Latin America

Amid the boom in Latin America lately, Chile has produced substantial amounts of economic success. But the drop in commodities markets around the world has weighed on resource-reliant industries, and Sociedad Quimica y Minera is one of the companies that has suffered from that trend. On Tuesday, the company will release its latest quarterly results, and investors are nervous about whether SQM will be able to meet the growth expectations they have for the chemical company. From potash to lithium and iodine, SQM makes many useful products that other businesses rely on. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Sociedad Quimica y Minera over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report. Stats on Sociedad Quimica y Minera Analyst EPS Estimate $0.60 Change From Year-Ago EPS 5.3% Revenue Estimate $560.84 million Change From Year-Ago Revenue 5.9% Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters 1 Source: Yahoo! Finance. Will Sociedad Quimica y Minera bounce back this quarter? In recent months, analysts have gotten less optimistic about SQM's prospects, marking down their March-quarter estimates by $0.08 per share and cutting more than $0.20 per share from their 2013 and 2014 full-year consensus figures. The stock has reacted badly, falling almost 12% since late February. SQM has put up fairly strong numbers recently. Back in March, the company reported a 19% gain in net profits for the full 2012 year compared to 2011, with higher gross margins for the year. CEO Patricio Contesse pointed to strength in potassium, lithium, and its industrial chemicals lines, as well as better margins in its iodine-production business. Yet even with those sizable gains, SQM has faced large macroeconomic challenges. The financial crisis in Europe has hurt its business, with the company citing the weakness in European markets as having an impact on SQM's prospecst. Moreover, as a producer of potash-based fertilizers, the company has suffered from weak fertilizer prices. That's consistent with what we've seen from North American giants PotashCorp and Mosaic , both of which have struggled from competition from cheaper nitrogen-based fertilizer producers have that capitalized on extremely cheap natural-gas input prices to offer their products at a much more competitive price. Arguably, the biggest prospect SQM has is its lithium business, given the huge demand for lithium-ion batteries in recent years. Tesla Motors has seen its Model S electric-vehicle surge in popularity, and Tesla could finally be the catalyst that leads to a sharp jump in the number of electric vehicles produced. That in turn could create the growth in demand that SQM and other lithium producers need in order to reverse their recent share-price weakness. In SQM's report, look closely at how the company does both domestically and internationally. By pinpointing geographical areas of strength and weakness, you should be able to get clues to guide you not just about SQM but about the state of the industrial economy worldwide. Tesla's plan to disrupt the global auto business has yielded spectacular results. But giant competitors are already moving to disrupt Tesla. Will the company be able to fend them off? The Motley Fool answers this question and more in our most in-depth Tesla research available. Get instant access by clicking here now. Click here to add Sociedad Quimica y Minera to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Photo: Daniel Hernández-Salazar. Protesters in Guatemala and other Latin American countries gathered on Friday to denounce the Guatemalan Constitutional Court's recent decision to overturn the genocide trial and guilty verdict of Ríos Montt. About 1,500 people, mostly indigenous Maya from Guatemala, gathered in Guatemala City. They marched along what posters described as the "Route of Impunity," from the Supreme Court where the ex-General was convicted on May 10 and sentenced to 80 years in jail, to the Constutional Court which threw out the trial ten days later. Photos from the Guatemala City march below, along with images from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico, which were among the other countries where protests took place. Also below, snapshots from a pro-Ríos Montt protest that took place today in a suburb of Guatemala City: about 15 people gathered to denounce Communism and terrorism, and chant that "In Guatemala, there was no genocide." Protesters in Guatemala City, Friday May 24, 2013. Photo: Daniel Hernández-Salazar; more in this Facebook album. Also on Friday, former Guatemalan president Alfonso Portillo was extradited by the Guatemalan government to the United States, where he is wanted on allegations he laundered some $70 million through US banks. Portillo ruled Guatemala from 2000-2004, and was elected on the platform of the FRG party, which Ríos Montt founded and led. In 2010, the United States filed charges against him for what a prosecutor called “converting the office of the Guatemalan presidency into his personal A.T.M.” Portillo was also tried in Guatemala for looting millions in Guatemalan funds, but was acquitted. The timing of Portillo's extradition is seen by some within Guatemala as an attempt by the government of President Otto Pérez Molina to divert attention from growing unrest over the genocide trial. A protest for justice in Guatemala, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Photo: comunitariapress.blogspot.com. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum today released an open letter regarding the Constitutional Court’s decision on behalf of The Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation. Snip: We Maya have a memory that stretches back millennia and we do not forget our history. For this reason, we will fight tirelessly to protect the evidence of genocide, since there is technical, scientific and juridical proof that genocide and crimes against humanity occurred in our country. The crimes were committed under the highest military command and other authority that here and now hinders the judgement, putting at risk the Rule of Law, Democracy and Peace. We demand that the Constitutional Court comply with the decisions it issues, since it does not fall to the court to interfere in the actions of the judges and courts where standard trial proceedings are followed – as in this case – and it limits the possibility of prosecution of other serious crimes committed in this country. A protest for justice in Guatemala, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Photo: comunitariapress.blogspot.com. A banner hung on the Constitutional Court by protesters reads, "The Resolution of the Constitutional Court is a National Shame." Photo: Andrea Ixchíu. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, outside the Constitutional Court in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, outside the Constitutional Court in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. Photo: Protesters on Friday, March 24, outside the Constitutional Court in Guatemala City. Skylight Pictures. About 15 pro-military, pro-Ríos Montt, anti-genocide-trial protesters gathered on Saturday, March 25, in a Guatemala City suburb. Photo: Skylight Pictures. About 15 pro-military, pro-Ríos Montt,

