In March 2016 the total assets of the fifteen largest business groups listed on the Panamanian Stock Market grew by 12% compared to the same period in 2015.
An article on Capital.com.pa notes that "...Empresa General de Inversiones (EGI) and BG Financial Group are the two conglomerates with the largestassets, the former closed the first three months of 2016 with $15.643.12 million and the latter with $15,418.72 million, representing an increase of 12.37% and 12.38% respectively. "
It has been announced that the Guatemalan bank has acquired assets belonging to the Honduran group estimated at $108 million.
As part of the process of forced liquidation of Banco Continental, which began on October 12, the Bank founded in Guatemala acquired 32% of the assets, which has an estimated total value of $225 million.
In the first half of 2014 banks assets in the country increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2013, while the amount of loans granted grew by 11%.
Data from the Superintendence of Banks of Guatemala reveals that the profits made by banks in the same period grew by only 0.87%.
Federico Martínez Linares, CEO of Banco G & T Continental told Eleconomista.net that "...
The assets managed by trusts increased from $12.551 billion in December 2009 to $16.803 billion in the same month in 2013, up 34%.
The number of trust management companies in Panama has been growing in recent years. Now the market is made up of 70 companies managing different types of trusts: which include investment, assurance, pension and unemployment trusts.
Up to February this year the balance of loans granted by the 18 banks registered in the country amounted to $15.8 billion.
The loan portfolio grew by 11.7% in Guatemala in the past year as reported by the Superintendency of Banks of Guatemala (SIB), a figure that confirms the growing economy.
"The Superintendency of Banks of Guatemala (SIB) reported that banking sectors loan portfolio totaled approximately $15.8403 billion as of February this year. The figure represented an increase of 11.7% compared to the amount reported in the same month in 2013."
With steady growth and reaching up to $1 billion a year, this financing mechanism is controlled by 24 companies, mostly banks.
Every year, the activity records growth of between 10% and 20%. "Using a factoring contract, a trader or manufacturer can assign an invoice or other credit document to a factoring company in exchange for a full or partial financial advance" explains an article in Panamaamerica.com.pa.
Rumors are that the U.S. Federal Reserve is preparing to reduce its bond purchase program, motivating the sale of bonds in emerging markets.
"A rise in bond yields in developed markets and a better prognosis for the U.S. economy are making bonds from the emerging countries, from Turkey to Chile, seem less attractive. On Friday, currencies, bonds and shares in these markets fell significantly," noted an article in Wsj.com.
Together the 11 clusters listed in the Panama Stock Exchange posted profits of $254 million during the last quarter of 2012, 16% more than in the same period in 2011.
During the last quarter of 2011, profits made by these conglomerates amounted to $218.8 million.
"... the conglomerate's profits were led by Empresa General de Inversiones, with a profit of $69.5 million, an increase of 7.28% from the year 2011, noted an article in Capital.com.pa.
With gold as a prime example, the recommendation to protect purchasing power is to diversify by acquiring natural resource assets, particularly productive land.
Although the European crisis has shown that despite the enormity of the U.S’s public debt, bonds that back it still have the confidence of many investors, the dollar as a reserve asset raises many doubts.
The high yield on financial income is due to the sustained increase of 26.7% in the loan portfolio.
As of May 2008, the consolidated assets of the International Banking Center (CBI) totaled 73.7 billion Balboas, an increase of 35.5%; while on a bank-only basis, the assets continue to show a growing trend with a balance of 61.2 billion Balboas, representing an increase of 28.6%