Brazil’s da Silva forms mixed economics team for transition

By CARLA BRIDI
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s transition has added a team of economists that includes at least two members likely to allay market worries about potential business and financial policies the incoming leftist leader might be considering. Investors look favorably on both André Lara Resende and Pérsio Arida. They are conservative economists who were among the architects of the Real Plan in the 1990s that implemented a new Brazilian currency and tamed hyperinflation. Da Silva will be taking office Jan. 1 facing an adverse global economy, fierce political opposition and limited room to maneuver with a strained government budget.