Latin American Economy & Business
Economy & Business - November 2022
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- Changes in Mexico’s economy ministry reflect nationalist tilt
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: Markets wobble as Petro gets to work
- VENEZUELA-COLOMBIA: More trade than trouble in border opening?
- BOLIVIA: Government rejects IMF recommendations
- PERU: MMG announces major investment in Las Bambas
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Green energy wave gaining momentum
- ARGENTINA: Unwonted currency regime masks larger challenges
- CHILE: Horse-trading over a trade deal
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- NICARAGUA: Booming gold mining sector targeted by US sanctions
- PANAMA: Canal reports strong results and makes positive forecasts for 2023
- REGION: Eclac spells out need for Caribbean economic repositioning
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Merchandise theft: another factor in rising food prices
- MEXICO: Natural gas imports remain essential to satisfy demand
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
During a morning press conference on 6 October, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that Tatiana Clouthier was resigning as economy minister.
Economy & Business - October 2022
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- Belt-tightening ahead for Brazil
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- PERU: Economic reactivation plan greeted with business support
- COLOMBIA: Petro proposes dollars for trees
- COLOMBIA: Cutting fuel subsidies
- VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s food mirage
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: Massa’s challenge
- CHILE: Boric tries to spur investment
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- HONDURAS: Much-needed energy reform unsettles investors
- REGION: Guatemala and Honduras lagging regional peers in education
- GUYANA: Government makes most of oil boom to ease cost of living
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Short-term considerations dominate 2023 budget
- MEXICO: Nearshoring focus of US economic talks
- MEXICO: Report underscores deteriorating ability to attract investment
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
The day after President Jair Bolsonaro’s better-than-expected showing as runner-up in Brazil’s 2 October election, there was a massive relief rally on financial markets.
Economy & Business - September 2022
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- El Salvador’s bitcoin experiment leaves public finances teetering
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: SEZs mark further break from Chavista orthodoxy
- BOLIVIA: Lithium alliance taking shape
- ECUADOR: Lasso’s oil targets – a pipedream?
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: An island of deflation?
- CHILE: Constitutional drama has big impact on business
- URUGUAY: Less Argentines, more Brazilians?
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- COSTA RICA: Chaves facing long to-do list 100 days into term
- CUBA: Citizens get a new chance to buy dollars
- JAMAICA: Strong growth in second quarter
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Challenges remain despite positive FDI figures
- MEXICO: Violence highlights economic cost of organised crime
- MEXICO: Despite recovery, mining sector faces difficulties for growth
- MEXICO: Railway rates cap unlikely to reduce food inflation
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
One year on from the adoption of cryptocurrency bitcoin as legal tender, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele is scrambling to find ways to avoid defaulting on foreign debt after the move affected investor confidence.
Economy & Business - August 2022
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- COLOMBIA: Petro looks to calm rattled markets as Colombia swings left
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- ECUADOR: Political turmoil drives up country risk
- VENEZUELA: Renewed pressure on US to allow revival of PetroCaribe
- BOLIVIA: New coca company facing same old challenges
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- REGION: Uruguay and Mercosur consider China trade options
- ARGENTINA: Markets underwhelmed by new economy minister
- CHILE: The peso swoops and surges
- BRAZIL: Dirty gold finds a place in smartphones
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- PANAMA: Gov’t faced with protests sparked by rise in living costs
- CENTRAL AMERICA: Digital tools increasingly important for MSMEs battered by pandemic
- CARIBBEAN: Despite risks, Caribbean tourism is bouncing back
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: New refinery unlikely to satisfy national fuel demands
- MEXICO: USMCA faces significant challenges two years on
- MEXICO: Water shortage underlines need for better resource management
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
With the election of Gustavo Petro as Colombia’s president on 19 June, shivers ran down the spine of many an investor.
Economy & Business - July 2022
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- Rehashed environmental plans miss the mark in Mexico
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- COLOMBIA: President-elect Petro’s green pledges face political tests
- VENEZUELA: Maduro seeks stronger partnerships in the Middle East
- ECUADOR: Lasso forced into U-turns on subsidies, oil and mining
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- URUGUAY: Strong Q1 growth but risks ahead
- ARGENTINA: IMF on another roller-coaster ride
- BRAZIL: Electoral pump priming
- REGION: Brazil and Uruguay push for lower tariffs in Mercosur
- CHILE: Mining companies fret over new constitution
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- GUATEMALA: Positive economic assessments, but problems on the ground
- REGION: Summit of the Americas fails to live up to promises
- HAITI: Gangs add to Haiti's economic troubles
- BARBADOS: Georgieva plays good cop in Barbados
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: US economic crisis threatens remittances to Mexico
- MEXICO: Start-ups thrive in Mexico
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently unveiled a package of ten measures aimed at addressing the global climate emergency.
Economy & Business - June 2022
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- Big promises on privatisations in Brazil, but where’s the beef?
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: More market reforms as gov’t announces share float in state companies
- BOLIVIA: Hoping to renegotiate Brazil’s gas supply contract
- ECUADOR: Under pressure to increase public investment
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Behind the bromance: Musk meets Bolsonaro
- CHILE: Boric taps out his economic policy headlines
- URUGUAY: Renewables on Lacalle Pou-Johnson agenda
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele doubles down but bitcoin difficulties become clearer
- NICARAGUA: More cooperation with Iran and China as US sanctions bite
- CUBA: Promised economic recovery looks set to disappoint
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: IMF impressed by economic resilience
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Investment package aims to speed up border crossings
- MEXICO: US postpones Mexico’s air safety review
- MEXICO: Employment shows partial pandemic recovery
- MEXICO: Free trade remains cornerstone of economic policy
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
On 1 January 2019, the day he took office three and a half years ago, Paulo Guedes, Brazil’s ‘super minister’ for the economy, announced a right-wing revolution.
