Latin America

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM): Current price $53.55 Bank of America Corporation has recruited Anwar Zakkour away from JPMorgan to be co-chief of global telecommunications, media and technology investment banking, said a memo obtained by Bloomberg. Zakkour will stay based in New York, and will report to the global head of investment banking, Christian Meissner, according to the memo, the contents of which were affirmed by a Bank of America spokesperson. His co-chief will be Chet Bozdog, who is presently head of global tech investment banking. Data compiled by Bloomberg indicate that Bank of America lags JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs Group in advising on mergers and acquisitions. Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC): Current price $40.66 As it continues to back its Global Financial Institution customers, Wells Fargo’s International Group, which forms a part of Wells Fargo & Co., is commemorating the 25th anniversary of its Overseas Bankers Training Program. Through this program, Wells Fargo invites select bankers from its GFI customers to San Francisco and supplies education and training in topics among which are credit analysis, risk management, cross sell and trends in international banking. The 2013 participants came from banks throughout Asia, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan. Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE:MA): Current price $586.37 On Wednesday, MasterCard announced the naming of Gilberto Caldart as president of its Latin America and Caribbean business, effective August 1st. Caldart presently heads the firm’s GeoSouth Division, comprised of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, for MasterCard LAC, and will report to President Ann Cairns of MasterCard’s International Markets. He takes the place of Richard Hartzell, who will assume a new role as the chief of MasterCard’s business with merchants and acquirers across its international markets. Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. American International Group (NYSE:AIG): Current price $44.81 Following an analyst meeting with Chief Executive Peter Hancock of AIG’s property-casualty division, Deutsche Bank upgraded its price target from $52 to $56, according to a note to investors on Tuesday by analyst Joshua Shanker. The analyst is “more confident” that AIG is ahead of schedule on its plan to boost margins in its property-casualty unit after meeting with Hancock, and also predicted that the firm will begin paying a dividend of 17 cents per share in the third quarter. Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now. Don’t Miss: Did Bank of America Purposely Delay Applications for Mortgage Aid? Read the original article from Wall St. Cheat Sheet

The silly buzz behind PepsiCo buying SodaStream has gone mercifully flat, and that makes Oppenheimer's move yesterday -- boosting its price target on SodaStream from $68 to $85 -- all that more significant. It's not about the takeover chatter that more often than not proves bogus. Investors should buy into a company only if they think it will eventually be worth more on its own. SodaStream once again proved its ability to thrive as a swinging single on Monday. Whirlpool teaming up with SodaStream to jointly develop a carbonation system is a pretty big deal. It's a brand stretcher. It's validation. It's a win-win move. However, shares of SodaStream somehow closed lower on the news. The stock closed lower yesterday, too, despite the Oppenheimer analyst move. It's pretty clear what's happening. Speculators who hopped on expecting a PepsiCo buyout at $95 earlier this month are moving on. It's only fair. SodaStream's shares soared 14% through the first two weeks of the month almost entirely on reports out of Israel claiming that PepsiCo had made a $2 billion buyout offer. The actual fundamentals at SodaStream never really improved at that time. Now that we're seeing legitimate catalysts in the form of an analyst's improving view and a partnership with a major appliance maker that's being offset by the selling that follows deflated buyout buzz. PepsiCo was never going to buy SodaStream. Why would it? Why would it anger its bottlers and confuse consumers by advocating a model that would destroy its overall profitability? No one should be surprised if someone does buy SodaStream. It just won't be PepsiCo. That rumor was insane. Soda suitors Who would make more sense as a potential suitor? I'm glad you asked. I'll go over three companies that would be far more realistic buyers, though naturally I'm not under the impression that any of these giants will go through with a deal. Let's start with Whirlpool. The company behind major Maytag appliances and smaller KitchenAid appliances wouldn't be putting out a "Powered by SodaStream" home-based beverage maker if it didn't see the potential. Whirlpool is also hungry for growth. Sales fell last year and should be flattish in 2013. Despite the housing boom that would seem to benefit Maytag appliances, growth just isn't happening. SodaStream would be too small to move the needle for a company with more than $18 billion in sales, but this could also be a way to diversify geographically. More than half of Whirlpool's sales came from North America in its latest quarter. Add in Latin America and we're talking about more than 80% of Whirlpool's business. SodaStream is growing quickly in North and South America, but that's just 41% of its revenue. SodaStream's biggest market remains Western Europe. Buying SodaStream could be an important step in Whirlpool growing its global footprint. Kraft Foods and Campbell Soup are the other two buyers that make sense. They already have working relationships with SodaStream. Kraft kicked things off more than a year ago when it moved to team up with SodaStream to put out Crystal Light diet drinks and Country Time lemonade as carbonated flavors. The relationship was promising enough that a few months later it added Kool-Aid to the line of SodaStream beverages. Campbell Soup has only provided its V8 Splash and V-Fusion product lines as SodaStream flavors, but Campbell is a serial acquirer. Revenue grew 15% in its latest quarter, but organic growth only clocked in 4% higher. Campbell isn't stopping. It has acquired two more companies since last month. SodaStream would provide far more growth than Campbell and Kraft are doing organically in the low single digits, and they also have the distribution muscle to increase SodaStream's presence at the supermarket level, where the company's just starting to get its carbonated feet wet. Will Whirlpool, Kraft, or Campbell actually buy SodaStream? They can. All three companies command market caps well north of $10 billion.

