Good year ahead for Mexico while investors feel frustrated with ‘Brazil cost’
Brazil and Mexico, Latin America’s two largest economies could be facing a 2013 of contrasting performance and prospects. Brazil has been hit by weakening Chinese demand for commodities, while rival Mexico, the new darling of foreign investors, is posting increasingly strong growth. The figures speak for themselves.
Brazil, for a decade Latin America’s unchallenged behemoth, is expected to grow a mere 1% this year, down from 2.7% in 2011 and an incredible 7.5% in 2010, according to official figures.
By contrast, Mexico, the perennial underachiever in Latin America, is suddenly eying a position among the world’s 10 largest economies with projected growth of between 3.5% and 4%.
Mexico took a massive hit from the 2007-2008 financial crisis thanks in large part to its proximity to the United States, and its economy contracted a whopping 6% in 2009.
But a huge reduction in Mexico’s “country cost”, the cost of doing business there, sparked an impressive turnaround that attracted investment in its industrial sector, created jobs and added value to its exports.
Juan Jensen, head of macro-economics at Brazilian consulting firm Tendencias, attributed the slowdown in Brazil’s 2.5 trillion dollars economy to a major loss of competitiveness reflected in salaries that far outpaced inflation.
“Brazil lost because of its higher production costs,” Jensen said, adding that the Brazilian government’s tolerance of higher inflation and opaque fiscal policy had been problematic.
Mexico, which has built on NAFTA since 1994 and now does more than 90% of its foreign dealings under free trade agreements, continues to lower its production costs to compete, including with China.
“Mexico continues to offer cheap labour, has an infrastructure for some ‘durable goods’ such as automobiles, computers and home appliances,” said Octavio Gutierrez, chief economist at BBVA bank in Mexico City.
This enables it to quickly expand production for exports to the all-important US market and explains the relocation of industrial plants to Mexico as “one of the pillars” of the country’s development, he added.
“The difference with Brazil has to do with costs. Mexico has increased unit labour costs much less than Brazil,” Gutierrez said.
Brazil has recorded a worrying fall in productive investment, down 4.5%, and a sharp 2.7% contraction in its industrial output, according to the National Confederation of Industry.
Meanwhile, Mexico is reaping the benefit of a slow but steady pickup in demand for its products in the United States. Its industry grew 4.2% between January and September this year compared with the same period in 2011.
Economists see the difference in foreign trade focus as the key factor that explains the contrasting performances of the Latin American rivals.
“Brazil is almost returning to its model of the 1960s which was to look inward and be more protectionist and to subsidize companies,” said Claudio Loser, the former director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the IMF who now heads the Latin American branch of the Centennial Group think tank.
“I think Mexico has an economy which overall is much more efficient and better integrated with the world than that of Brazil, which rested a bit on its laurels,” he added.
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Brazil thinks that because it has a large population that it can grow mainly through domestic consumption. India has made he same mistake.
Brazil has lumbered itself with the Mercosur market totalling 275 million people that believe they can look inwards for growth and prosperity.
Mexico has joined up with 330 million others to create a market of 460 million that look outwards for growth and prosperity.
At the same time Mexico has formed the Pacific Alliance with Peru, Colombia and Chile-smaller than Mercosur and yet growing faster. Again outward looking.
There is a theme here that Brazil isn't following.
And Dilma needs a real finance minister not the apology for one, Mantega.
Brasil are on the cusp of great things or complete disaster. Dilma was shown to be ‘soft’ when she claimed to restrict wages and in the end finished up more or less giving the workers what they demanded.
And like elsewhere in SA the fiscal drag of unproductive government ‘employees’ is going to hurt them more as time goes on.
It must be of concern to Dilma when Mexico are ahead of them and really do not want the on-cost of dealing with Brasil.
Manufactured goods is the way out of poverty, not commodities. China did not become the gigantic economy it is today exporting soy beans or olive oil, but rather televisions, cellulars, refrigerators and the like.
South America needs to a hard look at its commodity dependence. I see Peru and other south american economies expanding their economies thanks to massive exports of primary goods, it may good while it lasts, but it won't last long.
Sigh, This is precisely why I think use of left or right labels for description of political positions oversymplies actual political characteristics in most countries, principles can be simple, actual ppl politicians and politics in general aren´t simple at all .
In reality Mexico has been experimenting with the left since 1921, after the Mexican revolution the new constitution endorsed unequivocal socialist principles, with Lazaro Cardenas being remembered as the principal representant of the left in Mexico and yes, he was from the PRI, also, during the PRI regimen there were presidents with left, right, and center personal prefered policies, because PRI is in reality a very pragmatic party that takes the social/political or economic policy that it thinks needs atm. Also, lest remember, Obrador and most older representants of PRD used to be part of the PRI. So excuse me if I think your oppinion doesn´t fit at all Mexico actual or past political characteristics.
The reason why the left has been “rejected” lately has had more to do with badly and sometimes caothic behavoir from its representant´s from the left than with it itself on principle. But even with all that, I think Marcelo Ebrard or Mancera may have a chance at presidency in 2018, especially if the PRI fails to convice ppl of its capabilities, or symply because it´s the PRI XD, I personally would vote for Mancera if he decided to go for it.
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