IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Business International

Business International

Beef goes off the menu for Argentina's farmers

Argentines are passionate about their beef - from cattle grazed on the sprawling pampas grasslands, it's a national staple, delivered inexpensively and received with religious fervor at Sunday barbecues nationwide.

Fed worried credit woes could hit growth

Federal Reserve policymakers worried that a credit crunch could sharply brake economic growth and require big interest rate cuts, according to minutes of the Fed's December 11 policy meeting, released on Wednesday.

There's no reason to expect US will go into recession in '08

Some analysts were predicting a recession would hit the US economy in the fourth quarter as consumers, hurt by falling house prices and the high cost of gasoline, cut spending.

Will Wien's prognostications prove right?

Byron Wien, the strategist whose New Year's predictions have influenced investors for a quarter century, said the US economy will fall into a recession and stocks will tumble 10 percent this year.

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

Business International

US auto giants to end '07 on flat note

General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co will probably say December US auto sales fell as consumers reined in spending, ending a year with the lowest demand for cars and trucks in a decade.

S.Korea exports up less than expected

South Korean exports in December rose less than expected, data showed yesterday, and the government forecast overseas sales this year would slow on weakening demand from the United States.

Hyundai aims at 20% sales growth

South Korea's top automaker, Hyundai Motor Co, aims to increase car sales by a fifth this year to 3.11 million vehicles, but the ambitious growth target in fiercely competitive markets failed to impress investors, who marked Hyundai shares down more than 4 percent.