Mexico posted a $181 million trade deficit for March, its lowest in 11 months. The country had exports worth $17.33 billion, up 4.4% year-on-year. Imports were $17.52 billion, up 4.5%. Exports of oil and oil-related products jumped 41% to $2.5 billion, while manufactured goods were worth $14.6 billion. Mexico’s total trade deficit in the first three months of 2005 came to $1.8 billion.
Category: Regions
Posted inDaily Brief
Mexico: Rates Held Steady
Banco de Mexico today left the amount commercial banks must borrow overnight at higher rates unchanged at $7.2 million daily. The central bank’s board said Friday that the pace of annual growth in consumer prices slowed to 4.4 percent in March from 5.4 percent in November. Core inflation, which excludes energy and food prices, slowed to 3.6 percent from 3.8 percent.
Posted inDaily Brief
TFM Issues Notes
Mexican railway concessionaire TFM, a subsidiary of US railroad operator Kansas City Southern (KCS), has placed $460 million of its 9.38% senior notes due 2012. The proceeds of the sale will be used to refinance 11.8% debentures that will mature in 2009. The sale was restricted to non-US, qualified institutional buyers.
Posted inDaily Brief
Cemex Reports Strong Results
Cemex, the world’s third-largest cement maker, said first-quarter profit surged 43 percent after the Mexican company bought U.K.-based RMC Group for $5.8 billion and an expanding U.S. economy boosted demand. Net income rose to $444 million from $311 million a year earlier. Sales, including one month of RMC operations, also grew 43 percent, to $2.6 billion.
Posted inDaily Brief
G-Mex’s Profit Jumps
Mining and metals giant Grupo Mexico (G-Mex) reported net earnings of $251 million for the first quarter of 2005, a 51 percent increase year-on-year. G-Mex’s consolidated earnings for the quarter were $1.25 billion, up 43 percent. The company is currently planning a three-for-one share split to boost its liquidity on the Mexico City stock exchange.
Posted inDaily Brief
Gutierrez Ousted
Ecuador’s President Lucio Gutierrez was ousted by Congress Wednesday, the third leader to be removed since 1997, amid allegations he stacked the Supreme Court with allies and helped clear an ex-president of corruption charges. Lawmakers voted 60 to 2 to replace Gutierrez, then swore in Vice President Alfredo Palacio as president. Gutierrez was arrested at the Quito airport and held at a military base. The political tumult pushed down Ecuador’s bond due 2012 to a seventh-month low, and spurred declines in debt sold by neighboring Peru and Colombia.
Posted inDaily Brief
Fujimori Promises Return
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who has been living in exile in Japan since 2000, said he is working to return to Peru and wants to run in the country’s presidential election next year. Fujimori is wanted in Peru for alleged crimes committed during his presidency, including involvement in the military’s killing of civilians and misappropriation of public funds. In February, Peru’s constitutional court upheld the Peruvian parliament’s 2001 resolution to ban Fujimori from public office for 10 years.
Posted inDaily Brief
Pemex Cuts Exploration Investments
Mexican state-run oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) will cut exploration investments this year by 25 percent to $1.5 billion. The company expects to maintain investments in exploration within the range of $1.5 billion and $2.0 billion over the next few years. Pemex has 17.7 billion barrels of proven reserves.
Posted inMagazine
Still Waiting for Prosperity
The Andes should be benefiting from the global commodity boom. But that region’s patchy-run democracies seem incapable of capitalizing on the good times.
Posted inDaily Brief
Gutiérrez Holds On
Ecuadorian President Lucio Gutiérrez said he would not step down in spite of calls for his resignation from protestors and political opponents. Thousands of people took to the streets of Quito late last week to protest his decision to dissolve the Supreme Court. Gutiérrez declared a state of emergency to stop the protests but quickly revoked the measure Saturday after the military and police refused to take action against the protestors.