Wall Street Journal Interview with Electrolux CFO on U.S. Economy, Investment

Recently U.S. Presidential Candidate Michele Bachmann accused Swedish appliance maker Electrolux AB of shutting out the U.S. for its manufacturing needs, after relocating the operations of an Iowa-based plant to Mexico.

The Wall Street Journal recently spoke to Robbert Kaufman, the finance chief of Electrolux's North American appliances division about the status of its U.S. operations, its outlook for the U.S. economy, as well as investor advice on how to behave in the current economy.

Bernanke Boosts Investor Confidence in Emerging Markets

Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB de CV (GFNORTEO)'s interactive chart as of 08/26/2011

The benchmark index has risen for the first time in five weeks, as emerging-market stocks rose on Friday. At the annual Fed symposium last Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben. S. Bernanke eased investors concerned about the state of the economy, relaying that U.S. growth is sound in the long run, and that the Fed still has tools to aid the recovery if needed. This also affected the way investors will go about investing in emerging economies, such as Mexico.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 0.3 percent to 975.92 at 5:41 p.m. in New York, after dropping as much as 0.5 percent in the first five minutes following Bernanke’s speech today at an annual Fed symposium. Brazil’s Bovespa Index rose 0.8 percent while Mexico’s benchmark advanced 0.4 percent. Turkey’s ISE National 100 Index (XU100) climbed 1.4 percent after the trade deficit narrowed from a month earlier and Russia’s Micex Index added 1.1 percent.

IMF Says Mexico has overcome Global Economic Crisis

I always talk about how the Mexican economy has come back quite quickly from the global economic recession. It turns out that while many countries are still struggling with the greatest financial crisis since The Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proclaimed that Mexico's economy has overcome the global economic crisis and returned to pre-crisis levels, stating that, "inflation has remained benign." At the end of a meeting with Mexican officials, the IMF stated that "After a sharp contraction in 2009, growth in Mexico picked up strongly in 2010, reaching 5.4 percent. Robust growth has brought output back to pre-crisis levels, with manufacturing exports leading the recovery and the rebound in domestic demand helping sustain the momentum." Good news for Mexico and the U.S. Click here to find out why.

New Web Site Shares News on Mexico's Growing Economy

As part of an initiative to share news and current events in Mexico, yesterday Marca País – Imagen de México launched the www.MexicoToday.org web site. Mexico Today will be offering the latest news on tourism, culture, economy, and the environment, among other topics. Invest in Mexico will be partnering in the site in order to bring you the latest on investment and financial news, as well as insight into business opportunities in Mexico. Take a look here.

America Movil Deals with Regulation and Lower Rates

Yesterday it was announced that concerns over regulations for America Movil are going to be shadowed by lower rates.

America Movil's (AMX.N) (AMXL.MX) Mexico earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization margins dropped 330 basis points to 50.5 percent in the quarter ended in June from a year earlier.

Germany to Continue Heavy Investment in Mexico

“There are more than 1,000 German companies in Mexico, which is proof of how deeply linked we are in the [Mexican] economic arena”, says The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guido Westerwelle, who is visiting Mexico. He also mentioned that German businessmen lend their attention to the news on Mexico's current affairs, yet are interested in continuing to invest.

Unilever to invest 100 million Euros in Mexico

The world’s second biggest consumer goods company, Unilever, announced at the beginning of this week, that they plan to open a factory in Mexico, located in Jiutepec in the central Mexican state of Morelos in the CIVAC (Ciudad Industrial del Valle de Cuernavaca) industrial park.

President Felipe Calderon opened the new facility together with Unilever CEO Paul Polman, in which Unilever will invest 100 million Euros ($145 million dollars) in the factory over the next three years, as a way to double their sales growth. This new plant is expected to have a very positive effect on the economy of the region.

Click here to see the full story.

Latin American Economy Running Smoothly

As this story reports, there is a very positive outlook for the economy in Latin American, as well as for Mexico. For starters, Costa Rica has been nicknamed “the Silicon Valley of Latin America.” The middle class in Latin America is not only growing at a rapid pace but is very young compared to the rest of the developed world - concentrated in the 12 to 35 age range - meaning they will continue to be a strong force for years to come. Also, women are becoming more empowered and governments are investing in security, knowing that, as President Uribe puts it; “If foreign investors do not feel safe, they will not invest.”

Click here to read more about how structural and social changes in Latin America will create the ideal environment for a healthy Mexican economy.

Mexico Industrial Output Up in May

Mexico industrial production in May rose more than expected, after three months of declines, just as an expansion in the factory sector rose for the second-largest economy in Latin America.

The national statistics agency said on Tuesday that industrial production grew by 1.1 percent in May from April MXIP=ECI.

On one hand, the manufacturing sector expanded in May for its second-straight month, growing by 1 percent as local factories increased production to meet increased consumer demand north of the border.

Read more about what exports were in most demand and what three manufacturing sectors recorded the highest gains in May.

Mexican Retail Sales Accelerate in April

From Reuters:

The news has come out that Mexican retail sales jumped in April from March, largely due to stronger consumer demand. Reuters reported that 'growth in year-over-year retail sales accelerated to 4.9 percent MXRSLY=ECI in April'. These numbers symbolize Mexico's growing economy empowered by its large export industry that caters to the United States.

The economist Alberto Ramos of Goldman Sachs said private consumption growth should rise in the near future due to improvement in the labor market and stronger credit flows.

"Mexico's economy is expected to expand by more than 4.5 percent this year, largely because of industrial output as factories churn out goods for the U.S. market."

The Most Common Mistakes Made by Investors

Here is a video that will make you take a good look at how you make your investment decisions. An amazing resource for any individual investor.