U.S. Stocks Lower with European Union Meeting

Stocks declined after touching session highs in choppy Tuesday morning as traders were disappointed by comments from French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's press conference in Paris.

Via CNBC.com:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell, led by BofA [BAC 7.4789 -0.2811(-3.62%)] and Caterpillar [CAT 89.51-1.86(-2.04%)] after soaring more than 200 points in the previous session. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also slumped. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, rose near 33. All 10 S&P sectors slipped, led by financials and industrials. The banking sector has alternated between gains and losses every day since last Monday.

Mexico Less Dependent on U.S. Market

Mexico is less dependent on the U.S. market says the Mexican government. This news was released yesterday as the Secretary of Economy, Bruno Ferrari, stated that the United States once accounted for 85 percent of Mexico's international trade flows but that proportion has fallen to 80 percent. This change comes after Mexico has been opening up new markets in other countries.

Click here to get the full perspective on this issue with in depth data for a variety of industries.

Venezuelan Economy: Opening the Gates to Corruption

According to a study published in June 2011 by the World Justice Project (WJP), Venezuela has “the worst result in the world” when it comes to justice, corruption, and interference by the Executive Branch in the other branches of government. The issue being raised in Venezuela for some time now is the amendment of a bill called the Anti-Corruption Act, which it said would potentially open new windows of opportunity for corruption, according to Mercedes De Freitas, the executive director of Transparencia Venezuela.

Click here to read more on the state of the Venezuelan economy and the new corruption act.

10 Things Investors Should Know About Latin America

Click here for an expansive list of what investors need to know in order to successfully invest in Latin America.