Minister of Finance Guido Mantega of Brazil

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Upon Lula's access to power in 2003, Mantega was appointed Minister for Planning, and later chairman to BNDES (National Bank for Economical and Social Development.

credit lines and confidence needed to halt the crisis.

Earlier this year, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said money for the fund would come from the federal government's primary budget surplus expected to come in at 3.

as saying in comments published on Monday.

to experience an economic growth rate of between 4.

to allay investor concern that he may boost government outlays.

spending and push for faster interest rate cuts.

central bank to push down interest rates further and faster.

percent next year, after expanding as much as 4.

Graduated in economics from the School of Economics and Administration of Universidade de São Paulo, Guido Mantega was a professor of economics in the School of Business Administration of Fundação Getúlio Vargas since 1981.

Guido Mantega was born in Genoa, Italy, on April 7, 1949.

The non-reduction of the TJLP can certainly compromise investments because the expectation of businessmen lies on a reduction of rates", Mantega is quoted as saying, observing that businessmen look at the current TJLP rate when planning investments.

It is the most successful economic policy of the last 15 to 20 years in Brazil," Mantega said in Brasilia, the capital.

5 percent, and Mantega said he supports systemic reductions of the benchmark Selic interest rate from its current 16.

8 billion) in spending cuts made this year to combat inflation, Mantega said in testimony before the lower house's finance committee.

Mantega said last month the government would boost its budget surplus before interest payments to 4.

Once inflation eases, Mantega said the fund may buy dollars in operations similar to the central bank's and fund government and private Brazilian investments abroad through the state- controlled development bank.

Mantega said it was premature to discuss how the royalties will be spent since production at Tupi and adjacent oil fields is still a few years off.

Inflation Monster'Mantega said the government is combating inflation, now at a two-year high, and claims that the country faces an ``inflation monster'' are exaggerated.

Brasília, 28 - Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega is celebrating on Friday his second anniversary at the helm of Brazil's economic policy with an administration marked, on the one hand, by attempts at conferring a development-oriented view on policy making and, on the other hand, by a somewhat awkward style of communicating with society.

As opposed to (former Finance ministers) Malan and Palocci, who believed that they should only regulate and wait for growth to come eventually, Mantega takes measures for that to materialize," he added.

What's more, Mantega is blamed by a number of officials for the government's failure in renewing the CPMF tax for another four years in Congress.

In these last two years, Mantega has alternated periods of silence and public pressure about monetary policy.

Brazil's new Finance Minister Guido Mantega said that the government's conservative economic policies will not change and called its primary budget surplus target sacred.

Economic policy won't change, Mantega said at a televised news conference in Brazil's capital Brasília.

Mantega supports running primary surpluses, which aim to eventually reduce the government's debt load and narrow its net budget deficit.

Guido Mantega was a member of the PT Economic Coordination Program (Coordenao do Programa Econmico do PT) in the presidential elections of 1989 (the first time Lula ran) and 1998 (the third time Lula ran.

Mantega was one of the coordinators of the successful 2002 presidential campaign's economic platform.

Differently from the man he substitutes, Antonio Palocci, who was a doctor but spent his life in politics, Guido Mantega is an economist and sociologist who followed an academic career and has numerous publications to his credit in economy and sociology, such as Acumulao Monopolista e Crises no Brasil (1981), A Economia Política Brasileira (1984) and Sexo e Poder (1979.

As an economist, Mantega is considered a developmentalist, a follower of the ideas of Celso Furtado, among others.

Guido Mantega was born in Geneva, Italy, and came to Brazil as a child.

Mantega said that the latest manufacturing data from the state of São Paulo, the power horse of Brazil, showed a solid growth of 6.

A spokesman for the Finance Ministry confirmed the incident and said Mantega was not hurt, but would not provide further details.

The newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said all Cabinet ministers are offered security, but that Mantega had not requested it.

Mantega was a top adviser to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the landmark 2002 presidential campaign that swept the former union leader to power as Brazil’s first elected leftist leader.

Mantega was planning and budget minister and led Brazil’s National Development Bank before being tapped as finance minister.

