Fund manager's comment:Chile lends hope to Latin America by Rodrigo Pinheiro

The Mercosur region is presently in great difficulties, most of which are flowing from Brazil. Howev...

The Mercosur region is presently in great difficulties, most of which are flowing from Brazil. However, the economic climate in Chile is very different and very much better than in either Brazil or Argentina. It is now quite widely recognised that the Asian, Russian and now Brazilian crises have weakened the Chilean economy, like those of other emerging countries. High interest rates are curbing domestic demand. Weak demand in the economies of trading partners is depressing demand for exports and reducing the price of those exports - notably, of copper. As a result, the first half of 1999 ...