Brazilian-U.S. Overtures Bode Well for U.S. Companies https://nacla.org/node/6911

Commenting on the prospects for amicable Brazilian-U.S. relations, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Jose Fernandez told reporters on February 10, “We have what I would call a sweet spot: We have a new government in Brazil, we have our president coming here. We have a lot of opportunities and we believe now is the time to try to take advantage of those opportunities.” Talking about U.S. investment in Rio’s 2016 Olympics he added, "Stadiums, roads, power plants, electricity — those are areas where we believe U.S. companies can play a part.”

U.S. businesses are also benefitting from Rousseff’s continuance of Lula’s economic policies, especially his low restrictions on foreign direct investment. According to the Brazilian Finance Ministry, direct foreign investment rose from 43% to 72% of GDP between 2001 and 2009.Though the United States may not overtake China as Brazil’s largest trading partner, Washington is steadily opening doors for U.S. businesses in the country. With Brazil’s economy expected to continue growing, there will be no shortage of U.S. interest in satisfying its rising consumer demand.