Nissan has announced a recall of about 841,000 vehicles globally, 763,000 of which are Micra subcompacts (also known as the March), due to a steering wheel glitch. The models involved in the recall are the Micra produced in Britain and Japan between 2002 and 2006, as well as the Cube (78,000 units), built in Japan around the same period. Japan’s second-largest automaker said it is recalling vehicles in its home country, as well as in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Read more »

It looks like the International Monetary Fund has been jinxed. It’s fated. It’s doomed! The next managing director should start wearing garlic around their neck already or at least burn sage in their office to ward off evil spirits. Seems these days that anyone that steps into the shoes of the Managing Director of the IMF ends up becoming fated, the object of all desire. The man (or woman) to be in the sites of all our guns. The one to be bumped off. Christine Lagarde has defended herself. She has stated, declared, promised and reiterated countless times until she has gone blue in the face that she did not do anything untoward. “I always acted in the interests of the state and in conformity with the law” she said last night before she headed off at double-quick speed to chit-chat with her lawyer. All image! Outwardly calm and collected. Inwardly, terrifiée. She is an ‘assisted witness’ in the Adidas case, embroiling Bernard Tapie (and the 45 million euros that were awarded to him, which Lagarde never appealed against as Finance Minister of France) and Sarkozy’s (illegal?) election funding in 2007 and 2012. Being an ‘assisted witness’ is a nice way of putting it that you aren’t going to be prosecuted yourself, but you had some dangerous dabbling and fancy footwork going on and the judge knows more than you think. Why is it that the French always allow their past Ministers and Presidents to be ‘assisted’? I thought they hated their image of ‘assistanat’ (translate as: (state) dependency)! Jacques de Larosière (yes, another Frenchman), Managing Director of the IMF from 1978 until 1987 once wrote about moral hazard. Moral hazard is the name given by insurers to people who take risks just because they are insured and that they wouldn’t have taken those risks had the insurance policy not existed. Maybe he should have got on the blower to Lagarde before she took the risk of toying with Tapie and told her that; and maybe he should have stunted Strauss-Kahn’s ardent desires in room 2820 of the Sofitel Hotel NY before he took the risks. But Lagarde and Strauss-Kahn are not the only ones that have been involved in scandals. Some of other Managing Directors have too (thankfully, not all of them, and not all of them while they were in office at the IMF). Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo (2004-2007) He resigned for ‘persona reasons’. Listed as the worst CEO ever in 2012 of Bankia and charged in July 2012 for ‘accounting irregularities’. Horst Köhler (2000-2004) Had to resign from the Presidency of Germany because he said that Germany should be ready to go to war to defend their own interests of free-trade and to crush instability and regional insecurities in the world (so as to maintain standards of German revenue and trading possibilities), whatever the cost. Imperialism didn’t go down well. Michel Camdessus (1987-2000) Strongly criticized for his blinkered imposing of measures in East Asian countries and in Latin America. It caused unprecedented crises in countries like Argentina and rioting in Mexico. He resigned. Jacque de Larosière (1978-1987) Acquitted of any wrongdoing (but still involved) in the French Credit Lyonnais banking scandal. But, is there smoke without fire? The other Managing Directors did nothing (bad, that is, apparently…unless, someone knows something the rest of us can’t find). Perhaps the reasons why the scandals involve the most recent MD is a telling tale of our modern times. Just for the record, here are the others. H. Johannes Witteveen (1973-1978) Pierre-Paul Schweitzer (1963-1973) Per Jacobsson (1956-1963) Ivar Roth (1951-1956) Camille Gutt (1946-1951) Of course, the IMF has long realized that they are in for a rough ride. They thought they had the right candidate in Lagarde (she was a woman, not a womanizer). But, they didn’t think she like the pesos more than the petting. Still, better to have Lagarde than to face another upheaval, so it’s not surprising that the executive board has back

