Foreign investors have pulled billions of dollars out of emerging markets like Brazil, causing heavy falls on the stock markets.

Steven Cviic reports on Brazil's economic measures

The cuts are mainly in social and infrastructure spending. Finance Minister, Pedro Malan, said the government would also establish tighter spending targets for the next three years.

The government also said it would ask Congress to approve a plan to reduce the growing fiscal deficit.

The measures come on the heels of the Central Bank's announcement last Friday that it will effectively raise interest rates by 50% in a bid to stem the exodus of dollars from Brazil.

The markets reacted to the new measures in lukewarm fashion, the Sao Paulo stock exchange closing slightly down on the day.

Election looming

The measures were announced less than a month before the country's general election.

President Cardoso: Swears to defend real

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has always said he would not hesitate to take whatever action was necessary to defend the Brazilian currency, the real.

However, the BBC Brazil correspondent, Stephen Cviic, says the measures fall far short of a rigorous austerity programme, and appear to be more of a holding operation designed to tide the government through the electoral period.

They have been criticised by some analysts as not going far enough.