As a new fiscal crisis emerges in the developed world, investors may be inclined to push more money into the developing Latin America markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Robust growth and large reserves of natural resources are just some reasons to keep an eye on Latin America.
Uruguayan Vice President Danilo Astori commented that “the repercussion of the European situation will be a stimulus for companies to go abroad. (Portucel) recently said it continued to be interested in investing in Uruguay, the biggest investment in our history,” reports Conrado Hornos for Reuters.
Latin America would be somewhat protected from the spread of the Greece crisis because of high prices for raw materials, a major export for most economies in the region. [7 ETFs for Latin America Recovery.]
ING Groep NV, the largest Dutch financial-services firm, will seek to increase sales from Latin America by 15% this year as growth in the region is driven by Brazil, Mexico and Chile, writes Eduardo Thomson for BusinessWeek. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently raised its 2010 growth estimates for Latin America and its two largest economies, Brazil and Mexico. Brazil is projected to expand 5.5%. [Rising Unemployment Dings Brazil ETF, Perhaps Not Long.]
The Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Morena stated that remittances to Latin America dropped 7% in the first quarter year-over-year to $13.8 billion as labor markets in developed countries have yet to fully recover, reports Paul Kiernan for The Wall Street Journal. Although, the U.S. job market is showing signs that it is stabilizing.