Over the past year, Brazil has established itself as one of the most exciting markets in the world for investors. Its Bovespa stock index is up 55% this year. And the discovery of the huge new Tupi oil field off its east coast has led some investors to refer to Brazil as the “New Saudi Arabia.”

The worst global recession since World War II is ending faster than previously thought, but the recovery will still be a slow one, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said today (Thursday).

ECB Holds Rates at 1%; Shanghai Soars; Oracle-Sun Deal Faces European Probe; Dainippon Agrees to Buy Sepracor; South Korea 2Q GDP Moves 2.6%; OECD Says Global Recession May Be Over; Vale Restarting Idled Iron Ore Mines; Cerberus: No Withdrawals for 3 Years; Gold Nears $1,000 Mark

U.S. stocks fell on Monday as concerns about the global economy’s health weighed on Wall Street, following a hefty sell-off in Chinese equities.

Despite the ‘demand destruction’ hype, it is interesting to note that during this severe global recession, worldwide oil usage has dropped by a minuscule 2.7%. So, what will happen when the world comes out of this recession? Who will rise up to the challenge and meet our insatiable thirst for energy? These are critical questions not many are willing to ask.

The final word is out. UBS is handing over information on roughly 5,000 accounts and the IRS will back off its fishing expeditions on the remaining ~42,000 accounts.

Eurozone consumers expect prices to continue to slide over the next few months, raising concerns about a deflationary spiral in the European bloc, the Financial Times reported. 

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday following another string of stronger-than-expected quarterly corporate profits, a broker upgrade for General Electric Co , and fresh indications that the global economic downturn is easing.

Back in February, I profiled a great infrastructure “pick & shovel” company. Praxair (NYSE:PX) is a global Fortune 300 company, the largest industrial gases company in the Americas, and one of the largest in the world.

In the currency market, the dollar moved higher once again against the euro. Late Wednesday, the euro was trading at $1.3882 vs. $1.3918 on Tuesday.