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Non-Tech : Auric Goldfinger's Short List

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To: TRIIBoy who wrote (1194)1/8/1999 10:32:00 AM
From: Sir Auric Goldfinger  Read Replies (3) of 19428
 
They'll spend this like drunken sailors on holiday:"Brazil Gets $1 Bln World Bank Loans to Fix Pensions, Poverty
1/7/99 12:47

Washington, Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil will get $1 billion
in loans from the World Bank to bolster the country's efforts to
overhaul the social security system and protect for the poor from
the impact of the country's looming recession.
''Brazil's economic reform program... promises to bring
growth and stability to Latin America's largest economy and hence
to the entire region,'' said Shahid Javed Burki, vice president
for the World Bank's Latin America department.
Still, the loans come at a time when two of Brazil's biggest
states are rebuffing the federal government's attempts to collect
payments on outstanding debt. That standoff today triggered the
biggest decline in Brazilian stocks and bonds in more than three
months.
Brazil has been cut off from the global capital markets
since Russia's default on its debt in August spooked emerging
market investors. It needs the World Bank and other international
aid to supplement spending as it tries to cut its bloated budget
deficit.
Today's loans are part of the $4.5 billion the World Bank
pledged to a $41.5 billion aid package put together last month by
the International Monetary Fund. The money is being given on
condition the government cut about $23.5 billion (28 billion
reais) from the 1999 budget.
The government has drawn $9 billion from that package prior
to today's loans to supplement dwindling foreign currency
reserves, now at a low of $36 billion, down from the $74 billion
in August before the Russia crisis.

Pension System

The World Bank executive board approved a $757.5 million
loan for Brazil to overhaul its pension system, make it more fair
to all contributors and increase administrative efficiency, the
bank said.
About 18.4 million Brazilians collect pension payments from
the federal government.
The system will collect about $4.41 billion from state
workers while paying out about $16 billion to 900,000 former
federal employees this year. At the same time, the government
will collect about $40 billion from workers at private companies
and pay out $48 billion to 17.5 million retirees.
The World Bank also approved a $252.5 million loan to help
protect the country's poorest residents by providing access to
low-cost health care and ensure children stay in school.
The loans will carry a 9 percent interest charge and
repayment is within eight years."

--Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington (202) 624-1912 /mm
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