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May 11, 2013 • 3:31 am 0

Latin America: Investors News Letter 10 May 2013

Mexico

Mexico Industry Output Falls Three Times More Than Forecast

Mexico’s industrial production fell three times more than analysts forecast in March, reinforcing expectations that the central bank will cut interest rates for the second time since 2009 later this year.

Factbox: Key facts about Mexico’s tax system

MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s new government has promised a comprehensive review of its tax system, to be announced in the second half of 2013 along with an overhaul of energy policy.

Obama tells Mexicans a ‘new Mexico’ is emerging

US-Mexico Stereotypes Must Be Broken

America Movil sees material impact from Mexico telecom reform

Brazil

Despite winning top world trade job, even Brazil looks beyond WTO

Brazil campaigned hard to get the top job at the World Trade Organization this week but behind closed doors even it acknowledges that the WTO’s main mission – pushing forward in global trade talks – looks for the moment like a lost cause.

BM&FBovespa Quarterly Earnings Trail Estimates as Costs Increase

Petronas Malaysia bolsters Brazil’s Batista with $850 million oil-field buy

Venezuela’s Maduro gets firm Brazilian backing, trade

Brazilian M&A Picks Up as Asians Seek Cheaper Oilfields

Latin America

Argentina’s Deadbeat Special: Buy a 4% Bond or Go to Jail

Panama Canal Cuts Water Use as Drought Prompts Energy Rationing

Brazil’s Odebrecht plans $20 billion spend, targets Peru as key investment
CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht plans to invest $20 billion globally over the next three years, mostly in Latin America and much of it in Peru

Saipem wins $500m offshore contracts in Latin America
- Italy-based engineering services provider Saipem has received new engineering and construction (E&C) offshore contracts, worth a total value of $500m, in Latin America.

APMT prepares for high growth markets
Although global container volumes are not predicted to grow as rapidly over the next five years as they have over the past decade, high growth emerging markets will require higher levels of productivity and rely heavily on expanded inland services

Cartagena aims to be a global megaport by 2017
The Colombian Caribbean port of Cartagena is undertaking extensive infrastructure and technology upgrades in an effort to be one of the world’s 30 best megaports by 2017.

Filed under: Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Malaysia, Mexico, News, Peru, Risk Management, Venezuela, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 20, 2013 • 11:28 pm 0

Mexico, The Emerging Latin American Powerhouse

TABB Forum:  For the past few years, coverage of Mexico in the U.S. media has largely been dominated by stories of violence stemming from the country’s drug cartels. Lately though, the media have increasingly been turning their attention to the story of Mexico’s booming economy, and new president Enrique Peña Nieto’s bold moves to radically reshape it. This robust growth in Mexico looks set to continue for some time, which has led the Financial Times to label Mexico as the “Aztec Tiger.”1

MexDer, the nation’s only futures exchange, has been taking steps to ensure that it grows apace with the nation’s economy by making substantial upgrades to its matching engine, while continuing to make it easier for foreign investors to access the market. As a result of these changes, as of yesterday, April 14, north-to-south routing to MexDer via CME Group’s Globex® platform is available on Trading Technologies. You can read the details in the news release that we published today and on  TradingTechnology website.

The Aztec Tiger 

A perfect storm of positive influences is coming together to make Mexico one of the world’s emerging economic powerhouses. Mexico has a young and growing population, low levels of government debt and low inflation. The country is developing into a leading exporter due in part to widespread implementation of new manufacturing processes, but also due to the fact that Mexico has free trade pacts with 44 countries—more than any other nation on earth.These forces have combined to make Mexico’s economy one of the few bright spots in a global economy still working off the hangover resulting from the credit bubble. Mexico’s economy grew at around four percent in 2012, quadruple the growth rate of Latin America’s largest economy, Brazil.2 The Mexican peso hit a 19-month high against the U.S. dollar in March, and has outpaced 16 other major world currencies over the last month.3

With its growth track record and favorable conditions for growth to continue, a Nomura Equity Research report in July 2012 predicted that Mexico would overtake Brazil to become the largest Latin American economy within the next decade.4 In addition, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch have indicated that in the near future, they are likely to upgrade Mexico’s debt, which is already investment grade.5

A Pact for Mexico, An Open Door for Growth

Much of the optimism for Mexico’s future can be traced back to its new president, Enrique Peña Nieto. He hails from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico uninterrupted for 71 years and was identified with corruption and inefficient bureaucracy. That being said, President Nieto is quickly making himself known as a risk taker, willing to take on fights in which none of his predecessors seemed willing to engage.

Within two days of his swearing-in last December, Nieto’s PRI signed a “Pact for Mexico”6 with the opposition National Action Party (PAN). This pact outlines 95 proposals to modernize and liberalize Mexico’s economy. Nieto began by taking on the richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, by announcing plans to foster competition in the telecommunication and television industries, which are currently dominated by monopolies. Later this year, Nieto is expected to propose his most significant change, opening up Mexico’s energy market and allowing the state-run oil concern Pemex to work with the world’s largest oil companies. It’s expected that these reforms, once enacted, will increase Mexico’s GDP growth from four percent to six percent a year.7

Making MoNeT

In parallel, MexDer and the Mexican government have done quite a bit to attract foreign investors, and to make it easy for them to access the market. Perhaps one of the most significant changes has been the development of the MoNeT matching engine, which went live on Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV), the equities segment, last fall.

