TY  - SER
AU  - Lapper, Richard
TI  - LATIN AMERICA'S MOOD SHIFT
KW  - AMERICA LATINA CRECIMIENTO ECONOMICO PREDICCIONES ECONOMICAS COMENTARIOS EDITORIALES
KW  - PREDICCIONES ECONOMICAS
KW  - 03
KW  - 3ext146
KW  - XL
N2  - Although some countries - notably Venezuela and Ecuador - are still in serious financial difficulty, gloom has largely given way to optimism in the region's largest economies. As demand from both overseas and domestic customers recovers, factory managers are beginning to see an upturn in orders. Brazil, the region's biggest economy, had been expected to contract by as much as 5 per cent last year, but eventually grew by 0.4 per cent. Although Argentina contracted last year by between 3 and 4 per cent, its economy is already on the mend, with growth of 3 per cent expected in 2000. Mexico has benefited from growing integration with the US economy, and expanded by 3.6 per cent last year
ER  -