 By Luisa Frey
The collapse of Eike Batista’s business empire has dominated the headlines about Brazil in recent weeks. With good reason. The brash entrepreneur’s rise and fall has become a metaphor for the end of the country’s economic boom.
After growing 7.5 per cent in 2010, Brazil’s economy expanded by a paltry 2.7 per cent in 2011 and sputtered to only 0.9 per cent last year. This year it is forecast to grow by 2.5 per cent. Meanwhile, inflation is stubbornly high at 5.84 per cent in October (on a yearly basis) – well above the official target of 4.5 per cent. To keep expanding, the country will need to boost its productivity by eliminating growth bottlenecks, improving infrastructure and encouraging investment. Here are some of the best articles from the FT and elsewhere about the end of the “Samba economy”. Continue reading » | 