The MoNeT matching engine was designed to attract high-frequency traders, mainly from the U.S. and Europe. It boasts internal latencies of 90 microseconds, which is faster than the 110 microseconds of NASDAQ or 125 microseconds at the London Stock Exchange.8 BMV volumes have increased 30 percent to 40 percent since the launch of the new matching engine.9For international traders and investors, accessing MexDer is straightforward. The north-to-south routing available via CME Globex allows any TT customer with an existing CME infrastructure to route orders to MexDer’s matching engine. MexDer is also accessible now in TT’s MultiBroker environment, which is currently available in beta. Additional information regarding how CME users can access MexDer is posted on the CME website.There are a number of other reasons why doing business in Mexico is easier than most other Latin American countries. Unlike Brazil, there is no withholding tax of any kind on foreign investment. The Mexican peso is a freely traded and easily convertible currency, and MexDer’s clearing house, Asigna, accepts U.S. dollar-denominated collateral.

La Oportunidad Está En Todas Partes

Owing to the fact that the U.S. does $1.5 billion per day in trade with Mexico,10 the Mexican markets are, predictably, highly correlated with America’s. North-to-south customers trading MexDer via Globex have access to a number of financial futures that allow for arbitrage opportunities against their American counterparts.

MexDer lists the IPC index of the BMV, which in general tracks closely to the S&P 500. The full Mexican yield curve is available on MexDer, from one-month bills to 30-year bonds, and it converges with the U.S. yield curve. Finally, MexDer lists a Mexican peso/U.S. dollar FX future, one of the 20 biggest FX futures contracts in the world by volume, which sets up arbitrage opportunities with the CME’s equally liquid peso/U.S. dollar future. In a recent MarketsWiki interview, MexDer CEO Jorge Alegria indicated that going forward, the exchange would likely look to list commodity futures linked to similar contracts listed on CME Group.

BMV IPC vs. S&P 500
Chart obtained from Yahoo! Finance

The ascent of the Aztec Tiger is no sure thing. There is always the danger of President Nieto’s PRI party losing its appetite for reform and returning to its old ways. There’s the chance that the hiccups in the U.S. economic recovery may impact Mexico, given that 30 percent of the Mexican economy is tied to U.S. exports. There may even be signs that Mexico’s economy is stalling already, which led the central bank to reduce interest rates for the first time since March 2009. Either way, TT users now have the ability to participate in one of today’s most interesting markets.

1 Thomson, Adam. “Mexico: Aztec tiger.” Financial Times. January 30, 2013.
2 Rathbone, John-Paul. “Mexico’s reform plan lifts hopes for greater prosperity.” Financial Times. March 20, 2013
3 Kwan Yuk, Pan. “Mexican peso hits 19 month high”. Financial Times. March 14, 2013.

Filed under: BMV - Mexico, Exchanges, Latin America, Mexico, News, Trading Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 19, 2013 • 2:12 am 0

Latin America: Investors News Letter 18 April 2013

MEXICO

Mexico Peso Declines as U.S. Earnings Crimp Outlook for Exports

Mexico says Nestle to sell Pfizer baby food business

MEXICO CITY – Swiss food giant Nestle will sell the assets of U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s baby food business in Mexico, a business it acquired globally in an $11.85 billion deal last year, Mexico’s competition watchdog said on Monday.

Analysis: Mexico’s smaller homebuilders set to gain as top three struggle

MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s top three homebuilders, facing heavy debt burdens and holding land where Mexicans no longer want to live, will sell fewer homes this year, leaving a market wide open for smaller rivals or even private equity funds to snap up business.

Mexican manufacturing: from sweatshops to high-tech motors

SILAO, Mexico – Made in Mexico is increasingly more likely to mean cars than clothes as the country’s manufacturing sector moves away from the low-skill, high-volume production lines of the past toward more sophisticated products.

VIP Interview: Enrique Peña Nieto, forging the future

Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, on a new spirit of democracy and cooperation, and the economic future of Mexico.

BRAZIL

Itau Bet on Stocks Outside Brazil Leads Latin America Funds

QItau Unibanco Holding SA has found a winning strategy for the Itau Latam Pacific mutual fund: avoiding shares from the bank’s home country, Brazil.

 Brazil’s Votorantim Cimentos files for $5.4 billion IPO

Votorantim Cimentos S.A., Brazil’s biggest cement producer, on Wednesday filed with regulators to raise up to $5.4 billion in an initial public offering of its units.

Brazil clears Pão de Açúcar’s appliance stores deal

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO – Grupo Pão de Açúcar SA , Brazil’s biggest retailer, won regulatory approval on Wednesday for its 2009 purchase of the Casas Bahia and Ponto Frio appliance chains in exchange for selling less than 8 percent of their store fronts.

Brazil Indian-farmer standoff intensifies, tribes storm Congress

BRASILIA – Brazilian Indians are trying to derail a congressional proposal to change the way indigenous lands are recognized, intensifying a standoff between the powerful farm sector and a carefully protected minority by literally storming the floor of Congress.

