☀ Domingo Brief — Paraguay’s Credit Upgrade

Each Sunday, take two minutes to catch key stories and opportunities shaping Latin America.

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Welcome back to the Domingo Brief! This week, we’re keeping up with Honduran economic growth, Venezuelan repression, and more.

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Trivia of the Week

Exactly 47% of you correctly guessed São Paulo as the Latin American city which has the largest number of nikkei, or members of the Japanese diaspora. Since 1908, São Paulo has been a global hotspot for Japanese immigration; in fact, as of 2007, the Japanese population in São Paulo was larger than the Japanese diaspora in the rest of South America. The recurring influx of Japanese immigrants eventually fostered the development of Liberdade, home to the world’s largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

Each week, tune back in for the answer to the previous week’s trivia question. No cheating!

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🇧🇷 Brazilian deforestation increased for the first time in July, breaking a 15-month positive streak of reducing Amazon destruction. Approximately 666 square kilometers of jungle were cleared in July, a 33% increase from the same month last year according to the country’s Environmental Ministry. Nonetheless, aggregate Amazon deforestation for the first seven months of the year has decreased 27% compared to last year as President Luiz Inácio Lula’s anti-deforestation goals continue.

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🇭🇳 Honduran economic activity grew by 4.7% in the first half of 2024 according to the central bank’s monthly index for economic activity. This boom was primarily driven by an increase in manufacturing and transportation investment as well as the dynamism of private consumption despite unstable socio-economic and political circumstances. While agriculture and livestock activity decreased by 2.1%, the sectors which stimulated the most significant growth were insurance & pension funds, private construction, electricity & water, and commerce.