Economy
Trade between Venezuela and the United States has plummeted. According to figures released by the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VenAmCham), trade between the two countries contracted by 52.13 percent between January and September 2009, compared with the same period last year.

VenAmCham said in a press release that during January-September 2009, Venezuelan sales to the US amounted to USD 20.35 billion while in the same period in 2008 they totaled USD 51.4 billion.

During the first nine months of the year, Venezuelan imports from the US amounted to USD 7.05 billion, USD 1.83 billion less than the figures recorded in the same period in 2008. It means that US sales to Venezuela fell by 20.65 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2008.