españolCosta Rica: Economic Activity Up 2.8% in 2019Wednesday, February 12, 2020 As of December 2019, IMAE recorded a 2.8% increase, partly due to the performance of the manufacturing and service sectors. This result places the average annual growth in production at 1.9%, lower than the previous year's (2.6%), which, as the Central Bank has pointed out, reflects the economic slowdown experienced by the country since April 2016 and which reached its lowest point in May 2019, a situation caused by a combination of circumstances (uncertainty associated with the fiscal situation, external shocks to trade flows and adverse weather conditions), the official report explains. Economic Activity Up 3% in 2019Tuesday, February 11, 2020 At the end of 2019, economic activity in Guatemala grew 3%, behavior that was explained in part by the performance of the commercial and construction sectors. From the Bank of Guatemala report: Economic Outlook Improves at the Beginning of 2020Tuesday, February 11, 2020 During January in Honduras, the Economic Activity Confidence Index registered a slight increase of 9% compared to what was reported at the end of 2019. Informants said that the main factors that could influence the behavior of inflation during 2020 are: the increase in fuel prices and its impact on electricity rates, as well as price increases in some food and certain raw materials, explains a report by the Central Bank of Honduras. Retail: Two Sides of the Coin in the RegionWednesday, February 19, 2020 During the fourth quarter of 2019, Walmart's sales increased year-on-year in all countries in the region, except in Costa Rica, where they fell because of the lower dynamism of local economic activity. The signs of recovery reported in the Costa Rican economy in the second half of 2019 do not seem to have been enough to boost retail trade, as one of the largest supermarket chains is registering a drop in sales. Transportation and Beverages Drive Up InflationFriday, February 14, 2020 At the beginning of 2020 in Panama, a positive variation in the Consumer Price Index was reported, a behavior that was determined partly by the prices of Transportation and Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. Unclear Future for the Commercial SectorThursday, February 13, 2020 In Costa Rica, businessmen in the sector do not clearly see what the economic direction of the country will be, since the levels of unemployment and informality in small and medium enterprises are still rising. The proportion of unemployed people in the country closed 2019 upwards, as between the third and fourth quarters of 2019 the open unemployment rate rose from 11.4% to 12.4%, an increase that can be explained partly by the rise in women's unemployment. El Salvador: Remittances Begin 2020 with 6% IncreaseThursday, February 13, 2020 During January, the country received $425 million in family remittances, 6% more than in the same month in 2019. Economic growth and employment in the United States are two determining variables in the income of family remittances, since their performance influences the economy of those who send remittances to Salvadoran households. In this sense, economic growth in the fourth quarter of the United States for 2019 was 2.1%, according to an official report. Guatemala: Businessmen Start 2020 with OptimismThursday, January 30, 2020 In January, the Economic Activity Confidence Index registered a 39% increase compared to the same month in 2019, reinforcing the upward trend that has been reported since July 2019. An inflationary rhythm of 3.72% is forecast for January, 3.71% for February and 3.84% for March 2020. Restaurant Closed in NicaraguaMonday, February 17, 2020 In a context of falling production, the restaurant La Marseillaise, which operated in the country's capital, announced that it will temporarily close its facilities. The French food restaurant, which had a capacity to serve 150 people and had been operating in Managua for more than four decades, made its closure official in a brief statement. Dominican Republic: 2020 Begins with 4.1% InflationTuesday, February 11, 2020 Food and non-alcoholic beverages, Transport, and Recreation and culture, were the sectors that had the greatest incidence in January for the CPI to report a 4.1% year-on-year variation. The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) reported that the overall consumer price index (CPI) experienced a 0.33% change in January 2020 compared to December 2019, while the underlying price index or monetary conditions index experienced a 0.38% change in the first month of the year. Economic Activity Grows at 3.6% in PanamaTuesday, January 21, 2020 During November 2019, the Monthly Index of Economic Activity reported a 3.6% year-on-year change, which was largely determined by commercial activities and financial intermediation. Among the categories of economic activity showing positive behavior were: commerce, transportation, storage and communications, public administration, financial intermediation, agriculture, electricity and water, mining and quarrying, and domestic services, reported the General Comptroller of the Republic. Moody's Downgrades NicaraguaWednesday, February 19, 2020 Arguing that economic strength has weakened as a result of social tensions and is likely to leave a lasting negative impact, the rating agency reduced the country's credit risk rating from B2 to B3. "The risk of reduced access to official external credit is creating financing challenges and restricting the authorities' ability to support economic activity," the agency's report explains. Remittances: Good Outlook for 2020Friday, February 7, 2020 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. Dominican Republic: GDP Up 5% in 2019Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Construction and financial intermediation were the sectors contributing most to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product registered during 2019. Construction, with its significant expansion of 10.5%, remained the activity with the greatest impact on economic growth in 2019, driven by the development of public and private investment projects corresponding to low and medium cost housing, by the execution of works in the tourism, commercial and energy sectors, as well as the construction and remodeling of infrastructure for land transport and access roads in rural areas, reported the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD). Honduras: Inflation Still AcceleratingMonday, February 10, 2020 After the inflationary rhythm went from 3.8% to 4.1% between November and December 2019, during January 2020 the year-on-year CPI was 4.3%. In the first month of 2020, the monthly variation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 0.24% (0.03% in January 2019), an increase driven by the rise in the price of services related to housing, some food and recreational and cultural items and services. With this result, year-on-year inflation stood at 4.30% (3.95% twelve months earlier), reported the Central Bank of Honduras. |
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