G-20 heads of state will debate ways to reform the financial system in Washington, where Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega says they'll be under pressure to act fast.

and other countries where the current crisis started should reimburse emerging economies for financial losses suffered when rattled foreign investors dumped assets in recent months, Mantega said without naming those nations.

Brasilia - Brazil will support the candidacy of Dominique Strauss-Kahn to head the International Monetary Fund, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Thursday.

Mantega said in a statement released in Brasilia that former French finance minister Strauss-Kahn has stood up for reforms in the voting and representation system at the IMF, a position that the Brazilian government shares.

The G7 group of the most advanced economies is no longer sufficient to address global crises such as the one rippling around the world, and the G20 should be strengthened to supersede it, Mantega said after a meeting with his counterparts from the other so-called BRIC countries.

Brasila, Oct 22 - More Brazilian companies will announce losses in the currency derivatives market but those that already have are solid and can continue to operate normally, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Tuesday.

Companies that had losses with derivatives are solid and can continue operating normally," Mantega said during a public hearing in Congress on Tuesday.

Do we need new legislation? Yes," Mantega said on Tuesday.

SANTIAGO , Sept 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Wednesday hedge funds were responsible in part for the current global turmoil and should be regulated, but that wealth funds were more transparent.

Mantega said sovereign wealth funds helped to stabilize the global economy -- an issue on which there are differing views among other countries where the funds invest hundreds of billions of dollars.

Mantega said that the BRIC agreed that they must have better coordinated actions and work close together for political and economic actions.

Mantega said that while such economic tools may be defended, they were hardly consensual.

The central bank acted with excessive zeal in conducting its interest rate policy last year, Mantega said in an interview with BandNews radio station.

Mantega had been president of Brazils National Development Bank and before that he was a budget minister.

Asked whether he would ease spending controls, Mantega said he would favor a more efficient state.

Mantega said the government does not have a broader plan to boost control over Brazil's private banks, which compete with state banks for business.

Mantega said he did not know whether the Votorantim deal would restore Banco do Brasil's position as the nation's banking leader, but Brazilian media reported that the purchase of the stake places Banco do Brasil close to the Itau-Unibanco combination.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the measures were prompted by the melting of the dollar, which recently fell to 1.

Mantega said Brazil does not expect the dollar to rebound suddenly, but intends the new measures to signal a new direction.

However Mantega said that the government would not use the Central Banks international reserves for the sovereign fund suggesting that the money could come from fiscal sources, or we may even also purchase US dollars in the local market.

Mantega said the ideal size for the fund would be equivalent to 5 to 10% of Brazil's international reserves.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega says the measure aims to help poor Brazilians and also stimulate the economy by creating construction jobs.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega says the measure aims to help poor Brazilians and.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega says the measure aims to help poor Brazilians and also stimulate the economy by creating.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega says the measure aims to help poor Brazilians and also stimulate.

Yesterday the Brazilian government announced its six months moratorium on mortgage payments for unemployed home owners, now Minister of Finances Guido Mantega said that a federal controlled bank will boost.

Yesterday the Brazilian government announced its six months moratorium on mortgage payments for unemployed home owners, now Minister of Finances Guido Mantega said that a federal controlled bank will boost spending on infrastructure and housing.

Brazil will boost spending on infrastructure and expand housing credit early next year, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Sunday in comments published by a leading newspaper.

Mantega said Brazil's state development bank, the BNDES, will have 110 billion reais ($46.

Mantega said on Thursday a commission of authorities and business leaders would study further measures.

speech to business leaders in Brasilia.

var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " BRASILIA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Brazil will boost spending on infrastructure and expand housing credit early next year, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Sunday in comments published by a leading newspaper.

business leaders would study further measures.

Mantega said the country's gross domestic product grew between 5.

We already know that it will be more than 5 percent, Mantega said at a meeting of the Institute of International Finance in Rio de Janeiro.

Mantega said the country's industrial output is expected to grow more than the 6 percent posted in 2007, given the country's increased production of capital goods and rising imports of equipment and machinery.

Mantega said Brazil is well-prepared if the US.

Sweden, Finance Minister Guido Mantega was quoted as telling the Times newspaper in an interview.

with Tokyo and Stockholm, Mantega was quoted as saying in comments published on Monday.

Mantega said he hoped the latest round of world trade talks would help open the US.