Nissan India has announced a recall for its Micra and Sunny for changing the master brake cylinder. As an estimate a total of about 22,188 units will be affected by this recall. These vehicles were manufactured in Chennai and were sold all over India. The company has issued the recall stating that Nissan is planning to notify individual customers in May. Nissan dealers will be replacing the brake cylinder at no extra cost. The statement also states that Nissan is committed towards high level of customer satisfaction, service and safety. It is working continuously with the dealers for dealing with the issue. This recall include a total of 67,089 units of Micra and Sunny that were sold in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, India and Middle east markets. No accidents injuries or any type of mishap has been reported till now due to the malfunctioning of the brakes. But the Nissan has issued the recall at the first hand to prevent any of these.

The weekend we’ve been looking forward to has finally arrived! The long-awaited James Turrell: A Retrospective has opened for members and will be on view to the general public starting on Sunday. Though tickets for Sunday have sold out, a very limited amount of time slots are still available for viewing on Saturday (members only) and Monday (open to all). This exhibition requires only a few people in a gallery at a time, and sometimes as much as ten minutes with one work in order for your eyes to fully perceive what is happening. Expect to spend 60-90 minutes in the show, and make sure you reserve your tickets in advance. (The separately ticketed artwork, Light Reingfall, from Turrell’s Perceptual Cell series–which can only accommodate three people per hour–is sold out through July, but once you experience this astral show you’ll easily see what all the commotion is about.) James Turrell, Breathing Light, 2013, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Kayne Griffin Corcoran and the Kayne Foundation, © James Turrell, Photo © Florian Holzherr Beyond James Turrell, we’ve got plenty of other wonders to share. Case in point: the recently opened Hans Richter: Encounters. Tour through the mind of polymath, painter, filmmaker, and writer Hans Richter in this dazzling exhibition with nearly 150 artworks by the artist and his contemporaries. Hans Richter, Dreams That Money Can Buy (still), 1944–47,© Hans Richter Estate On the east side of campus you’ll find the crowd-pleasing Stanley Kubrick, entering  its last month. (Heads up, we will be screening nearly all of his movies one more time throughout June, starting next weekend.) Next door, in the Pavilion for Japanese Art, you can still see Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum. See these ten masterpieces of early Ming dynasty court painting before they’re gone on June 2. Li Zai, The Daoist Adept Qin Gao Riding a Carp, Ming dynasty, 15th century, Shanghai Museum On a different note, music lovers and fans of warm evenings will be delighted to know that this weekend is the opening night of the 2013 season of Latin Sounds. This weekly, free music series presents world-renowned artists playing the latest sounds from all over Latin America. On Saturday night, BombaChante, an explosive nine piece ensemble known for tight rhythms and a screaming horn section, will kick off the summer right. Latin Sounds starts at 5 pm, is open to the public, and takes place behind LACMA in Hancock Park. The music doesn’t stop there: Sundays Live, also free, features emerging artists from the Colburn School. Catch it in the Bing Theater Sunday evening at 6pm. Lastly, Monday is Memorial Day and in celebration LACMA and Target are offering visitor of all ages a free day at the museum (does not include admission to Stanley Kubrick or James Turrell). Activities at Target Free Holiday Monday include bilingual tours, programs, art-making stations, and live music by the Music of China Ensemble at UCLA. You have to be here! Roberto Ayala

