2003 – Page 296

The Hoy-Hamilton poll is the first to ask voters who the candidates of the three leading political parties should be. The results to this question were:  The three leading candidates for the PRSC: Jacinto Peynado with a general 35%. PRSC voters preference was 39%.  Eduardo Estrella with a general 28%. PRSC voters preference was 31%. …

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The Hoy-Hamilton poll shows that Leonel Fernandez (PLD) is the candidate ranked the highest in the ?favorable? rating (70%) by those polled from 7 to 10 February. Fernandez received only a 28-percent unfavorable vote.  President Hipolito Mejia received a 59-percent unfavorable vote, surpassed only by PRD president, Hatuey Decamps, who received a 66-percent unfavorable vote. …

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The Hoy-Hamilton poll shows that the PLD leads today in popularity. The February poll shows that the party has the preference of 34 percent of voters, the PRD received 29 percent of the preference, and the PRSC 23 percent. Almost a year ago, in March 2002, the PLD had 24 percent of the preference, the …

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According to Fernando Gonzalez, the president of the chamber of commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, exports to Central America and the Caribbean (Caricom) rose 70 percent in the first six months following the activation of regional free trade agreements. Today, the Dominican Republic is the number-one exporter of ice cream, some plastics and bathroom accessories …

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Harrison Ford, of Indiana Jones fame, is at the Punta Cana Resort & Club this weekend to participate in a meeting of the board of directors of the organization Conservation International. He is accompanied by his girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, who plays lawyer Ally McBeal in the popular TV series of the same name. Also in …

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Customs began applying the controversial 10-percent surcharge, as ordered by Decree 139-03, on 1,637 imported items listed by the Ministry of Finance. The tax was professedly designed to discourage the sale of imports and to halt the devaluation of the peso. Nevertheless, it is expected to serve the government as well, with a potential RD$400 …

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The Central Bank announced that it had placed certificates of investment through commercial bank intermediaries at rates of 20 to 24 percent, significantly below the 28- to 30-percent rates announced by the Monetary Board in a resolution dated 6 February. The Diario Libre newspaper reports that Jose Manuel Lopez Valdez, as president of the Association …

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Hoy newspaper comments in an item in its economic section today that after the government agreed to reduce interest rates on certificates of investment, the representatives of the banking sector voiced their support for the measures announced by the government?s economic team. The newspaper writes that this new attitude is an about-face from the banking …

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According to Diario Libre, bank sales of the dollar were flowing normally yesterday, albeit at high rates. Nevertheless, banker forecasts expect the dollar to drop. Banks were buying dollars yesterday at approximately RD$24.70 and sales to the general public were being transacted at roughly RD$25.56 to US$1.  Luis Molina Achecar of the BHD told the …

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The Standard Bank released yesterday an update on the Dominican economy. The reporting agency comments on the effects the recently tightened monetary policy and depreciating currency are having on the banking system and the economy in general. The Dominican Republic is the subject of interest of the international capital market agencies, now that the Mejia …

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