Special Report: Rough justice as Brazil tries to right past wrongs to Indians

MARAIWATSEDE, Brazil – Damião Paridzané was nine years old in 1966 when the Brazilian Air Force loaded him and hundreds of other Xavante Indians onto a cargo plane. | Video

UK-based TMO Renewables building cellulosic fuel plant in Brazil

SAO PAULO – UK-based TMO Renewables said on Friday it plans to build Brazil’s first commercially viable second-generation ethanol plant, betting on the South American country’s need for non-food-based biofuels.

Brazil’s Embraer looks to shock Lockheed with price of cargo jet

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA is looking to shock rivals with the price of its KC-390 military transport plane when it starts booking firm orders within the next 12 months, according to a senior executive.

Higher volumes and more investment for Brazilian railfreight
INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY JOURNAL – Despite a slowdown in economic growth, Brazil’s freight railways invested nearly Reais 4.9bn ($US 2.4bn) in new infrastructure and equipment last year, a 6.6% increase over 2011,

LATIN AMERICA

British Firms Explore Trade Opportunities in Mexico and Colombia

A four-day trade mission to Mexico and Colombia by medium-sized British businesses took place in March, focusing on high value opportunities in key sectors.

Jamaica’s decades of debt are damaging its future

The latest IMF loan does not ‘rescue’ Jamaica, whose debt must be written off if its people are to take control of their economy

 The Logistics Hub Project and Jamaica’s Development
An ideal location midway between North and South America, in close proximity to the Panama Canal contributes to this advantage. The Panama Canal will be widened by 2015 to accommodate wider ships and Jamaica hopes to capitalise on this by expanding its port facility and affiliated infrastructure spread over four south coast parishes: namely Kingston, St Catherine, Clarendon and St Thomas. An IDB (2010) study on the productivity of the LAC region concluded that “ports and airports are grossly inefficient.

Latin America’s top port faces logistical woes
Santos’ cargo handling volumes made a strong start to 2013, with the port hitting a record high of 7.9 MM tons, up 27 percent year-on-year, according to Santos’ Port Authority CODESP. If the trend continues, the port is expected to close 2013 with total cargo traffic of 109 MM tons, up from 104 MM last year and 97 MM in 2011. But a record soybean harvest this year has clearly overwhelmed its storage and loading capacity. “It seems that our infrastructure can’t cope with the growth in grain production,” said Sergio Mendes, executive director of the Brazilian Cereal Exporters Association (ANEC). Last month, the logistical nightmare reached epic proportions, with a 64-kilometer traffic jam of trucks waiting to unload their soybean cargo outside Santos port. And the port congestion and resulting shipment delays led Sunrise Group, China’s largest soybean importer, to cancel an order to buy 2 MM metric tons of Brazilian soybean.

Latin America’s Largest PV Projects

As of April 1, 2013, 9.8 gigawatts of large-scale PV projects had been announced in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently, the generating capacity of projects in operation is just 114 megawatts. Of the 9.8 gigawatts’ worth of announced projects, 731 megawatts have signed off-take agreements of some sort (power purchase agreements, feed-in tariff contracts, etc.) and a further 168 megawatts are under construction. These large numbers have generated a lot of hype for various Latin American markets, in particular, for Chile, Mexico, and Brazil.

Filed under: Banking, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, Risk Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 22, 2013 • 1:35 am 1

Bloomberg and El Financiero to Launch Spanish-Language HD Channel in Mexico and Central America

Partnership Will Create Local Content across Television, Web, Mobile and Print

 Bloomberg Media Group, a division Bloomberg L.P., and El Financiero, the media branch of Grupo Lauman, an integrated solutions company, today announced a long-term agreement to launch a new multi-platform Spanish-language business news service. The companies will create a high-definition television channel that combines Bloomberg’s global business and financial insight with locally-produced content. The service will be offered in Mexico and Central America. The companies also plan to offer content online, on mobile sites and in print with a co-branded section in El Financiero newspaper.

“Mexico is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and our agreement with El Financiero allows Bloomberg to deliver the sharpest global business and financial insight to a critical market,” said Andy Lack, CEO of Bloomberg Media Group. “This is a significant part of the company’s strategy of forming partnerships with leading providers in markets that have a compelling economic growth story, as we have done in India, Turkey, Mongolia, Indonesia, Africa and the Middle East.”

“The new venture with Bloomberg will provide local investors, businessmen and opinion makers, with high-quality, relevant content that moves markets,” said Manuel Arroyo, President and CEO of Grupo Lauman and El Financiero. “We look forward to bringing to the table Mexico’s key influencers to further the discussion around this region’s economic growth.”

Scheduled to launch in late 2013, this will be the first business news channel available in HD throughout Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It will be broadcast from El Financiero’s new HD studio in Mexico City. An executive producer from Bloomberg Television will be appointed to work alongside El Financiero to assist in the production of the network’s economic and business coverage. The programming will draw from Bloomberg’s extensive financial and economic data as well as reporting from the company’s 2,400+ journalists in 146 news bureaus across 72 countries.

