye on Argentina, and ARGT, in 2016. I know I will...

Source: Daily Wealth

[winston]

This man explains how he has helped rig elections all over Latin America

He led a team of hackers that stole campaign strategies, manipulated social media to create false waves of enthusiasm and derision, and installed spyware in opposition offices

For $12,000 a month, a customer hired a crew that could hack smartphones, spoof and clone Web pages, and send mass e-mails and texts. The premium package, at $20,000 a month, also included a full range of digital interception, attack, decryption, and defense.

Sepúlveda managed thousands of such fake profiles and used the accounts to shape discussion around topics such as Peña Nieto’s plan to end drug violence, priming the social media pump with views that real users would mimic.

Source: Bloomberg

http://thecrux.com/confessions-of-a-political-hacker/

[behappyalways]

Venezuela cuts power to four hours a day to save energy
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36108295

[winston]

Venezuela doesn’t have enough money… To PRINT MONEY

by Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

Source: True Wealth

http://thecrux.com/venezuela-doesnt-hav ... int-money/

[winston]

Venezeula: Warning: Avoid This Country as an Investment

Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

Source: True Wealth

http://dailytradealert.com/2016/05/04/w ... nvestment/