El mismo día que Marino Murillo apareció en la televisión explicando el potencial de prosperidad del modelo económico cubano, la secretaria del Partido Comunista en un municipio de Pinar del Río se reunía de urgencia con varios campesinos. La asamblea ocurrió en el poblado de San Juan y Martínez y se centró en el estado de emergencia agrícola por el que atraviesa el país. Entre otros temas la funcionaria exigió a los cooperativistas de la zona –dedicados especialmente al cultivo del tabaco- que sembraran más viandas y granos. “El país está en una situación de crisis alimentaria” aseguró, sin que eso provocara ningún revuelo entre quienes la escuchaban, pues el cubano común no recuerda ya otro estado que la crisis, la angustia y el colapso crónico. “Vayan sembrando que después irán llegando los recursos…”, se apresuró a decir antes quienes han escuchado más promesas sin cumplir, que cantos de sinsonte. En un momento la asamblea cambió de rumbo y los convocados comenzaron a marcar la agenda del día. Llovieron entonces las quejas. Un productor de frutas explicó los impedimentos para hacer un contrato directamente con la fábrica La Conchita y comercializar así sus guayabas y mangos. En lugar de eso, debe vender la producción a la entidad estatal Acopio que a su vez se encarga de suminístrasela a la industria de pulpas y mermeladas. El intermediario oficial sigue existiendo y se queda con la mayor tajada económica, aseguró el agricultor. Por su parte, un juego de alambre de 400 metros para cercar terrenos le cuesta a una empresa agrícola estatal unos 80 pesos (3,30 USD); mientras que el campesino afiliado a una cooperativa puede llegar a pagar por igual cantidad del mismo producto 600 pesos (25 USD). Un saco de cemento –indispensable a la hora de ampliar las instalaciones de una finca- tiene un valor máximo de 20 pesos (0,83 USD) para la granja estatal y de 120 pesos (5 USD, precio minorista, para el cooperativista. Cuando las relaciones de producción se convierten en una camisa de fuerza para el desarrollo de las fuerzas productivas entonces dichas relaciones tienen que cambiar. Así rezaba una de las conclusiones marxistas que más estudiamos en el preuniversitario y en la universidad. De ahí que al cotejar las declaraciones de Marino Murillo con los testimonios de varios campesinos y el desastre agrícola que nos rodea, sólo queda concluir que el actual modelo económico se comporta como un abrazo mortal para el desarrollo y la prosperidad de Cuba. No sirve de mucho que los funcionarios nos digan que ahora sí, que la bonanza y el progreso están a la vuelta de la esquina. Si el hombre en el surco se mantiene atenazado por el absurdo, quienes establecen tantas restricciones deben quitarse del medio y dar paso a otros que lo hagan mejor.