Mr. Arroyo, along with Enrique Quintana, Chief Editor of El Financiero, will participate in the Bloomberg Mexico Economic Summit at the Club de Banqueros de Mexico. This event gathers the country’s most influential political, financial and corporate minds to discuss the critical issues surrounding the region’s growth.

Source: Bobsguide, 21.03.2013

Filed under: Central America, Latin America, Mexico, News, , , , , , , , , , ,

March 14, 2013 • 9:27 am 0

Mexico: Investment News Letter 14 March 2013

Mexican Peso Gains for Fifth Day on Export Outlook; Bonds Rally

Why you should be excited about Mexico

Group Of Investors Acquires Important Stake In Aeromexico

Mexico eyes telecoms revolution

The Mexican government on Monday announced a sweeping proposal to limit the reach of telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim and broadcasting giant Televisa as part of efforts to boost competition in Latin America’s second-biggest economy. The bill, which forms part of the most ambitious economic reform agenda in a generation, seeks to establish a powerful industry regulator armed with an array of tools to curb companies’ control of markets, while opening up space for new investors.

Bold reforms of president buoy Mexico

If every government has a defining moment, that of Mexico’s new administration may have come this month when authorities arrested the head of the teachers’ union and put her behind bars without bail.

Mexico, among the lagged to do business

The study Doing Business 2012 locates the country in the 53rd place of 183 countries. Among the states with the best regulations are Colima and Aguascalientes.

Beer, tomato and avocado are among the most exported

U.S. is the main destination of the Agrifood exports of Mexico, with 74.2% but they also arrive to new markets, such as the Japanese.

Mexico will remain tied to the U.S.

The country exported almost 80% of their goods and for 2030 is expected that the neighbor to the north will capture 70% of Mexican exports.

For Mexican Insurers, Solvency II Reforms are all about the Details

As the global insurance industry prepares for the implementation in 2014 of the new risk-based capital requirements, known as Solvency II, many discussions about how new regulations will be written have been taking place in both local and international forums. Among the countries preparing for Solvency II is Mexico, where recently its Congress passed a new law that essentially sets the scaffolding for implementing Solvency II and merges current laws for the country’s insurance business. The new law’s primary objective is to strengthen the procedures for reserves calculation and defines levels of capital requirement according to each company’s risk profile. In contrast to what the current law required, the new one allows for a more precise distinction between capital and reserve requirements for different business lines under Pillar I of Solvency II, for strengthening corporate governance under Pillar II, and for adding more transparency under Pillar III.

Filed under: Latin America, Mexico, News, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 14, 2013 • 8:48 am 1

Latin America: Investors News Letter 14 March 2013

Top Ranking Banks in Latin America
After a decade of unusual success, the LatAm banking sector has slowed its growth
The year 2011 closed with disturbing news. Banco Santander decided to sell its subsidiary in Colombia, which finally Chile’s Corp Group bought for US$1.225 million. At the time, the chairman of Santander, Emilio Botin, said the measure was taken to “strengthen the balance sheet” of the crestfallen Spanish giants. As he explained, “Our market share in commercial banking in Colombia is far from the 10% which we aspired to get in the markets where we operate.” …

LatAm Hedge Fund Experts Weigh In
On the Current Political and Economic Context
Though 2011 and 2012 have been strong years for LatAm hedge funds, particularly relative to other regions, the political and Workings macroeconomic context in which local managers are investing has been fraught with complicated developments.  For instance, the slowdown in China has affected commodities markets, the lifeblood of many of the region …

Investors Ditch Brazil For Mexico, Colombia

Gramercy Adds to Latin America Private Equity Investment Team

IFC Invests $100M in Energy for Caribbean, Latin America

Brazil

2013 Oil & Gas Industry Perspectives  Brazil
Brazil is heralded as the largest and most significant new oil and gas prospect of the last few decades. However, there is still a long way to go to realize the promise of a new non-OPEC stable source of supply in the top 5 world oil producers by 2020. Progress toward this ambitious target has been slow in the last year, as project development, execution and political risks have taken their toll …

Brazil Real Drops on Speculation Credit Rating May Be Lowered

First meetings on Guyana-Brazil infrastructure project begins

Paraná green lights process to start Paranaguá port infrastructure works in Brazil

ETF investors avoid Brazil

Brazil Seeks Recipe to Attract Investors at Lower Cost

Brazil May Be Next Health-Care Frontier for Global Investors

Troubled Brazil fund Laep to sell 40 mln new shares-filing

BTG Pactual shuts macro hedge fund to new money

Argentina

Argentina Is Replaying Another Inflationary Collapse

Mining investment in Argentina grows 72% despite risky business climate

Fernandez Angers Investors While Ducking Argentine Austerity

Colombia

Foreign direct investment in Colombia seen down in 2013

Chile

Top LatAm selector on working Chile’s red tape

Banchile builds with Fidessa’s sell-side trading platform and connectivity network

Costa Rica

Costa Rica Constructing $96M Oil Terminal

Peru
Peru announces major upgrade to Lima’s water infrastructure

Peru’s Private Pension Funds Want Higher External Investment Limit

Qatar “looks favorably upon” investment-friendly Peru

Peru’s Private Pension Funds Want Higher External Investment Limit

Velarde Says Peru May Allow Pension Funds to Invest More Abroa

Venezuela

Venezuela to Create New Parallel Exchange Rate, Ramirez Says

Venezuela will establish a new parallel exchange rate as it seeks to crack down on a black market in which the dollar is worth about four times more than the official rate, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said.

