Brazil has targeted Petrobras contractors as its corruption probe expands. 

Argentina has a plan to bypass the vulture funds.  Economy minister Axel Kicillof has praised the results of a recent debt swap. 

Economic mega projects are among the largest producers of social conflicts in the country.  Groups affected have reported imprisonment and murder.  And 2014 closed with a good deal of pessimism about Mexico’s economy. 

Thousands of Guatemalans living abroad and foreign visitors send money. 

The economic growth that Panama has had in recent years seems to have had little impact on the economy of Panamanian households. 

The growth outlook for the Mexican economy in the short term remains subject to significant risks, said the International Monetary Fund.  The defeated PSDB presidential candidate in Brazil says he and his party got it right. 

The administration in Argentina points to its efforts to strengthen “media pluralism”; a newly reopened market in Havana struggles to get up to speed; and household consumption in Brazil fell by 0.9% in November.

Officials in both countries expect exports to generate U.S. $20 million in the border area. 

The growth of the Colombian economy is limited by its poor transport network; Mexico unveiled a highway master plan; and new infrastructure projects in Rio go ahead.   

Many observers think that Venezuela’s currency is about to crash due to hyperinflation, though others say the threat is a survivable one.  Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered budget cuts in response to a sharp drop in oil prices, calling for salary reductions for himself and other senior government officials.  The opposition says Venezuela has