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Consumer Behavior Trend Watching

Consumer Behavior in Brazil: Even with US Dollar appreciation, spending abroad hits record

Even the 15% appreciation of the dollar against the Brazilian Real in 2013 (the highest in the last five years, making air tickets and hotels quoted in foreign currency more expensive) did not deter the spending by Brazilians abroad, which grew to a new record […]

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Economics Information Technology Trend Watching

Internet in Brazil: Internet surpasses ATMs in banking transactions

The Internet has become the channel most used banking services in the country, reveals the Diagnosis of Retail Payment System of Brazil report by the Brazilian Central Bank for the year past. The network already accounts for nearly 31% of bank transactions, exceeding the self-service terminals (ATM) […]

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Economics Information Technology Innovation Trend Watching

Information Technology in Brazil: New Plan to Boost Innovation

Technological innovation is the foundation of a new industrial policy that the Brazilian government will deploy to improve the country’s competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets. The program will provide a variety of financial incentives for Brazilian innovators in IT as well as other industry sectors between now and 2014 […]

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Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

Consumer Behavior in Brazil: tourism spending overseas rises 45% by May/2011 and sets record

Spending by Brazilian tourists overseas totaled $ 8.33 billion from January to May/2011, announced the Brazilian Central Bank […]

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China Design Economics Readings Trend Watching

Architecture & Urban Planning in China: private fund investment to support urban development

China’s urban development looks to get further support from the private sector. An Chinese Government official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s top economic planning agency, says the government encourages the use of private capital in developing China’s urban areas […]

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China Economics Trend Watching

China, Technology and the Environment: Chinese National Energy Commission is established

China has established the National Energy Commission for better coordination in formulating energy strategy and development planning, said an announcement released by the General Office of the Chinese State Council recently […]

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China Consumer Behavior Economics Trend Watching

China, Socialism & Consumer Behavior: In a Tidal Shift, Chinese Spending More Overseas

Money is moving in a new direction in China — out: Some Chinese are so eager to turn their yuan into other assets that when an online real estate brokerage organized a tour of foreclosure auctions in the United States, it received so many applications that it had to turn away nearly 400 people. In Shanghai, cash-rich Chinese companies are buying high-yield bonds issued by distressed American companies at a time when most investors are steering clear of bonds even from solid companies […]

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China Economics

Architecture & Urban Planning in China: 4 billion US dollars invested in transportation

China’s National Development and Reform Commission stated that out of the 100 billion yuan (over 15 billion US dollars) of newly-added central government investment, 28 billion yuan (4 billion US dollars) has been designated for the construction of major transportation infrastructure, just less than the amount of investment for people’s livelihoods…

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China Consumer Behavior Economics

Living in China: Cost of food drives up Consumer Price Index to 8.5%

China’s consumer price index(CPI) rose 8.5 percent in April, mainly driven by uncurbed food costs, the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) said recently. The figure, compared with 8.3 percent in March and a nearly 12-year-high of 8.7 percent in February, was broadly in line with most forecasts.
The NBS attributed the figure to a low base of comparison: the CPI rose just 3 percent in April 2007. Another factor was the rapid increase in world grain and commodity prices…