Filed under: Argentina, Banking, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 19, 2013 • 1:08 am 0

Latin America: Investor News Letter 18 January 2013

Mexico
Mexican Peso Slides on Carstens Hint at Interest-Rate ReductionMexico’s peso fell the most in four weeks after central bankers signaled that a further slowdown in inflation could prompt them to lower interest rates.
Nieto seeks to open Mexican energy sector
Los Tres Amigos: Positioning Your Portfolio In Mexican Peso Denominated Deb
Most U.S. funds missed Mexico gains, Brazil drop in 2012
Japanese investments in Mexico steady
Region completes work on international infrastructure project with Mexico

Brazil
Brazil’s Real Declines on Inflow Concern; Swap Rates Climb
Brazil: Daylight piracy
“SQUEEGEE merchants of the seas”: that is the nickname shipping companies have bestowed on the pilots who guide ships into Brazilian ports. Their legal monopoly and unregulated fees place them among the country’s highest earners: 150,000 reais ($73,500) a month, estimates the shipowners’ association. It costs twice the OECD average to import a container to Brazil, says the World Bank—and since that excludes bribes and fees for go-betweens, the true figure is surely greater.
Brazil Seeks Private Partners to Operate Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte Airports
Brazil announces regional airport infrastructure investment plans
Brazil aviation faces turbulence after rapid ascent
Brazil ports starved of investment, buried in red tape-group
Guyana, Brazil sign on to infrastructure plan
Brazilian municipality of São Bernardo do Campo to improve sustainable urban mobility with loan from IDB

Latin America
Argentina: Tax & Estate Planning
Argentina rapidly changing oil/gas industry levies to attract foreign investment
Bolivia takes over Spanish-owned Iberdrola energy suppliers
Colombia: ANI to launch four new public infrastructure concessions valued at US$1.95bn
Colombian Peso Advances on Foreign Investment Outlook
Chile: First Solar Stakes Claim in Latin America
Peru’s investment opportunities attracts Qatar’s firms Peru: Infrastructure gap put at $88bn
Peru-based AFPs invest over US$3.5bln in infrastructure
Cement Industry Figures In Peru: Btg Pactual Begins Coverage Of Cpac With A Buy Recommendation
Peru to invest over US$701mln in access infrastructure projects
Peru: Ezentis shifts focus to Latin America, helped by $64M Telefónica Peru contract
Peruvian entrepreneurs expect investment to continue growing in 2013
Venezuela: What Hugo Chavez’s Illness Means for Venezuelan Mining

Latin America and Caribbean PhotoVoltaic Demand Growing 45% Annually Out To 2017 
Latin American ports record strong performance in 2012
South America: A Powerhouse, Not a Circus
10 Latin American startups to look out for in 2013

Filed under: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Japan, Latin America, Mexico, News, Peru, Risk Management, Venezuela, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 8, 2013 • 11:39 am 0

Mexico City-Based Broker CI Casa de Bolsa Signs with Perseus Telecom

  •  For the Fastest, Market-To-Market Connection with Mexico
  • Partnership enables New York and Mexico City trading communities to receive market signals and send transactions at the lowest latency rates available

Perseus Telecom, a leading global provider of connectivity, today announced that it has signed CI Casa de Bolsa to its ultra-low latency network between the New York and Mexico City markets. The launch of this partnership represents a landmark development as the fastest trading route between the two marketplaces and creates new opportunities for trading firms across the globe.

CI Casa de Bolsa, a leading Mexico City-based brokerage house, has a global client base seeking liquidity in the Mexican marketplace. With US-listed stocks displayed in Mexico, CI Casa de Bolsa has chosen Perseus Telecom for its high-speed, ultra low-latency network connection from New York to Mexico City for the fastest execution capabilities possible for foreign investors.

“We are very happy with our decision to use Perseus Telecom. Their network is built for performance and customer satisfaction without the overbearing costs that low-latency technology can sometimes bring to our bottom line,” states Mauricio Suarez, Head of International Sales at CI Casa de Bolsa. “The beneficiaries of lower costs and lower latency are our clients and serving them stands as CI Casa de Bolsa’s primary objective.”

Dr. Jock Percy, CEO of Perseus Telecom, explains, “We are quite pleased to have a reputable firm like CI Casa de Bolsa join the Perseus Telecom global network. As Perseus Telecom looks to bring more value to investment communities at different corners of the globe, markets like Latin America, led by Brazil and Mexico, are important to us and our customers. CI Casa de Bolsa coming on-net is a testament to our commitment to these markets.”

Source: Perseus Telekom, 07.01.2013

Filed under: Mexico, Trading Technology, , , , , , , , ,

January 4, 2013 • 12:03 am 0

GFI Group to Supply Market Data to Mexico’s PiP LATAM

GFI Market Data, a division of GFI Group Inc. (NYSE:”GFIG”) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Mexico’s Proveedor Integral de Precios “PiP” under which GFI Market Data will become an official price contributor to PiP’s eurobond pricing and curve calculations.

