Brazil is not growing beyond its means, Central Bank President Arminio Fraga said in an interview published on Feb 18, 2001, just days after Latin America's biggest economy posted its fastest growth rate in five years. Official data released on Feb 14 showed the country's economy grew 4.38 percent in the fourth quarter of 2000, adding up to a growth rate of 4.2 percent for 2000, the highest annual rate since 1995 when it grew 4.22 percent.

The numbers confirmed that Brazil has travelled most of