WTI Oil Price Stabilizes at $36.26 a Barrel for July

Crude oil finished virtually unchanged on Friday, with Brent's barrel for August delivery ending at $38.73 in London, up 0.5% from Thursday's close. In New York, meanwhile, WTI's barrel for July delivery dropped 0.2% to $36.26.

Sanitary emergency generates production of biosecurity implements

The health emergency that the country is going through has generated a new business; the production of biosecurity suits and implements. Cotexco, a company from Cochabamba that before the pandemic produced jeans, indirectly exported up to five thousand chinstraps to Peru. In Santa Cruz, some 600 small companies have begun manufacturing these materials. The internationalization of Chinese production is reducing the only source of income for these business units.

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More than 50% of donations to fight the pandemic comes from the private sector

Between March and April, the State attracted donations for a total of $5 million, of which $2.8 million came from the Bolivian private sector and the rest from international organizations and partner countries to strengthen the fight against COVID-19.

BDP channels $21.55 mn to microenterprise loans

The Bank of Productive Development (BDP-SAM), channel Bs 150 million ($21.55 mn) through financial institutions to reactivate micro-enterprises. Also, in the following weeks, they will channel the Bs 1.5 billion ($215.51 mn) established in Ministerial Resolution 159.

25% of nightclubs close with losses of $2.15 million

25% of the discotheques, cafes, bars, restaurants and liquor stores affiliated to the Federation of Tourist Activities and Entertainment of Cochabamba (Fatec) have closed during the three months that the quarantine has already lasted. Also, the sector loses five million bolivianos ($718,390) in each month it is not operating, which represents a deficit of almost Bs 15 million ($2.15 mn)

74% of the industries do not access or do not process the State Credit Plan

74% of the industries did not access or do not process the State Credit Plan for wages or business operation in the framework of the COVID -19 pandemic because of difficulties in accessing it. The Government approved credits of Bs1.5 billion for micro and small enterprises and a Plan to Support Employment of Bs2 billion. In the first case the loans have a rate of 11.5% and in the second, to pay salaries 3.73%.

Loans for $629.3 mn paralyzed in the Legislative

In the face of the health emergency caused by the coronavirus COVID-19, the State managed three loans from the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which totalled $624.3 billion.