MasterCard Announces Leadership Changes in its Latin America and Caribbean Region New president for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is appointed; predecessor takes on new international role Tweet: MasterCard Latin America Appoints New President #MasterCardLAC http://bit.ly/10xv0L3 PURCHASE, N.Y. & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MasterCard announced today the appointment of Gilberto Caldart as president of its Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) business, effective August 1. Caldart, who currently heads the company's GeoSouth Division (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) for MasterCard LAC, will report to Ann Cairns, president of MasterCard's International Markets. He succeeds Richard Hartzell, who will take on a new role as head of MasterCard's business with merchants and acquirers across its international markets. "Both Richard Hartzell and Gilberto Caldart have played a key role in making Latin America and the Caribbean one of our most important and fastest-growing regions, and Brazil the second largest market in the world for MasterCard," said Ann Cairns. "I am certain that Gilberto, as the new regional head, and Richard, at the helm of our International Markets Merchant and Acquiring business, will continue to help our customers grow their business, and provide MasterCard cardholders with innovative payment products and solutions." Caldart joined MasterCard in 2008 from Citi Brazil where he was Country Business Manager, overseeing Retail Bank, Consumer Finance and the Cards business. He spent 26 years with Citigroup in various positions in Brazil and New York. He has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Accounting and an MBA from Duke University. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead one of MasterCard's most important regions," said Caldart. "The Latin America and Caribbean region is at the forefront of exciting new developments, and I look forward to facing the challenges ahead, and building on the excellent work Richard and the team has done." Richard Hartzell, who led MasterCard Latin America and Caribbean since 2006, joined the company in 1993 and has held various leadership positions within the company. "I am extremely pleased to take on this expanded role, building on the past and present efforts of many people dedicated to this critical segment of our business," said Hartzell. "Additionally, it is with great confidence that I leave the stewardship of LAC in the capable hands of Gilberto and the senior management team, knowing that they will continue to execute on MasterCard's vision of a world beyond cash." About MasterCard MasterCard (NYS: MA) , www.mastercard.com,is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world's fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard's products and solutions make everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news. Media: MasterCard Marcus Molina, (305) 539-2320 marcus_molina@mastercard.com or MasterCard Janet Rivera-Hernandez, (305) 539-2304 janet_rivera-hernandez@mastercard.comKEYWORDS:   United States  Brazil  North America  South America  Caribbean  Florida  New YorkINDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

#OccupyLASA – For the first time free Cubans attend For many years academic study of Latin America in the US has rested on a form of political leftism that brushes aside anyone who won’t comply with the Cuban revolution’s orders. As a result, many intellectuals on the Island have been excluded from Latin American professorships just for having lived in exile after suffering repression in our country. The Congresses of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) have by no means been free of ideological apartheid. Not only does the Cuban delegation include only those names that have been authorized by the Cuban government, but their speeches, which are officially approved by a national board, never contradict the propagandist revolutionary rhetoric. However, the XXXI International Congress of the LASA in Washington DC (May 29 – June 1, 2013) was an exception to these rules. Various Cuban human rights activists, now traveling the world following the scrapping of Exit Permits, registered for the conference online as a hash-tag spread through social networks: #OccupyLASA. Perhaps in response, some pro-government professors from the University of Havana (Juan Triana, Jorge Mario Sánchez, and Carlos Alzugaray, together with North American colleagues such as John Kirk of Dalhousie University, plus Cuban diplomats and security personnel from the Consulate) engaged in an “act of protest” against researcher Ted Henken of Baruch College (New York), simply because Henken had asked about the economist Omar Everleny Pérez, who had been dismissed from his position in Cuba without explanation and prohibited from traveling despite being part of the LASA program. Nevertheless, panels on topics such as “Afro-descendant Populations in the Cuban Nation,” included the critical voices of Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Juan Antonio Madrazo, Leonardo Calvo, and Rafael Campoamor, who used theory and practice to question the anti-democratic character of the Havana regime and the prospect of a democratizing transition. Such topics were unheard-of at LASA for decades, which is why 2013 was the beginning of a new story: From now on the Congress will have to be less of a complicit ghetto for ideological dreamers and must reflect the intellectual whole of our nation. Article taken in full from http://www.sampsoniaway.org/fearless-ink/2013/06/12/occupylasa-orlandopardo/ Tweet This Post

For the last decade, Brazil has been an emerging super power, building in infrastructure and opportunities for nearly 40 million impoverished citizens to work their way into the middle class. But a shift is working its way through the economy; rising inflation, debt, and a weakening currency have stripped many in the middle class of that title. The tension boiled over last week when a small protest against bus-fare increases was brutally squashed by the police force, and now people have taken to the street in droves to protest their government’s spending practices [see Single Country ETFs: Everything Investors Need To Know].  Over 30,000 people marched in in Rio de Janeiro Monday night and more in other major cities. President Dilma Rousseff is at her lowest approval rating ever and World Cup officials are reportedly debating if Brazil can handle the massive game set for next year. Once an obvious choice for investors, Brazil [...]Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.Related Posts:Ultimate Guide To iShares Latin America 40 Index Fund (ILF)UBS Launches Risk On / Risk Off ETNsTen Best ETF Performers Over The Last Five Years (Including A Few Surprises)Emerging Market ETFs: Seven Factors Every Investor Should ConsiderBrazil ETFs: Nine Ways To Play