PiP started operations in the year 2000 and was the first price vendor company authorized by the Mexican Securities Commission (CNBV) to provide prices for the valuation of financial assets. They currently have operations in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica.

Francesco Cicero, Head of eTrading at GFI Group said: “We are very happy to be working with PiP and to be able to supply them and their clients with an independent view of the eurobond markets derived from our highly experienced brokers as well as from our premier electronic trading screen for fixed income, GFI CreditMatch®”.

PiP distributes official closing prices via its PiP- Latam© system.

GFI Market Data provides real bid and offer prices and spreads for a broad range of instruments including asset backed securities, corporate bonds, emerging market bonds, floating rate notes, high yield bonds and structured products. Sourced directly from GFI CreditMatch®, our award-winning electronic trading platform for bonds and fixed income derivatives GFI data reflects market sentiment rather than indications gleaned through aggregated pricing.

Source: Bobsguide 03.01.2013

Filed under: Colombia, Data Vendor, Latin America, Market Data, Mexico, Peru, , , , , , , , , , ,

December 15, 2012 • 2:19 am 0

Latin America: Investor News Letter 14 December 2012

Mexcio

With a little help from my friends; Mexico´s new Government
The rise of Mexico The US needs to look again at it´s increasingly important neigbour
Mexico’s New President Offers Much to U.S. Investors
Macquarie Mexico IPO Offers REIT Where Murder Reigned
Thor Urbana Capital Launches $500M Investment in Mexico
HSBC became bank to drug cartels, pays big for lapses
Pemex Sues Siemens Claiming Bribery in Refinery Project
How to Invest in Mexico
Peru, Chile and Mexico are Societe Generale’s favourites for LatAm investments Cemex crumbles and Latin America starts to look weak
 
Brazil
Brazil stimulates construction to spur economy
Deutsche Bank Reduces Investment Bank, Research Teams in Brazil
Brazil Subsidizes Uncertain Shipyard Success
Rousseff Seeks Investment From Spain
Alstom handed Sao Paulo infrastructure contract
GE to Build Oil, Gas Facility at LLX’s Brazil Acu Port
New trains for World Cup host cities
Brazil´s Ceará to receive $66.5 million IDB loan to improve urban infrastructure and business environment

Latin America

LatAm Wealth Management Overview
The world has gotten wealthier, but not the whole world. The engine of growth for private wealth is by far the emerging markets such as LatAm and, particularly, East Asia ex-Japan, which is outpacing the rest of the world by a long shot …

South American airports need more investment: ALTA head
Can South America Become the New European Union?
IDB Approves $153 Million in Loans to Set Up IDB-China Eximbank Equity Investment Platform

Argentina

Argentina May Abandon International Court, Treaties Over Debt Ruling
Argentina raising energy tariffs to fund investment
Argentina’s YPF buys majority stake in natgas distributor

Chile

Chile approves Endesa 740 MW coal-powered project

Colombia

Colombia is Fast Becoming a Rising Oil Giant in Latin America
Southern Cross Group Invests in Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla (Columbia)
Holcim to double capacity in Colombia by building new US$600mn cement plant
As Panama Canal expands, Latin America rushes to be ready
Embezzlement stalling Colombia’s infrastructure development: Minister
Infrastructure in Colombia

Peru

Peru Is Clear Investment Destination In Latin America: Minister
Peruvian ports in peril?
 
FiNETIK News Summarier, 14.12.2012

Filed under: Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Latin America, Mexico, News, Peru, Risk Management, Wealth Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

December 14, 2012 • 8:41 am 0

Alternative Latin Investor: Hedge Fund Latin America Issue 19

We are proud to announce the launch of our 19th issue of Alternative Latin Investor, with a special focus on Hedge Funds within the region.

Special Issue: Hedge Funds Latin America

 LatAm’s Maturing Hedge Fund Industry  – The Need for More Managers in the Andean Region

Why LatAm Equity Funds are Looking Beyond Brazil

LatAm Hedge Fund Experts Weigh in on the Current Political and Economic Context

Hedge Fund Marketing Post-JOBS Act: Concepts to Begin the Advertising Conversation

Victor Hugo Rodriguez of LatAm Alternatives
LatAm’s Maturing Hedge Fund Industry
As they did in 2011, LatAm hedge funds are leading the world in returns in 2012. According to the November Eurekahedge Report, which tracks global returns through October, LatAm is up 8.17% in 2012, well head of Asia ex Japan, with 6.40%, and emerging markets in general, with 6.14% …

Latin American Art
2012 Auction Recap
Following inconsistent results during the 2-week stretch of mega-auctions of Impressionist/Modern and Art Post-War/Contemporary art at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips, anticipation for the Latin American art sales ran high. Evening sales featuring Latin American masterworks at both major auction houses preceded considerable day-sale offerings …

…and much more. Banking, Regulations, Political Risks,  Foreign Direct Investment, Renewable Energy, Agri Business, Wine Investment, Infrastructure, Art Investment

Please view and access Issue 19  in the following formats

Virtual Viewer    http://www.alternativelatininvestor.com/issue19-preview.htm

For more details and information please view http://www.alternativelatininvestor.com

Source: AlternativeLatinInvestor 14.12.2012

Filed under: Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Latin America, Mexico, News, Peru, Risk Management, Wealth Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 18, 2012 • 2:48 am 0

Latin America: Investor News Letter 17 November 2012

Mexico

Slim Acquires Controlling Stake in Real Oviedo, El Pais Reports

Billionaire Carlos Slim agreed to invest 2 million euros ($2.5 million) to acquire a controlling stake in Spain’s soccer team Real Oviedo, newspaper El Pais reported today.

