Thursday bullets

• Over 750,000 automobiles were sold in Brazil during the first 3 months of 2010, breaking the all-time record, according to this article from Milene Rios at G1. The number is almost 30% higher than the same trimester in 2009. The impressive results are due to government tax breaks of up to 7% (which ended in March), expanded consumer credit, and promotions from car makers.

•  According to the "Impostômetro" (Tax-mometer), Brazilians have already paid R$ 300 billion (US$ 170 billion) in taxes this year, up 14.5% from last year. I'm quite confident that money will be put to good use. Oh, on second thought, maybe not.

•  The Wall Street Journal published an interesting article written by Paulo Prado about how the future has arrived in Brazil. However, most of the article seems to focus on the obstacles the country faces in order to really make it big time. A huge government, onerous pension and benefit plans, restrictive business environment, massive underground economy, lack of infrastructure, crime, corruption and poor public education are just a few examples listed.

• "Falling in Love with the State" is an article from The Economist regarding Brazil's upcoming presidential election and the economic lessons at stake. Brazil's economy is growing, "But there is plenty of evidence that Lula, who many expect would remain the power behind the throne if Ms Rousseff were to win, himself now believes that a bigger role for the state in the economy would be good for Brazil."