When your brand is all about image and making people feel good about the way they look, it's no wonder you might be a little self-centered. Yesterday, Ralph Lauren released its fourth-quarter results, announcing that they were "better-than-expected" -- it's unclear who was expecting worse. Apparently, not Ralph Lauren itself. Back in the third quarter, the company forecast fourth-quarter retail revenue growth of 8% to 11% -- it managed 7%. It also predicted flat wholesale revenue, which actually fell 4% instead. In Ralph's defense, it did manage to beat its own expectation on operating margin expansion, pushing the metric up to 11.1%. Hold off on that champagne for just a second Investors were less impressed with the designer. The stock fell 2.3% on the day, and was down after-hours as well. While the company did beat analysts' expectations on a per-share basis, the revenue miss dragged the price down. On the retail side, comparable-store sales grew 3% in the fourth quarter. That's a better result than most companies have been turning in this week, but not as strong as other luxury players. Saks , which reported first-quarter results on Tuesday, grew comparable-store sales by 5.9%, leading the current pack. Saks' strong growth reflected the company's strong brand, and the smaller growth at Ralph does the same. Still, it could have been worse. The increase in operating margin shows that management has a hold on the company's costs, even if sales are sluggish. Even the 3% comparable-sales growth wasn't bad. Gap also released earnings yesterday, and it only managed a 2% increase in comparable sales. Even with all those positive points, Ralph Lauren still didn't turn in what anyone would call a "great" quarter. Wholesale revenue, which makes up almost half of total revenue, dropped 4%. That fall was due to the discontinuation of the company's American Living line, but it also stemmed from less demand overall. Putting a positive spin on things, the company did manage to increase operating margin in the wholesale channel through favorable product mix. The bottom line Ralph Lauren has been pretty good to investors over the last year, but I don't see anything special about this company. It has the benefit of being cheaper -- on a price-to-earnings basis -- than Saks, but doesn't seem to be even close to as dynamic. Even Gap seems to be doing more interesting things than Ralph, and it's substantially cheaper. Ralph's main benefit is that the company is so well known that it feels very low-risk. It's clicking along, growing but not astounding. I think the company has a lot of potential in its wholesale business, especially as it looks to expand in Asia and Latin America, but that growth is still a ways off. Instead of jumping in with both feet, I'm looking for other brands that manage to impress me -- instead of just themselves. Another luxury retail stock to considerMichael Kors is one of today's hottest high-end fashion brands, and since its debut on the market in late 2011, the share price has more than doubled. But with all that growth, has the stock finally become too expensive, or is there still room left to run? The Motley Fool's premium report on Michael Kors gives investors all the information they need to make the right decision. We cover the key must-watch areas, opportunities, and threats to the company that investors need to know. To claim your copy, simply click here now for instant access.

Pathe Intl. has revealed a raft of sales on its Cannes slate, including Jerome Salle’s thriller “Zulu,” which closes the fest. “Zulu” was picked up by Japan (Klockworx), Brazil (Europa), Scandinavia (Scanbox), Latin America (Telexcine), India (Pictureworks), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF) and Iceland (Myndform). The pic, which stars Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom, previously sold to The Weinstein Company... Read more »

Interactive Intelligence to Present at Raymond James Internet/Software Crossover Conference INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (NAS: ININ) , a global provider of unified IP business communications software and services, today announced that its CFO, Stephen R. Head, will present at the Raymond James Internet/Software Crossover Conference held in Half Moon Bay, Calif. on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 9 a.m. Pacific time (12 p.m. Eastern time). A live webcast and the replay of this presentation will be available on the investor relations section of the company's website at http://investors.inin.com. About Interactive Intelligence Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (NAS: ININ) is a global provider of contact center, unified communications, and business process automation software and services. The company's unified IP business communications solutions, which can be deployed on-premises or via the cloud, are ideal for industries such as financial services, insurance, outsourcers, collections and utilities. Interactive Intelligence was founded in 1994 and has more than 5,000 customers worldwide. The company is among Forbes Magazine's 2011 Best Small Companies in America and Software Magazine's 2012 Top 500 Global Software and Service Providers. Interactive Intelligence employs more than 1,400 people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company has offices throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or info@inin.com; on the Net: www.inin.com. Interactive Intelligence is the owner of the marks INTERACTIVE INTELLIGENCE, its associated LOGO and numerous other marks. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. ININ-G Interactive IntelligenceStephen R. Head, +1 317-715-8412Chief Financial Officersteve.head@inin.comorChristine Holley, +1 317-715-8220Senior Director of Market Communicationschristine.holley@inin.comorICR, Inc.Seth Potter, +1 646-277-1230Investor Relationsseth.potter@icrinc.comKEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California  IndianaINDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

Countries in Latin America have been the primary targets in this campaign, researchers say.