The Report: Mexico 2014

Book excerpt: The second-largest economy in Latin America, Mexico seems poised to enter a new growth phase as the government of Enrique Peña Nieto implements radical changes in a number of sectors across the economy. The reforms, aimed at raising the competitiveness of the Mexican economy, have the potential to establish Mexico’s position as a regional powerhouse. Optimism surrounding the recent wave of reforms, coupled with a stable macroeconomic environment and an improved credit rating from international agencies, has placed Mexico centre-stage. Despite slower than anticipated growth of 1.1% in 2013, a wave of reforms affecting a range of sectors is expected to bring a new dynamism to the economy and continue to attract increasing amounts of foreign investment. A highly anticipated energy reform approved by Congress in 2013 will for the first time in decades open the nationalised oil industry to foreign investment, while a new public-private partnership law is set to provide the climate of legal certainty needed to attract private investment in the myriad of sectors undergoing expansion. While challenges remain, in particular informality and deficient domestic supply chains, growth prospects remain positive for the second-largest economy in Latin America.