The absurdities of the European system of sugar subsidies are highlighted today in a New York Times article. Rampant fraud and corruption plague a byzantine system of rules and regulations created to support a program that primarily benefits large multinational corporations. Because of the subsidies, consumers in the European Union pay an average retail price of $0.63 per pound, while the global average is only about $0.36 per pound.
The historical trend of the European wholesale import price can be studied in further detail in our commodities section. Click on the graph below to manipulate and download the data.
The table below shows the list of public federal holidays for 2010. Note that Friday December 31, 2010 is also a holiday since January 1, 2011 falls on a Saturday.
| Friday, January 1 |
New Year’s Day |
| Monday, January 18 |
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Monday, February 15 |
Washington’s Birthday |
| Monday, May 31 |
Memorial Day |
| Monday, July 5 |
Independence Day |
| Monday, September 6 |
Labor Day |
| Monday, October 11 |
Columbus Day |
| Thursday, November 11 |
Veterans Day |
| Thursday, November 25 |
Thanksgiving Day |
| Friday, December 24 |
Christmas Day |
The source for the list of public holidays is the United States Office of Personnel Management
The following table shows the official United States federal holidays for 2009.
| Thursday, January 1 |
New Year’s Day |
| Monday, January 19 |
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Monday, February 16 |
Washington’s Birthday |
| Monday, May 25 |
Memorial Day |
| Friday, July 3 |
Independence Day |
| Monday, September 7 |
Labor Day |
| Monday, October 12 |
Columbus Day |
| Wednesday, November 11 |
Veterans Day |
| Thursday, November 26 |
Thanksgiving Day |
| Friday, December 25 |
Christmas Day |
The source for the list of public holidays is the United States Office of Personnel Management
The historical commodity prices section has been updated with numbers for August 2009.
The following graph shows the exchange rate of the Brazilian Real with respect to the US Dollar. The Real appreciated continuously since March 2003, depreciating temporarily between September 2008 and February 2009.
Source: Banco Central do Brasil – Time Series Management System
See also: Historical exchange rates for multiple currencies
El gráfico a continuación muestra el tipo de cambio del real brasilero con respecto al dólar norteamericano. El mismo ha venido apreciándose continuamente desde marzo de 2003, depreciándose temporalmente durante el periodo septiembre 2008 – febrero 2009.
Fuente: Banco Central do Brasil – Sistema de Manejo de Series Históricas
Ver también: Series históricas para otras monedas
El tipo de cambio del nuevo sol peruano con respecto al dólar americano se mantuvo relativamente constante, con un valor entre 3.6 y 3.0 para el periodo 2000-2007.
Entre diciembre 2007 y septiembre 2008 el tipo de cambio cayó por debajo de 3.0 nuevos soles por 1 USD. A partir de octubre 2008 el tipo de cambio empezó a depreciarse nuevamente pasando por encima de los 3.0 nuevos soles por dólar. Desde mayo del 2009 el nuevo sol empezó a apreciarse otra vez.
Fuente: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
Ver también: Series históricas para otras monedas
The Peruvian nuevo sol has maintained a relatively stable exchange rate between 3.6 and 3.0 with respect to the US dollar for the period 2000-2007.
Between December 2007 and September 2008 the exchange rate fell below 3.0 nuevos soles per 1 USD, a rate not seen since 1997. As of October 2008 the nuevo sol started to depreciate again, passing the 3.0 mark. Since May 2009 the nuevo sol has been falling again.
Source: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
See also: Historical exchange rates for multiple currencies
The following graph shows the monthly average exchange rate of the Colombian peso with respect to the US Dollar for the period 2000-2009. The Colombian peso depreciated between July 2008 and February 2009 after a long period in which it showed an appreciation trend. It started to appreciate again on March 2009.
Source: Banco de la Republica de Colombia – Exchange Rates
See also: Historical exchange rates for multiple currencies
El siguiente gráfico muestra el tipo de cambio promedio mensual del peso colombiano con respecto al dólar norteamericano para el periodo 2000-2009. El peso se depreció entre julio de 2008 y febrero de 2009, después de un periodo largo en el que el peso mantuvo una tendencia a la apreciación. A partir de marzo de 2009 el peso colombiano empezó a apreciarse nuevamente.
Fuente: Banco de la República de Colombia – Cotización del Tipo de Cambio
Ver también: Series históricas para otras monedas
