Mexico City Reduces Green House Gas Emissions by the Millions

Mexico City is making improvements in leaps and bounds, with its Green Plan, implemented in 2008, aiming to make Mexico City a sustainable city in the next 15 years. Not only has the plan already reduced GHG by 5.7 million metric tons, but is the basis for making investments in transportation, energy and water conservation, solid waste management, and air quality, among other initiatives.

"Over the past four years, we have made significant progress toward becoming one of the world's most sustainable cities by promoting environmental stewardship not only in our government operations but also by encouraging widespread business and citizen participation," said Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico City's current mayor.

Heinz to Invest US$6 Million in Mexico

Via Maquilaportal.com
With a plant in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and corporate offices in Mexico City, Heinz Mexico estimates to close 2011 with invoicing for US$60 million, including exports. The Company plans investments for US$6 million in the next two years to produce in Mexico its flag-product, tomato ketchup.

Mexico Outdoes Canada in Automobile Production

Latest news from maquilaportal.com has says that Mexico has outdone Canada in terms of production of automobiles and light trucks, in between 2008 and 2010. Last year 2,262,164 units were assembled, a number that is higher than Canada’s production total. "This year, if the shadow of the recession in the USA does not affect original plans, the record could be broken, mainly with expansion plans by Nissan, GM, VW and Chrysler."

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.

Mexican Soft Drink Company, Coca-Cola FEMSA, to Acquire Tampico

The Mexican soft drink company, Coca-Cola FEMSA, is expected to acquire Tampico, one of the biggest soft drink bottlers in Mexico for 790 million dollars at the end of the third quarter this year. Read more about what's behind the acquisition here.

Obama to Hold News Conference Before Monday’s Debt Talks

Obama to hold news conference before Monday’s debt talks - The Washington Post

There's a historic default looming and a fragile economy that's increasingly vulnerable to the consequences of Washington’s divide over taxes and entitlements. Negotiations on Sunday failed to forge agreement on the debt ceiling, leaving talks on the subject deadlocked. With just three weeks remaining before what economists warn will be the beginning of a grave economic situation that could have disastrous consequences for the U.S. economy, Obama told the group to expect to meet daily until a deal is reached.

Read more about the debt ceiling and how it could boomerang into the international economy.

Despite Violence, Mexico Plants Hum at Border - NYTimes.com

Despite Violence, Mexico Plants Hum at Border - NYTimes.com

Despite the instability due to the war on drugs in Mexico, the Mexican economy is growing at a rapid pace, even more so than that of the United States. If you're interested in learning about business opportunities in Mexico, you should read the following article that could affect any investors world. Here is a brief summary:

Drug organizations are battling for turf around them, yet maquiladoras are continuing to expand, with more items being manufactured in the border cities than ever. Over all, jobs in Mexico’s manufacturing sector increased 8.2 percent to 1.8 million as of January (the most recent figures available) driven mostly by what Mexican officials called regaining health in the auto and electronics industries, the engine of the economy along the border.

Read more here at NYTimes.com

Auto Industry Telling of U.S.-Mexico Trade and Economy Relations

When speculating on trade relations between the U.S. and Mexico, it's easy to refer to a variety of resources for an estimate on which is the biggest trade product. As this Houston article mentions, "Anyone wondering which industrial sector is the most important in U.S.-Mexico border trade only has to see what the double-stacked freight cars [...]."

This large amount of trade across borders is indicative of the health of cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico.

In the words of Keith Patridge, the McAllen Economic Development Corp. President,"We lost a few factories that did not survive the U.S. recession, operations that were purchased or merged. But Reynosa last year added 4,000 jobs, even with the violence, at maquiladoras in all categories."

Read about what other business leaders had to say about the increase in foreign investment in Mexico.

Increased Employment Rate Advances U.S. Stocks

Via WSJ:

Positive data in both U.S. employment and retail sales numbers sent investors back to risky assests.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 82 points, or 0.7%, to 12708 by midsession, setting the index up for a seventh gain in eight sessions.

Investors' spirits were risen by an employment survey that showed U.S. private-sector jobs rose by 157,000 last month, outdoing economists' forecast by over 50%. The WSJ article states taht the figure "contrasted with months of weak readings on U.S. employment."
Click here for the full article.

Consumer Confidence Up in Mexico for June

Mexico's population grew increasingly confident in terms of spending this past June. It was released on Tuesday by the national statistics agency that Mexico's consumer confidence index rose to 91.9 in June (when adjusted for seasonal factors). Analysts polled by Reuters expected June data to reflect 90.7.

Although consumer confidence hasn't risen much since the recession, the good news is investors predict that interest rates will remain steady until April 2012.

Read more on the positive impact this could have on the Mexican economy.

The World Competitiveness Rankings 2011‬‏

YouTube - ‪The World Competitiveness Rankings 2011‬‏
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Check out this new performance rating with analysis and some surprising news on what countries you should be investing in overseas.

Which do you think are good companies to invest in, in Mexico or abroad? I'd love to read your comments below.

Mexico Experiences Biggest Trade Surplus in 15 Years

Today Reuters reported that Mexico exported $23.5 billion in factory goods in May compared to $22.9 billion in the previous month. In March, "Mexico posted its biggest monthly trade surplus in more than 15 years" as the Mexican economy benefitted greatly from higher gas prices as the United States' primary crude supplier.

Mexico's economy is expected to grow around 4.5 percent this year on factory exports and a rekindling of domestic consumer demand following the 2008-2009 recession.

Click here to get the full report on the increase in trade dollars.

Despite Violence, Juarez Economy is Booming | México Today

Despite Violence, Juarez Economy is Booming | México Today

Recently, MexicoToday.org highlighted Juarez, one of the cities on the U.S.-Mexico border leading the way for the Mexican economy. According to Bob Cook, the president of the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCO), “What we see happening in Juárez right now is a city of competing realities. We have this mostly cartel-related violence taking place, but interestingly, while that is happening, Juárez is leading Mexico in almost every industrial indicator, in terms of new jobs and investment."

While the media focuses on portraying a single view of Mexico, the reality is that investment opportunities are at an all-time high and the Mexican economy is seeing continued growth.