Fernando H.P.S Mendes Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul   Av. João Pessoa, 52 Porto Alegre, RS 90040-000 Brazil   fernandohpsm@hotmail.com             JEL Areas: E3 : Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles: General (includes Measurement and Data) N1 : Economic History: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations: General, International, or Comparative