Puerto Rico is said to be one of the countries in the region that now suffers from a critical trade imbalance, therefore the island nation is now seeking to increase trade in goods and services with Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and other countries in the region. Communications, transportation, and technology are some of the areas identified for a boost. On other matters, Puerto Rico continues to enjoy a healthy relationship with Trinidad and Tobago.

Barbados has been identified as one of the most competitive countries in the world to do business. In a list compiled by the World Economic Forum, the country comes in at number 31 out of 125 countries. The ranking is based on a survey of over 11,000 business leaders in those countries.

President Leonel Fernandez spoke at meetings in Philadelphia and Miami last week, pushing for investment in the Dominican Republic. He proclaimed that the Dominican Republic would become “the investment center for the Caribbean”. In Philadelphia, Mr. Fernandez addressed the Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce, where he stressed on the development of the Dominican system of industrial free zones and the increasing number of accords inked with governments and universities.

Brazil’s real had its biggest weeklong gain in more than a month as exporters took advantage of a drop in the currency to sell dollars. The currency rose as much as 1 percent, rebounding from last week’s three-month low. A 2.6 percent drop last week --the biggest since May-- allowed exporters to sell dollars at a better rate and prompted investors to snap up local assets on expectations Brazil will continue to offer attractive returns.

Carnival Corporation & plc reported net income of $1.23 billion, or $1.49 diluted EPS, on revenues of $3.91 billion for its third quarter ended August 31, 2006. Third-quarter revenues ramped up 8.3 percent, primarily driven by a 5.2 percent increase in capacity and an increase in revenue yields (revenue per available lower berth day).

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez wrapped up a busy agenda in Chicago last week, where he dictated a conference on the opportunities of investment in his country in the Harris School. Fernandez also met with executives of hotel company Roco Ki, whose front office promised to expand their project in Macao, in the Dominican province of Altagracia, with an additional $1 billion.