(Reuters) - Brazil's left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff has had a mixed relationship with the private sector since she took office on New Year's Day in 2011, with an economy that has struggled after a boom last decade.
Following are some key economic moments in Rousseff's presidency:
JAN. 2, 2011
A day after taking the presidential sash from her popular predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff quickly makes clear her government will be less tied to leftist ideas in some areas. News leaks that she will privatize some of the country's dilapidated airports - a move Lula resisted.
JUNE 7, 2011
Rousseff's most important political advisor and ambassador to the financial world, Antonio Palocci, resigns following a scandal over his finances. In ensuing months, five more ministers leave amid accusations of graft or other wrongdoing - but the crisis ends up boosting Rousseff's image as Brazilians applaud her for not protecting allegedly corrupt officials.
AUG. 31, 2011
The central bank shocks markets by announcing a 50 basis-point cut in its benchmark interest rate, the start of a sharp easing cycle that takes the Selic to an all-time low of 7.25 percent. The cuts are questioned by some analysts who see a political motive, but they later agree the move was prescient as Brazil's economy sharply slows in the second half of 2011.
APRIL 30, 2012
Rousseff publicly chastises major private banks, declaring it is "inadmissible" for them to keep having some of the world's highest spreads - the difference between what they pay to fund themselves and what they charge for loans. The dressing-down, in a nationally televised speech on the eve of Labor Day, worsens her relationship with banks - but many answer her call and reduce lending rates in ensuing months.
MAY 3, 2012
Rousseff publishes a decree making a change to a 19th century rule governing Brazil's savings accounts. The move is technical but has a critical purpose - to allow interest rates to keep falling. Lula had tried to make the change but found it politically unviable. Rousseff encountered little resistance.
SEPT. 11, 2012
The government unveils plans for a large cut in Brazil's electricity costs, which were the world's third-highest. The plan is welcomed by manufacturers and many Brazilians, but proves enormously controversial because it changes the expected terms for future concession contracts, knocking billions of dollars off electrical companies' stock market valuations. Rousseff says no contracts were broken.
DEC. 6, 2012
Rousseff announces a $26 billion plan to boost private-sector investment in Brazil's clogged sea ports. Despite opposition from some labor unions, she says the move is necessary to solve severe bottlenecks and calls for the country to put its recent history aside. "What's our current moment? It's one of competitiveness," she says.
DEC. 26-31, 2012
The government seizes on the traditional holiday lull to make economic decisions that are later heavily criticized. The most controversial involves a transfer of funds that allows the government to technically meet its main budget goal for 2012. Another sees the government modify a decade-old law governing fiscal responsibility. Many analysts say the lack of transparency seen in the two moves damaged Rousseff's credibility with investors.
MARCH 1, 2013
The economy grew only 0.9 percent in 2012, the government announces. The data prompts a new wave of calls for deeper tax and labor reform from business leaders and renews focus on Rousseff's strained relationship with the private sector.
(Reporting by Brian Winter, Jeferson Ribeiro, Cesar Bianconi; Editing by Kieran Murray and Tim Dobbyn)
