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Economy & Business - January 2025
LEADER
Caribbean countries are caught in a vice.... Read More
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
Political uncertainty and sabre-rattling between President Gustavo Petro and his opponents have thrown Colombia’s public finances into disarray and risk threatening the country’s broader economic stability.... Read More
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on 19 December that its executive board had completed its first review of Ecuador’s economic reform programme, as part of the conditions of the four-year, US$4bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) approved in May 2024.... Read More
BOLIVIA | Foreign reserves continue to dwindle.... Read More
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
The trade deal between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) regional trade bloc had been in the making for a quarter of a century, yet when it was finally announced on 6 December it still faced an uncertain future. ... Read More
Argentina’s troubled economy is officially on the mend.... Read More
In some ways Brazil’s economy did quite well in 2024.... Read More
It took the Brazilian congress a full year since the approval of an historic tax reform before passing the first of several necessary regulations.... Read More
ARGENTINA | Boosting reserves with a repo.... Read More
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
On 23 December El Salvador’s legislature, which is controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas (NI) party, voted to lift a ban on metals mining imposed in 2017 amid concerns over impacts on the environment and public health.... Read More
A 2025 budget which prioritises spending on health, education, and infrastructure projects was published in the official gazette on 9 December after being approved by lawmakers 27 November.... Read More
COSTA RICA/PANAMA | Costa Rica claims victory in Panama trade dispute.... Read More
MEXICO & USMCA
Mexico’s leftist government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum is pushing ahead with promised labour reforms, with the expansion of rights for workers employed by digital platforms such as ride-hailing app Uber and food delivery app Rappi among its most notable early achievements.... Read More
Mexico’s fight against monopolistic practices took an important step forward in December when the anti-trust and competition watchdog Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica (Cofece) ordered top retailer Walmex, the local unit of US retail giant Walmart, to end its “abusive” behaviour towards its suppliers, which it said gave it an unfair advantage in pricing.... Read More
Insecurity and crime cost Mexican businesses a total M$124.3bn (US$6.2bn) in 2023, comprising losses and spending on protective measures, according to the national statistics institute (Inegi).... Read More
On 18 December the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) requested the establishment of three dispute settlement panels under the US-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) after failing to reach agreements with Mexico on alleged labour rights violations. ... Read More
MEXICO | Inflation continues to drop in Mexico.... Read More
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