Mexico lawmaker introduces bill to legalize marijuana
Sherwin-Williams to buy Mexico’s Comex for $2.34 billion
Mexico Third-Quarter GDP Rose at Slowest Pace in Over Year
Cemex Latam Falls in Bogota After $1.14 Billion Initial Sale
Mexican banks invest domestically
Mexico: Investors’ New China
TransCanada to build, operate Mexican natural gas pipeline; will invest US$1B

 

Brazil

Top names drop off list of Thyssen Americas bidders

FRANKFURT – Several top steelmakers are sitting out ThyssenKrupp’s auction of its U.S. and Brazilian mills and there appears little interest in the latter, suggesting the German firm may fall well short of its $9 billion asking price.

Eletrobras to take over bankrupt Brazil power utility
Cuba opens sugar sector to foreign management
Microsoft’s investment in Brazil to spur Rio research boom-execs
Telecom Italia looking at GVT, other opportunities
Wuhan Steel shelves plans to build Brazil mill
A new wave of Brazilian infrastructure investment
Brazil’s Itaqui port plans $3.2 billion upgrade
Rio Olympics, World Cup at risk with royalty bill, governor warns

 

Latin America

Paving the Way  High-­Tech Financial Infrastructure Hits LatAm

Foreign market leaders such as Fidessa, Direct Edge and Navatar are challenging local providers in the race to meet the booming region’s needs. The growth in size and sophistication of LatAm capital markets has both fueled and been fueled by the implementation of high-tech financial infrastructure in the region, as the hardware and software that have  been the foundation …

 Latin American yields fall further in a warning to bond investors
Impoverished Iberians, booming Latin America eye new relations
Africa and Latin America Still Fight Vulture Funds
More LatAm ETFs Your Broker Forgot to Mention
UN asks LatAm firms to grow with social responsibility
Private Equity Lures Pensioners as Bond Yields Sink
Argentina’s Debt Restructuring Argument Could Be Very Significant For The Global Economy
Argentina’s YPF 3rd-Quarter Profit Down 51% on Year at $159 Million
Bolivia Returns to the Global Bond Market
Chile pension fund-ordered estimate lowers Endesa Latam asset value
Chilean regulator to put new limits on pension fund investments
Germany’s Solarstrom enters Latin America with 2MW in Chile
Colombia opens criminal probe into Interbolsa collapse
Colombia’s Interbolsa brokerage to be liquidated
Public-Private Partnerships in Colombia: Scaling-up Results
Paraguay, Worst LatAm Economic Result of 2012
Peru May Invest About $5.2 Billion in Water, Wastewater Projects
Aeropuertos del Peru mulling over opportunities in Brazil and Chile
Overseeing Peru’s international appeal at ProInversión

Filed under: Argentina, Banking, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Energy & Environment, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, Risk Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

November 6, 2012 • 11:12 pm 0

ATG taps Nyse Technologies for ATS Brasil

Americas Trading Group (ATG) today announced the formation of a new company that will develop a liquidity center targeting the Brazilian exchange market called Americas Trading System Brasil or ATS Brasil.

Utilizing trading solutions developed by NYSE Technologies, the technology unit of NYSE Euronext, ATS Brasil will offer customers a new equities matching platform in Latin America.

ATG will maintain the controlling interest as well as operational management of the company with NYSE Technologies as a minority shareholder and the core technology provider. ATS Brasil plans to begin operations in 2013, subject to approvals by the Central Bank of Brazil and the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM).

Fernando Cohen, ATG´s President, believes that the entry of ATS Brasil will have a positive effect on the local stock market as it will contribute to expanding the range of products and services offered to investors in the region. Cohen also emphasized the importance of NYSE Technologies’ decision to expand into the Brazilian market by becoming a partner of ATS Brasil.

Cohen stated that initially ATS Brasil intends to operate in a model known as “the organized OTC market” based on computerization and transparency in order registration and execution, and adopt rigid mechanisms of self-regulation. He further noted that ATS Brasil was not created to compete with BM&FBovespa, but rather to complement it by improving liquidity and price formation for Brazilian assets.

“The entry of ATS Brasil starts a new cycle in the Brazilian exchange market. Our innovative, high-performance order execution platform will generate more liquidity for the capital markets. This initiative should stimulate cost reduction by offering efficiency gains for investors and create the real possibility of placing the Brazilian market within international standards,” said Fernando Cohen.

Dominique Cerruti, President and Deputy CEO, NYSE Euronext said, “As a leading operator of global markets and market technology, we have designed and deployed proven, market-tested trading platforms in key market centers around the world. We are pleased to partner with ATG ith ATG as they expand their business into equities matching with the ATS Brasil initiative. Our technology platform should provide customers and market participants with the same high-quality trading experience, performance and reliability that they’ve come to expect from NYSE Euronext’s own exchanges.”

