Brazil finmin says economy in worse shape than believed

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Brazilian economy is in worse shape than initially believed due to the policies of the past administration, the finance ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The ministry said it maintained its 2017 economic growth estimate of 1 percent even after data released earlier on Wednesday showed the country's recession deepening after a sharp contraction in the third quarter. (Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Writing by Alonso Soto; Editing by James Dalgleish)