. May 16, 2006 SouthAmerica: Reply to FastFred You can do your own research, but you can get the information that you are looking for regarding the sugar industry by contacting some of these people directly. *********** UNICA: Unica: São Paulo's representative in the sugar and alcohol industry Unica â the São Paulo Sugar Cane Agroindustry Union represents the sugar cane, sugar and alcohol business areas in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. There are three categories of associate industrial units: · the sugar and alcohol producers; · those that only produce alcohol; and · those that concentrate on sugar production. As the successor to several sectorial organizations in São Paulo, Unica, created in 1997, enabled the combination of institutional work into a single entity, strengthening the dialogue with the government and society. Recognized as a national reference center, Unica safeguards the statistical memory of Brazilian sugar cane, sugar and alcohol production. It keeps abreast of the progress achieved in the sector's technological area and fights to open foreign markets for sugar and alcohol. As the agency responsible for more than 60% of Brazilian production, it has a natural leadership position in the country that qualifies it to act as an intermediary with entities in the other producer States. More than 100 production units are Unica associates, including traditional sugar exporting groups. http://www.unica.com.br/i_pages/unica_associadas.asp?e=S **************** Copersucar: Copersucar is one of the largest sugar and alcohol producers in the world. With a diversified range of products, modern installations and its own port terminal, the Cooperative has helped Brazil become the most important sugar exporting country in the world. Quality and technology together, producing wealth for the country. http://www.copersucar.com.br/default_ing.asp?Idioma=ing *********** Empral â Desenvolvimentos de Equipamentos Ltda. This engineering company is involved in many projects on the Ethanol industry in Brazil including the Usina Sao Martinho (San Martinho Refinery) which is the largest Ethanol refinery in the world. I want to remind you that Brazil has 357 ethanol refineries today, and is in the process of building another 50 refineries to keep up with the increasing demand for Ethanol. http://www.empral.com.br/fotos.htm http://www.empral.com.br/inicial.htm#2 .
. The Financial Times - UK âBuying down in Rioâ By Nick Foster Published: June 23 2006 From the rear terrace of his townhouse in Rio de Janeiroâs Humaitá district, Bernard Williams can glimpse the cityâs landmark Christ the Redeemer statue. âEvery time I see it, especially when itâs illuminated at night, I realise how lucky I am,â he tells me. British-born linguist and translator, Williams is one of the new influx of expatriates in Brazil who are willing to overlook the threat of crime and the challenges of the countryâs bureaucracy to make Rio de Janeiro their home. Williams now lives permanently in Rio. His two-storey property was, coincidentally, built by an Englishman in 1937, with little expense spared. The downstairs reception rooms and kitchen have stunning Belgian floor tiles, while the upstairs has a dark-red hardwood parquet, both perfectly preserved since they were hidden by an ugly but durable plastic floor covering for 40 years. The houses on Williamsâs street are notable for an absence of electric wires to keep out burglars. The high walls around each property, built originally for privacy rather than safety, apparently do the job well enough. As happens in other wealthy districts of Rio, neighbours club together to pay for the services of a night watchman to provide additional security. Williamsâ property is safe in another way too. His street was recently given protected status by Rioâs city council, so none can be knocked down or be significantly altered in appearance. âThat will have a negative effect the resale price as Brazilians arenât very sentimental about old buildings and are quite happy to tear down old houses to build new ones. But as I have no intention of moving it has worked out well,â Williams says. âThere is no chance of a modern apartment block going up over the road.â Williams bought his three-bedroom house in June 2004 for R$475,000, the equivalent of £82,500 at the time. It was a shrewd investment. Thanks to the strengthening real, you would have to spend about £115,000 to buy the same amount of Brazilian currency today. On top of that, property prices in the desirable southern districts of Rio have gone up about 10 per cent over the last 12 months. Those looking for a home in Rio should note, however, that the demands of Brazilian officialdom havenât changed. âFirst of all, you need a CPF,â Williams says, referring to Cadastro de Pessoa FÃsica, the Brazilian equivalent of the UKâs National Insurance number, which is required to buy property in the country. âAnd you should apply for it as soon as you get an inkling that you might want to buy a home in Brazil, as it can take as much as three months to come through.