Decision makers and investors need a compass to guide their choices. In order to know where Brazil is going, they need to know where it is now"”and how it got there. They need an informed sense of Brazil's comparative advantages and disadvantages, as well as how it is changing"”in what direction and how fast. They need a view of Brazil's society as well as its economy that goes beyond clichéd images of brilliant football teams, the Rio carnival, and the poverty and crime of the favelas. They should be aware, for example, that Brazilian financial regulations set standards that most global banking centers fail to match.

Investors and decision makers also need authoritative, balanced information. Alongside the exuberant forecasts, it is important to know about Brazil's limitations"”and to be aware of strictures such as European trade commissioner Karel de Gucht's warning in May 2012 that "Brazil should be proud of the enormous progress it has made in recent years, but it must also know it cannot stand still if it wishes to move to the next stage of development."

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Keywords: international trade, Brazilian marketplace, BRIC countries, foreign direct investment in Brazil, Brazil foreign trade