Mexico

With more than 6% of GDP coming from oil and gas, and 1.8% from the utilities sector, energy is one of the most important components of the Mexican economy. The country’s oil exports have made up a large part of the public budget for several decades. Nonetheless, the decline in production of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the state-owned oil company, from a peak of roughly 3.4m barrels per day (...

Although the pace of expansion has moderated in the past two years, in line with a sluggish economy, Mexico’s insurance industry has been experiencing strong growth. The number of active companies in the sector reached 105 by the end of 2014, up significantly from 70 in 2000. Moreover, total premium income in 2014 reached $24.47bn, or 2.1% of GDP, according to the industry’s main regulatory...

Mexico’s stock exchange (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, BMV) was heavily influenced by global trends during the course of 2014, marked by a high degree of volatility, geopolitical worries, concerns over future interest rate movements, and a somewhat mixed attitude to risk-taking. In Mexico, enthusiasm over the structural reforms was tempered in the fourth quarter of 2014 by worries over the impact...

Mexico’s banking system has enjoyed two decades of growth and stability. Operating with comparatively high capital reserve levels, Mexico has a stable and profitable banking system. In the period from 2010 to 2014, the financial system as a whole grew at an average annual rate of 10%. As of March 2015 total assets in the commercial banking system stood at $541.8bn, with 45 active banks. The...

With a GDP of $1.26trn, Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America after Brazil and one of the most liberalised in the region. Though economic growth has been slow, ranging from 2% to 3% during much of the past decade, a series of reforms introduced by the government of Enrique Peña Nieto are expected to accelerate the pace of economic development in the medium term. While initial...

Since coming to power in December 2012, the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto has overseen the introduction of a series of sweeping reforms aimed at boosting the country’s economic competitiveness and attracting investment. Under the reform agenda, the energy sector was opened to private investment, while asymmetric laws were introduced in the telecommunications sector to increase...