RENEE MONTAGNE, host: NPR's business news starts with Wal-Mart's plans in Brazil.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Wal-Mart yesterday announced plans to invest more than a billion dollars to open up 90 new stores in Brazil. That country has become the fastest-growing market in Latin America, in part because incomes in Brazil are going up and consumer credit is getting cheaper.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: It's also the kind of country where many U.S. businesses would like to beef up their operations to pick up slack as the U.S. economy slows. Wal-Mart has been in Brazil for more than a decade, and already, it has 318 stores there.
Wal-Mart announced plans to invest more than a billion dollars to open up to 90 new stores in Brazil. That country has become Latin America's fastest growing market, in part because of rising incomes and cheaper consumer credit. Wal-Mart has been in Brazil for more than a decade, and already has 318 stores there.