Economy & Business - July 2026

The last time that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the public purse strings to boost the electoral chances of his ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), the economy grew by a whopping 7.5%.... Read More

The victory of Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia’s 21 June presidential run-off marks an abrupt and dramatic ideological shift for Latin America’s fourth-largest economy, only four years after it elected Gustavo Petro as its first left-wing president in modern times.... Read More

Keiko Fujimori will take office as Peru’s new president on 28 July after winning the narrowest of victories in the 7 June run-off election.... Read More

BOLIVIA | Petrobras re-engages.... Read More

No leader likes to break a campaign promise, but President José Antonio Kast did so only three months into office, oddly by admitting he would miss a self-imposed deadline that was still nearly four years away.  On 9 June Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz published a legally mandated fiscal policy decree that formally abandoned the goal of eliminating the structural budget deficit by 2030, a flagship pledge of Kast, who took office in March.... Read More

Uruguay has long enjoyed a reputation as a beacon of institutional stability in Latin America.... Read More

After two years of regular student-backed protests against spending cuts in higher education, the government of President Javier Milei in mid-June agreed to increase pay for university workers.... Read More

PARAGUAY | Itaipú transfers funds to Paraguay under Annex C.... Read More

Visitor numbers to Central America recorded strong growth in the first quarter of this year, and the travel and tourism sector is forecast to keep growing.... Read More

Honduras’ President Nasry Asfura is pushing to pass a bill that would reform the country’s troubled electricity sector, and the plans have received significant backing internationally despite opposition at home. ... Read More

Comparisons between Suriname and oil-booming Guyana are irresistible, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its latest report on Suriname – Post-Financing Assessment Discussions – adds some important notes of caution.... Read More

GUATEMALA | FTA with Peru takes effect.... Read More

Mexico’s role as co-host of the Fifa World Cup in June and July was forecast to bring significant economic benefits.... Read More

Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex has signed a wide-ranging agreement with its counterpart in Brazil, Petrobras, to boost exploration and production in Mexico’s largely undeveloped deepwater reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, potentially opening the door for more specific agreements in the future that could halt the decline in Pemex’s reserves and give Petrobras a new international frontier.... Read More

Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) has signalled that a prolonged pause in interest rate movements lies ahead after leaving rates on hold at 6.50% at its 25 June meeting, as forecast by markets.... Read More

MEXICO | Inflation slows further in June.... Read More