Between 2010 and 2019 exports of textile companies in Guatemala reported an average annual growth of 2%, a rise that is attributed to demand from companies in the United States.
According to figures from the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat), the manufacture of clothing items was the sector that generated more foreign exchange during the past year, as revenues amounted to $ 1,397 million.
During the first month of the year, family remittances sent to Guatemala registered a 22% year-on-year variation, a rise that exceeds the 8% increase registered in the same period in 2018.
According to the most recent figures from the Bank of Guatemala, in January 2020 the country received remittances of $834 million, an amount that exceeds by $46 million that registered in the same month of 2019.
In Guatemala, Banco de Inversión S.A. acquired 60% of the asset portfolio of Financiera de Occidente S.A., which was suspended in December 2019.
On December 13, 2019, the Monetary Board reported that because management practices were detected that put its solvency and soundness at risk, it decided to suspend the operations of Financiera Occidente S.A., an entity that at that time represented 0.35% of the total assets of the local banking system.
It is estimated that by the end of 2019, Guatemalan exports registered a slight year-on-year increase of 1%; however, for this year, an increase of between 1.5% and 4% is expected.
Directors of the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat) reported that the prospects for this year are more favorable, since it is expected a better performance in exports of several products, including bananas.
At the end of 2019 in Guatemala, the loan portfolio granted to the private sector grew by 5% compared to December 2020; however, this increase was far from the 8.5% predicted at the beginning of last year.
Official figures from the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat) indicate that between December 2018 and the same month in 2019, the private sector loan portfolio increased from $26,262 million to $27,640 million.
From January to September 2019, the country received $671 million in foreign direct investment, 6% more than in the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Bank of Guatemala show that between the first nine months of 2018 and the same period in 2019, foreign direct investment (FDI) that reached the country increased by $39 million, from $671 million to $632 million.
Out of the almost 80,000 companies reported by the Banguat National Directory, 6 out of ten have between one and five employees, and only 2 out of ten have more than 99 people employed.
In the last update of the National Directory of Companies and their Premises (Dinel), registered by the Banco de Guatemala, 79,542 companies were reported, most of which are concentrated in the departments of Guatemala, Quetzaltenango and Sacatepéquez.
With a new methodology, the Banco de Guatemala determined that the value of the informal economy already adds up to the equivalent of 22% of the Gross Domestic Product.
The new calculation used by the Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) to measure national production now includes the measurement of the informal economy, mainly its participation in productive activity.
According to the Central Bank, the constructive activity and consumption spending that Guatemalans make with the money received from abroad will boost the economy by the end of 2019, and this expansive cycle could extend until 2020.
During this year residential and commercial construction, together with public investment, have affected activities such as manufacturing, mining and quarrying, private services and commerce, informed representatives of the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat).
In Guatemala, the hardware industry is expecting its sales to grow 20% this year, mainly explained by the good performance it has reported so far in 2019.
According to projections of the Banco de Guatemala (Banguat), updated to September 2019, it is forecast that at the close of this year the construction sector will grow by 5.8%, a rise that would be explained by more flexible procedures in the processing of permits.
Between the first half of 2018 and the same period in 2019, the number of hotel rooms in the country grew 4%, and occupancy rose from 62.9% to 63.4%.
Official figures specify that between January and June last year and the first half of 2019, in the hotel sector the number of establishments went from 3,315 to 3,524, and in the case of the number of rooms went from 55,735 to 58,024.
From January to June 2019, the country received $536 million in foreign direct investment, 2% less than in the same period of 2018.
According to data from the Bank of Guatemala, between the first semester of 2018 and the same period of 2019, foreign direct investment (FDI) that arrived in the country decreased by $10 million, going from $546 million to $536 million.
From January to September 2019, family remittances to Guatemala totaled $7.748 million, 14% more than in the same period in 2018.
The most recent figures from the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat) indicate that in September 2019 the country received remittances of $892 million, 20% more than the $745 million recorded in the same month in 2018.
Although Guatemala's foreign sales continue to decline, an improvement is expected towards the end of the year, which would be explained by a rebound in the prices of some agricultural products.
Figures from the Bank of Guatemala (Banguat) specify that in the first six months of the year sales abroad totaled $5,666 million, a figure that is just 0.3% lower than the $5,681 million reported in the same period of 2018.
Although Guatemala and the U.S. have already signed an agreement on migration issues, the exchange rate reported a slight increase and the upward trend is expected to continue over the next few days.
President Trump's warning to Guatemala to impose export tariffs and taxes on remittances and transfers had a direct impact on the exchange market.
Data from the Banco de Guatemala indicate that between July 23 and 29 the price of the Quetzal with respect to the US dollar increased from Q7.64 to Q7.68, which according to the authorities is explained by the uncertainty generated by the possible sanctions against the country.
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