100 Anniversary Issue

Latin Trade, July, 2001

JANUARY 1997

"El Loco" de Ecuador

Neo-liberal economic policies give way to the "neo-loco" policies of President Abdala Bucaram.

FEBRUARY 1997

Panama Countdown Time

With the canal handover just three years away, Panama plans to become a major transshipment hub. It did.

MARCH 1997

Bankers Powers

"Our objective is to be one of the two or three leading banks in Latin America."--Ana Patricia Botin, CEO of Santander Investment Banking

LATIN TRADE launches a Spanish-language edition, Revista LATIN TRADE.

APRIL 1997

No More "Wobblies"

A revitalized LanChile roars.

MAY 1997

Stall Warning

Venezuela's flagship airline Viasa shuts down after 37 years.

JUNE 1997

Debt Load

Latin American debt hits a record high $607 billion, says the IMF. It is estimated to finish 2001 at $780 billion.

JULY 1997

Sell-off

Brazil's CVRD sells a 41.7% controlling stake for $3.1 billion, Latin America's largest privatization to date.

AUGUST 1997

Patience is a Virtue

"We're frying a lot of fish right now and the kettle is only so big."--White House spokesman Mike McCurry on why free trade has been slow in coming

SEPTEMBER 1997

Laid Off

Colombian coffee pitchman Juan Valdez hang glides to sell Java to Generation X. In April 2001 Valdez was retired.

OCTOBER 1997

Change Afoot

"Which candidate won is not the issue. The fact is that Mexico is more democratic today than yesterday."--Goodyear Mexico President Hugh Pace, on Cuauhtemoc Cardenas' mayoral win in Mexico City

NOVEMBER 1997

Latin America's Newest Tycoon

Billionaire George Soros builds an empire from Argentina to Mexico.

DECEMBER 1997

Tiger Cub

Emilio Azcarraga Jean, son of El Tigre, gains respect as head of Mexican media empire Televisa.

JANUARY 1998

Panic

Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso raises interest rates and taxes to head off a crisis after the Asian collapse.

FEBRUARY 1998

Strong Words

"The Venezuelan state is a huge leech sucking society dry."--Teodoro Petkoff, planning minister of Venezuela

MARCH 1998

Want Fries With That?

Franchising booms at 120% annual growth in the race to grab rising incomes.

APRIL 1998

What Asian Collapse?

Asia busts, but Latin America booms: The regional economy outstrips world growth at 5.3%.

MAY 1998

Two Steps Forward...

Mexico President Ernesto Zedillo busts street vendors for selling rubber masks of his likeness.

JUNE 1998

Good Harvest

Argentine farmers come into their own as the world's breadbasket.

JULY 1998

Slow Going

Thirty-four presidents meet in Santiago, Chile, pledging free trade by 2005.

AUGUST 1998

Pay off

Latin American infrastructure investments drive tourism to record highs.

SEPTEMBER 1998

Big Seller

Pfizer launches Viagra in Brazil. Pharmacies sell 80% of stock in first day.

OCTOBER 1998

PC Boomlet

Consumer computers break the $1,000 barrier in Brazil, sparking buying.

NOVEMBER 1998

Clueless

"I have asked some friends of mine, and no one knows anything."--Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on Chile's "disappeared."

El Commandante Calling

Hugo Chavez takes office in Venezuela, calling for massive public reforms just as oil prices hit record lows.