â This can be done at any Brazilian embassy abroad. Armed with his CPF, Williams arrived in Rio and visited a number of estate agents. But âI was amazed that estate agents here knew nothing about bringing money from abroad and even the Banco do Brasil was decidedly unhelpful,â he says. He was also surprised to learn that he needed to supply a certificate from the UK consulate in Rio declaring who his parents were. There were more complications. It is common local practice to âundeclareâ part of the value of a property at the moment of sale, to the advantage of both the vendor and the buyer. Any money sent officially through the Banco do Brasil has to be justified by presenting the deed of the property after the transaction and the amount sent and the amount on the deed have to tally. After getting the wrong advice âmore than onceâ, Williams met a friendly banker through a mutual friend who told him to use a âdoleiroâ â an unofficial money changer. The doleiros in Williamsâ case turned out to be two middle-aged women who arrived at the notaryâs office on the day of the sale with two large bags crammed with Brazilian banknotes. âI wired my money to pay for the house to an account number in Spain [and] I admit I had a couple of sleepless nights wondering if the whole thing was a scam,â Williams says. In the end, âthe only problem was that it took about half an hour for the two ladies to count out the money to the satisfaction of the sellerâs solicitor.â Buyers in Brazil should also expect to pay 2 per cent stamp duty and lawyerâs fees of about the same amount. One other quirky aspect of Rio real estate is that you cannot generally buy homes outright; the freehold is owned by the city council, the navy (for properties near the seafront) or sometimes the church. From near the end of Williamsâs street, across the pretty Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and through the haze of heat in the distance, you can make out Kevin Wrightâs brand new apartment building. After a 10-year stint working in the oil industry in Nigeria, the London-born Wright and his wife Joanna decided to invest R$535,000 (£125,000) in a spacious two-bedroom off-plan apartment in the relatively quiet Jardim Botânico district. Although the completion date has been delayed by five months, theyâre still looking forward to using it as a getaway during the European winter. âRio is a very liveable city and many of the stereotypes arenât true,â Wright says. âOnce I left my wallet in a taxi and the driver came to my hotel an hour or so later to return it to me.â His wife agrees. âThe restaurant scene in Rio is getting better all the time, itâs much more varied than it was 10 years ago,â she says. âItâs still a little off the standard of São Paulo, but the choice now goes way beyond steak or pizza.â Another new resident of Rio is Canadian guide-book researcher Mike Petit. He plumped for a more modest property â a refurbished maidâs room in a large block in Copacabana, 100 yards from the legendary Copacabana Palace Hotel â priced at R$110,000 (£26,000). Its size â 250 sq ft â and low ceilings hint at its original purpose but it still offers a pleasant view of the street outside. âCopacabana used to be an unsafe neighbourhood but by doing simple things like putting more policemen on the beat and installing better street lighting and signposting the authorities have managed to improve the situation,â Petit says. He is writing a book on the cityâs traditional bars and has started to learn to hang-glide. âMost of my friends who visit are surprised that Rio has so much to offer away from the beach,â he says. His only regret? âNot taking the time to get my CPF sooner.â .
. September 26, 2005 SouthAmerica: According to a recent Merrill Lynch report âBRAZILâ is a better place to invest today than the United States. ************ Motley Fool âPrepare for a U.S. Market Crashâ Monday, September 25, 2006. By Anders Bylund We're heading into a recession. You've heard about it for months, even years, what with the housing bubble, the war in Iraq, overextended consumer credit -- you name it. A recent Merrill Lynch report says that the U.S. economy will grow by only 1.9% next year, down from 3.4% this year, and slower than the global growth rate of 5.2%. Even slowpoke Europe should pass us at 2.1%, though the U.S. is ahead of the average European GDP growth rate of 2.7%. If these numbers are even close to reality, your next course of action should be obvious: Invest somewhere else for a while. The good folks behind that report suggest Japan, India, and Brazil as eminently suitable targets. What's more, they expect that interest rate differences will cause the dollar to lose value against the yen, Chinese renminbi, and Scandinavian currencies, which means that even mediocre businesses in those regions should produce decent share-price returns over here, thanks to the magic of currency conversionâ¦. .
Brazil had more gun related deaths last year than IRAQ! 55,000 gun related deaths. Some parts of the country aren't even policed. Brazil tried to pass a law last year to ban the sale of hand guns and it was turn down because citizen no longer trust the police and feel that they need a gun to defend themselfs. Something has to be done or investment will dry up!
Not to mention the lungs of the Earth. If we ever go to war in the Americas, it will be over water and the Amazon. Yes, it is the property of those countries in which it resides, but it pumps out O2 for everyone. The industrialized countries can keep making CO2, and other crap, and we won't be affected in a direct way (other than global warming, cancer, etc). However, when the very thing we need to breath is reduced, it will get ugly. Won't happen for 20 to 30 years though.
but the majority of wealth in brazil is concentrated in the hands of a few people... and the gap between rich & poor??
Hey, all you Brazil lovers: will you consider starting a thread with the very best in Brazilian music? I'm a World Music lover and hate to admit I know nothing about the subject...
I have to admit the EWZ is moving well. I am looking at the options right now. Are you guys trading any of the Brazilian ADR's like RIO? Any suggestions on good moving Brazilian ADR's would be welcome.