Hike, India’s entry in the increasingly crowded mobile chat space, today made a push to expand its international footprint as it announced language support for Spanish, French, Russian, and Portuguese. The update comes less than two months after Hike received a $7 million round of investment from Bharti SoftBank (BSB), the joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Japanese operator SoftBank, which also serves as Hike’s parent company. Previously, Hike incorporated German language support to its platform and saw its numbers increase steadily in Germany. The inclusion of these four additional European languages will ramp up competition between long-standing player WhatsApp, as well as Japan’s Line, which has recently racked up a sizeable user base in Spain and Latin America. Kavin Bharti Mittal, Head of Product and Strategy Bharti SoftBank, told us that new language support marks just the first step in a greater global push. The app is fast approaching the 10 million download mark, and Hike will add “four to five languages each month” in order to encourage continued international growth. Hike has also introduced some other new features as part of the update. Taking cues from China’s WeChat, the app now boasts Push-to-Talk (walkie-talkie style) messaging. In addition, it now offers free sticker packs, which have proved successful for Asian messaging apps like Line — which made $58 million in Q1 2013 alone. Rounding out the update, Hike users can now choose which friends their share their Last Seen status with. The update — which reflects the last time they were online — is now only visible to those included in their Circle of Friends, which Bharti Mittal says adds “a veil of privacy” that many had requested. As for monetization, the app is available for free and will likely stay that way. However, Bharti Mittal and the team are already thinking about creative, sophisticated ways to earn money from their product: We might start charging for premium stickers, but that’s three/four months away. Once we figure out what the market wants we will look to add gaming, probably within two to three months. We have have ten or fifteen ideas for the future, we want to get a massive user base first – by the end of the year – and then look at making money. Some followers of the chat app wars (if you can call it that) might assume that it’s game over for anyone who’s not Line or WeChat. Bharti Mittal, however, doesn’t see the compeition as winner-take-all just yet, as he tells us, “People use two, maybe three messengers. Our aim isnt to compete with WhatsApp; it’s to build a quality application that people want to use.” Hike is currently the second most-used chat app in India. The app trails behind WhatsApp domestically, and is facing increased competition from WeChat, which is ramping up its marketing in the country. Globally, 40 percent of Hike’s user base is now outside of India. Hike currently processes close to 1 billion messages per month and boasts an active user base of 50 percent — certainly healthy growth for an app that is less than a year old. ? Hike: iOS | Android | Windows Phone | S60 | BlackBerry Image credit: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question. For more information, please see our Terms of Service.

Total media ad spending in Latin America will expand by 7.5% to reach $36.97 billion in 2013. Meanwhile, digital ad spending will rise by 21.5% to total $4.11 billion and an 11.1% share of all media ad spending in the region.

Continuing its international expansion, Netflix will move into the Netherlands later this year. This follows on from launches in the UK, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway in 2012 and Latin America in 2011. The streaming service currently has 36 million members in 40 countries. Netflix did not provide details of the Netherlands launch, but said information on pricing, content and supported devices will be available at a later date. It did confirm that users will have immediate access to Hollywood films, local and global movie and TV content and original series like House Of Cards and Arrested Development.

Google has added support for 18 new languages to its Google Drive web app suite. Besides Drive itself, this includes Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. The newly supported languages are Afrikaans, Amharic, Basque, Chinese (Hong Kong), Estonian, French (Canada), Galician, Icelandic, Khmer, Lao, Malaysian, Nepali, Persian, Sinhalese, Spanish (Latin America), Swahili, Urdu and Zulu With these 18 languages, Google Drive now supports 65 languages in total SEE ALSO: Google Offers 15GB Unified Storage Across Gmail, Drive, Google+ To switch to a different language in Drive, users must click the gear icon in the upper-right corner, select "settings" and choose a new language under "general." To change the language in Google Drive for mobile, they must open their device's language settings Read more...More about Language, Tech, Apps Software, and Google Drive