Since when are TIPS a good investment? The same government that lies to us about the unemployment rate also lies to us about the inflation rate. Don't people realize that? Mary
. Daal: Except brazil is already getting bailed out by the Federal Reserve currency swap facility to provide USD liquidity to the brazilian central bank ***** February 21, 2009 SouthAmerica: The Brazilian Central Bank does not need a bailout from the United States. As of February 19, 2009 the Brazilian Central Bank was holding US$ 200 billion in foreign currency reserves. The Brazilian economy GDP for 2008 was US$ 2 trillion dollars and Brazilian government debt was 40 percent of GDP as of the end of 2008. Total exports from Brazil accounts for only 10 percent of the Brazilian GDP. The Brazilian banks are in very good shape financially, and the Brazilian population also has very low debt outstanding. Compared with most countries around the world the Brazilian economy is in great shape. My uncle has 2 restaurants and a few other businesses in one of the nicest shore resorts towns in the state of Sao Paulo. It is summer time in Brazil and his businesses are doing very well, the best season that they have in years, because of the international financial crisis most Brazilians are spending their vacations in Brazil in turn generating the best tourism season in Brazil in many years. I am happy that my friend former Brazilian president Jose Sarney has been elected president of the senate in Brazil once again in February 2009. By the way, 2 weeks ago The Economist magazine published a nasty article about former president Sarney and his family. Today I received the latest issue of The Economist and they published on this issue a letter written by former president Sarney clarifying a lot of misinformation that The Economist had on that article published 2 weeks ago. The Economist article got one thing right: other than president Lula former president Sarney is the most influential politician in Brazil. .