Economy & Business - July 2023

A serious reshuffle has been taking place within President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s cabinet, as several senior figures have resigned in order to compete to become the 2024 presidential candidate for the ruling left-wing Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena).... Read More

Ecuador’s centre-right President Guillermo Lasso invoked the constitution’s Article 148, commonly known as the ‘muerte cruzada’, on 17 May, dissolving the opposition-controlled national assembly and allowing him to rule by decree until new presidential and legislative elections are held on 20 August.... Read More

The administration of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro is redoubling its push for deeper ties with like-minded governments to help kickstart the country’s struggling oil industry and reopen its economy to the rest of the world.... Read More

President Gustavo Petro had set out to reshape his country like no president in recent times, making it more equitable and democratic through a host of left-wing reform proposals.... Read More

BOLIVIA | Lithium deals with Russia and China.... Read More

Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has seen his share of setbacks in government, not least major defeats in trying to reform the constitution and the tax system.... Read More

The fact that one of South America’s smallest nations in June announced one of the region’s largest investments so far into green hydrogen speaks as much to Uruguay’s potential as a renewable energy source as it does to its pro-business investment climate.... Read More

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration in Brazil is declaring war on illegal gold prospecting with a legislative proposal that aims to reduce money laundering, environmental destruction, and the invasion of indigenous areas.... Read More

ARGENTINA | Drought batters economy.... Read More

Blackouts and scheduled power cuts have underlined the size of the task facing President Xiomara Castro in reforming and strengthening the energy sector in Honduras.... Read More

President Nayib Bukele has bet big on bitcoin to fix El Salvador’s struggling economy and is forging ahead with a scheme to mine the cryptocurrency. ... Read More

Haiti is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, with street gangs controlling large parts of the economy amid reports of continuing recession, rising inflation, and widespread poverty and food insecurity.... Read More

Philip Davis, who serves as both prime minister and minister for finance in The Bahamas, announced a US$3.5bn national budget for the 2023/2024 fiscal year (starting 1 July), while claiming that government finances are on the mend, with a balanced budget in sight for 2024/2025.... Read More

PANAMA | Gov’t signs off on new contract regarding major copper mine.... Read More

On 20 June, Mexico’s government led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador published the terms of public international bids for five industrial parks in southern states.... Read More

High temperatures across Mexico during the first three weeks of June led to an increase in demand for electricity as usage of air conditioning units and fans shot up.... Read More

Teachers from secondary schools and training colleges including the national college of technical professional education (Conalep), the college of scientific and technological studies (CECYTE), the Colegio de Bachilleres (Cobach), which offers higher, secondary-level education in campuses across the country, and the tele-secondary schools, a system of distance education programs for secondary and high school students in rural areas, went on strike on 22 June.... Read More

MEXICO | Remittances continue upwards trend.... Read More