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U.S. and Ecuador strengthen regional military cooperation against drug trafficking. Image by Joost van Os / Pexels 
Hemisphere |
HEMISPHERE ------------------------------------2384NEWS STORY | |||
U.S. and Ecuador Carry Out First Joint Ground Operation Against Drug CartelsForces From Both Countries Launch Unprecedented Offensive Against Groups Labeled “Terrorists.”BR Quito — For the first time in recent history, the military forces of the United States and Ecuador conducted a joint ground operation targeting drug trafficking organizations that have been designated as “terrorists” by the U.S. Southern Command, the agency confirmed on Tuesday. (efe.com) |
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References: BR Moreno, M. I. (2026, March 4). U.S. and Ecuador launch “joint operations” against “terrorists” on Ecuadorian soil. EFE. https://www.efe.com/mundo/2026-03-04/estados-unidos-ecuador-operaciones-conjuntas/ BR Telemundo. (2026, March 3). United States announces joint military operation with Ecuador “to combat narco-terrorism”. Telemundo Noticias. https://www.telemundo.com/noticias/noticias-telemundo/narcotrafico/estados-unidos-anuncia-una-operacion-militar-conjunta-con-ecuador-para-rcna261632 BR El Oriente. (2026, March 4). U.S. and Ecuador start joint operations against terrorist organizations linked to drug trafficking. El Oriente. https://www.eloriente.com/articulo/ee-uu-y-ecuador-inician-operaciones-conjuntas-contra-organizaciones-terroristas-vinculadas-al-narcotrafico/55711 BR RPP. (2026, March 3). U.S. and Ecuador launch joint operations against “terrorists” on Ecuadorian soil. RPP Noticias. https://rpp.pe/mundo/latinoamerica/eeuu-y-ecuador-lanzan-operaciones-conjuntas-contra-terroristas-en-suelo-ecuatoriano-noticia-1678496 |
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Ruta Pantera's PanAmerica Investor Club
|
RuPa's PanAmerica Investor Club is an investment group designed to acquaint our
members with investor opportunities available in the hemisphere — North, Central and South America.
We have capitalized our fund with $282,000 US and will publish our
results here, updated on a weekly basis.
Please see our livecast, Rupa 2.0 ~ Make Your Connection, for episodes discussing club investments. |
| SYMBOL | NAME | CAP. | %ROI | Earned |
| NA | RuPa Stocks | $7.8K | 3.5% | $222 |
| NA | Real estate 1 | $50K | 19% | $15K |
| NA | Real estate 2 | $26K | 1% | $260 |
| OZK | CD #1 / 7-mo. | $100K | 4.2% | $500 |
| OZK | CD #2 / 7-mo. | $100K | 4.2% | $500 |
| --- | --- | $283.8K | 5.2% | $15K |
RuPa's Latin American Holdings: A Basket of ETFs and Other Funds
Summary: Surprising to us, our basket of Latin American ETFs and Closed-end funds
has performed well in a rather rocky market since November 1. Since the end of January, 2026 we
have twice pulled out of these funds and reinvested roughly $23,000 due to abrupt movements in the
market. We increased our profits on both occasions, for a total of about 6% ROI in past three months.
This performance has proved a lot better -- but with more risk -- than our CDs! We believe these funds represent a strong long-term hold,
but only for those with steel nerves; they have jumped around 2-5% almost weekly so far this year. Frankly,
we've been lucky and do not plan on increasing our minimal holding in them until the geopolitics of
the region settles down. One potential negative impact is the Trump Administration's predicted threats against
China's growing physical and financial presence in South America.
On the other hand, Real estate investing is proving to be a sound strategy, especially in Medellin, Colombia,
where we are considering the purchase a second apartment this month for $53,000, to be used as a shooting studio
for the company. The problem is the instability of the dollar...and the strength of the Colombian
peso! The owner wants to be paid over the course of two months, which puts us a risk if the dollar
continues to fall in value.
Lastly, our CDs are providing safe place to park capital while we're deciding what to do next, each earning about $500 per month.
Our investment club is created and maintained for entertainment and educational purposes only. We do not offer investment advice or recommend particular stocks, bonds, ETFs or any other investment product. Please refrain from asking Ruta Pantera staff to provide investment advice. Thank you.
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