Can you imagine how much money would be lost if all economic activity was halted in Mexico City?

Mexico City is home to some 20 million people, and right now, it’s the epicenter of a swine flu outbreak that has countries all over the world ready to cut off access to the country and its pork industry.

At least 1,614 people in Mexico have been infected by the virus, and an estimated 103 have died, though at last count only 20 of them have been confirmed swine-flu deaths. But the Mexican government is taking no chances, and schools are closed until May 6, and even the bars and night clubs in the popular resort town of Puerto Vallarta have been ordered to close.

Mexico City might even halt all economic activity of the outbreak is not contained.

The airline and pork industries have been hit pretty hard, too, so traders and investors alike might want to keep an eye on these two industries as this story develops.

Budweiser and Busch are as American as camo seat covers in a F-150.

Yet a hostile offer by InBev SA (Brussels:INB.BR) on Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD) is about to show us that the star-spangled King of Beers is up for play because it ignored emerging markets.

When you look at the dynamics behind the InBev bid, it’s important to see America as a diminished player. The headlines tell you that the economy is dismal. What Big Media rarely tells you is that smaller, developing economies are kicking our butt. American companies that count strictly on the U.S. for revenues are destined for the rustbelt of the future — or a foreign buyout.

Analysts have been badgering A-B for years that it relies too heavily on the U.S. — one of the slowest growing beer markets in the world. A-B has buried its head in the sand as InBev and other competitors have pushed into high-growth emerging markets.

Continue Reading »

More than a million foreign nationals have crept into the costal regions of Mexico already… but that number is growing.

They are seeking cheap, easy access to the 2,000-mile border with the United States, and the Mexican government is helping them, even creating laws to aid them. Why? Because these people pump $5.3 billion into the country’s economy every year.

Mexico’s being paid off, and certain U.S. agencies are joining in. They want to make it even easier for foreign nationals to creep into our southern neighbor’s towns and cities.

In one popular nest, the wave of zealots has reached 60 people a day. That’s about 15% a year as the size of this camp has grown to over 200,000. The state government in the area is allowing this group to run rampant; the incoming cash is too hard to resist.

Continue Reading »

An article in Business News Americas may tip off investors to a profit gusher in Mexico.

Their small piece I saw yesterday reported that Mexico could take front and center in an important investment conference this September. If some of the news we expect is actually announced, it could be one of the biggest bombshells to hit Latin oil.

At the Latin Asia Business Forum 08 (LAB08) held in Singapore from September 22-23, Mexican officials could detail their progress on rewriting the legal framework for private investments in state-owned oil.

Mexico’s LAB08 presentations could detail initiatives that would let foreign companies have greater participation in public-works projects for transportation, telecommunications and energy development.

And it’s the energy development that caught our eye. As I write this, a revamp of Mexico’s national oil company is being pushed by President Felipe Calderon.

Continue Reading »