ATS Brasil will use the Universal Trading Platform (UTP) developed by NYSE Technologies and used by NYSE Euronext’s global markets. UTP has the capacity to process high volumes of messages with very low latency, giving market participants the opportunity to submit thousands of orders per second while also improving market transparency and liquidity. Additionally, ATS Brasil is expected to attract new investors to the Brazilian market, including local and international high frequency traders. ATG will also utilize NYSE Technologies’ Secure Financial Transaction Infrastructure (SFTI) network to provide global access and direct market data distribution for customers trading outside Brazil. 

Source: FinExtra , 06.11.2012

Filed under: BM&FBOVESPA, Brazil, Exchanges, Latin America, Market Data, Mexico, Trading Technology, , , , , , , , , , ,

November 3, 2012 • 1:11 am 0

Latin America: Investor News Letter 2 November 2012

MEXICO

Mexico 2013 inflation view steady despite price spike
Credit Suisse Raises $420 Million to Create Mexico Fund
Mexico: Big investment for citrus producers
Indigenous Groups Protest Mexico’s Biggest Wind-Energy Project
FOX BUSINESS – Mexican fishermen and indigenous groups from the southern state of Oaxaca protested Wednesday in front of the Mexico City offices of participants in a wind-energy project that would be one of the largest ever in Latin America, targeting Coca-Cola bottler and convenience-store operator Femsa (FMX), the Inter-American Development Bank and the Danish government, among others.

BRAZIL

The Brazilian Law on Money Laundering
Precautions Investors Must Take when Investing in Brazil. Brazil has recently altered its money laundering law. The new bill has tightened the government’s grip on most of the investment operations and has significantly broadened financial institutions’ and investment brokers’ duties to report suspicious activities …

ThyssenKrupp Brazil mill fined for pollution, could face closure
The long, brutal haul from farm to port in Brazil
Brazil hit by new blackout, infrastructure in spotlight
Brazil Gives Tax Exemption to Foreign Mortgage Investors
Brazil Power Generators Ask to Renew 106 of 123 Concessions

LATIN AMERICA

Private Aviation takes off in Latin America
The growth of private wealth in LatAm has led to a rise in demand for private aircraft and private aviation services. For the region’s mounting numbers of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, a plane can be purely a luxury item, of course; but for increasingly global and mobile professionals and business owners, it meets a demand unsatisfied by local transportation alternatives, as well .

Colombia Regulators Seize Interbolsa Brokerage on Funding

Colombia’s financial regulators seized Interbolsa SA’s brokerage, the country’s largest, after the company said it faces a “temporary” funding shortage.

 Latin America stocks rise on China, U.S. data
20 Latin American in the World’s 200 Richest People
Argentina bonds close lower after S&P downgrade
Argentina Plans Regulatory Overhaul to Spur Investments
Increase in pension fund investments makes for headwinds in Andean market
Colombia Equity Fund targets European countries for distribution
Protests in Peru Scaring Off Mining Investment, Government Responds With Social Programs
Honduran supreme court rejects idea of building independently governed ‘model cities’
CAF and OFIC ink agreement to promote energy efficiency projects in Latin America
Modern airport terminal to be opened in Bogota
IDB approves $200m financing for Latin America hydro plant

Filed under: Argentina, Asia, Banking, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Latin America, Mexico, News, Peru, Risk Management, Wealth Management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October 23, 2012 • 10:58 pm 0

Cemex aims for $950m Latin American float in Colombia

Cemex, the Mexican cement producer, hopes to raise up to $950m from the partial sale of its Latin American subsidiary, people familiar with the deal told the Financial Times on Monday.

The company has set a price range of 11,000-13,500 Colombian pesos a share for the sale of about 24 per cent, or 126.6m shares, in Cemex Latam Holdings, Cemex’s Central and South American unit, in a forthcoming initial public offering on the Colombian stock exchange.

 
FT related CEMEX news:
The IPO of Cemex Latam, which includes Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama, is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to pay down its high debt. As of end of September, gross debt, which includes perpetual notes, stood at $17.7bn.

The planned IPO follows a recent refinancing agreement for about $7bn in loans, which extends maturities by three years from 2014 to 2017. At the time, analysts welcomed the agreement, saying that it bought the company valuable time to allow global cement markets to recover.

“The refinancing lays to rest any residual concerns about the company’s solvency,” one analyst who asked not to be named, told the FT recently.

That, coupled with positive results during the third quarter – Cemex said that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) between July and the end of September grew 9 per cent compared with last year to reach $730m, the highest ebitda generation in three years – has fuelled a rally in the company’s share price this year.

For years, Cemex was considered one of the most successful “multilatinas” as Latin American multinationals are known, as it embarked on a 20-year acquisition spree that turned it into the world’s third-largest cement producer by volume.

But the Monterrey-based company came unstuck following its purchase of Rinker, the Australian building-materials supplier, for $15.3bn – an acquisition it financed with short-term loans and that came on the cusp of the US housing crash.

Source: Financial Times, 22.10.2012

Filed under: Colombia, Exchanges, Mexico, News, , , , , , , ,

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