Economy & Business - May 2022
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- As Castillo flounders, Peru’s economy switches to autopilot
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Attempting to rein in dollarisation
- BOLIVIA: Tourism operators rail against Covid restrictions
- ECUADOR: Casting a wide net in search of trade agreements
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: What is Lula’s economic policy?
- CHILE: Hard times for the Boric economy
- URUGUAY: Government prepares to surf the hydrogen wave
- ARGENTINA: Green light for Néstor Kirchner pipeline
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- COSTA RICA: Chaves promises economic recovery
- REGION: “Exceptionally strong” growth in remittances, says new report
- REGION: Uncertainty piles on uncertainty
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Uncertainty remains despite electricity reform rejection
- MEXICO: Gov’t anti-inflation plan likely to have limited impact
- MEXICO: Slow progress for ambitious railway projects
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Peruvians have tired of President Pedro Castillo.
Economy & Business - April 2022
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- Honduras’s Castro declares fiscal emergency as part of economic plan
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- VENEZUELA: Oil sanctions under the spotlight
- COLOMBIA: Opening the door to fracking?
- ECUADOR: Ukraine war brings mixed fortunes for exporters
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- ARGENTINA: IMF agreement done, but not dusted
- BRAZIL: Bolsonaro changes Petrobras leadership (again)
- CHILE: World’s first sovereign sustainability-linked bond launched
- URUGUAY: Referendum boosts economy but inflation worries persist
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- REGION: Governments act to soften blow of rising fuel prices
- THE BAHAMAS: Strong recovery in 2021, but substantial risks still abound
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: New CDMX airport inaugurated but incomplete
- MEXICO: President sparks concerns over autonomy of Banxico
- MEXICO: Ukraine conflict to impact prices despite government’s reassurances
- MEXICO: Finance Minister confirms interest in cryptocurrencies
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Honduras’s new president, Xiomara Castro, has made dealing with public finances a priority in the first few months of her leftist Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) government, moving to enable more borrowing by declaring a fiscal emergency in mid-February.
Economy & Business - March 2022
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- President’s discourse limits investment prospects in Mexico
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- PERU: Oil spill fallout highlights weakening environmental law enforcement
- BOLIVIA: Sustainable progress on poverty?
- ECUADOR: Closer to balancing the books
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- REGION: Getting ready for crypto
- BRAZIL: The Ukraine factor
- BRAZIL: Here come the vertical taxis
- PARAGUAY: Historic drought clouds the economic outlook
- URUGUAY: Progress on diversification
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- NICARAGUA: Deepening ties with Russia amid increasing international isolation
- REGION: Working together to boost regional tourism
- REGION: A busy month in the Caribbean for IMF
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Energy reform reflects wider lack of interest in climate
- MEXICO: Independent unions likely to remain the exception
- MEXICO: Organised crime threatens avocado exports
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Foreign direct investment (FDI) net flows to Mexico totalled US$31.6bn in 2021, according to preliminary figures released by Mexico’s economy ministry (SE) on 21 February.
Economy & Business - February 2022
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- Done deal in Argentina… or not?
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- PERU: PetroPerú to recommence oil production amid political upheaval
- REGION: Mixed fortunes in the struggle against inflation
- ECUADOR: Lasso’s investment drive facing major obstacles
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- BRAZIL: Itapemirim grounded after six months
- REGION: Argentina, Brazil, and Peru seek membership of OECD
- CHILE: Boric’s Atacama lithium dilemma
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- PANAMA: State to earn more from controversial mine under new deal
- GUATEMALA: Giammattei claims progress but headline figures hide issues
- GUYANA: Oil boosts Guyana’s budget by 37%
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: Citibanamex sale welcomed despite uncertainties
- MEXICO: Record foreign capital outflows set to continue in 2022
- MEXICO: Fuel self-sufficiency distant despite US refinery purchase
- MEXICO: Inflation in agricultural products likely to boost exports
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
On 28 January, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Argentina said they had reached an “understanding” on key elements of an economic stabilisation programme needed to avert the risk of default.
Economy & Business - January 2022
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- Nicaragua joins growing list of nations ditching Taiwan for China
ANDEAN COUNTRIES
- BOLIVIA: Looking to become a major player in green energy
- ECUADOR: Fiscal outlook improves with passage of tax reform
- PERU: Playing it safe with the 2022 budget
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
BRAZIL & SOUTHERN CONE
- CHILE: Boric’s economic challenge
- BRAZIL: Mixed picture for 2022
- BRAZIL: Nubank takes off
- ARGENTINA: The clock is ticking
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
- REGION: Coffee industry issues fuelling migration
- SURINAME: Time of the essence as Suriname gains support from IMF and IDB
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
MEXICO & USMCA
- MEXICO: New Banxico governor takes office
- MEXICO: New report suggests recovery of tourism sector
- MEXICO: Gov’t threatens action over proposed US electric vehicle subsidy
- MEXICO: New data shows pandemic impact on informal economy
- MEXICO: Gov’t efforts to rescue Pemex unlikely to be effective
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Nicaragua has become the latest Central American nation to end relations with Taiwan in favour of recognising China, and, if previous moves by neighbouring countries are anything to go by, it can expect a wave of investment from Beijing in return.