Brazil, which was once foreign investors' favorite investment
destination in Latin America, is currently facing some significant
challenges. The country is expected to grow at just about 2% this
year, a sharp reversal from 7.5% growth in 2010, primarily as a
result of slowdown in China and recession in the Euro-zone.
On the other hand, Latin America's second largest economy
continues to put in a robust performance. Mexico's economy grew at
4.1% for 2Q 2012 (tenth consecutive quarter of growth), though down
slightly from 4.5% growth in the previous quarter. Growth has been
driven by the increase in domestic consumption, supported by
rise in job creation and expansion of bank credit. (Read:
3 Multi-Asset ETFs for Juicy Yields and
Stability
)
While credit as a percentage of GDP has doubled in Brazil to
about 50% in last ten years; in Mexico, it is around 20%,
indicating a significant room for expansion.
A
recent report by Nomura
states that Mexico will likely overtake Brazil as Latin
America's largest economy, though it still depends among others on
continued growth in the US economy and crime situation in the
country. Per IMF, Brazil will grow at 2.5% this year while Mexico
will grow at 3.9%. (Read:
Malaysia ETF: the Perfect Emerging Market Fund?
)
While the domestic demand remains strong in Brazil, Mexico is
more dependent on external demand (exports at 30% of GDP versus 14%
for Brazil). As almost 80% of its exports are headed to the US,
Mexico is heavily dependent on the US economy.
Exports
bounced back in July
(after three months of declines) on the back on rising demand from
the US, which also helped bring down the unemployment rate to its
lowest level in more than 3-1/2 years. (Read:
Time to Exit South Africa ETF?)
Mexico also benefits from rising manufacturing costs in China as
some of the manufacturers shift production closer to home. Labor
costs in
China have risen by 12%-14% per year
, in dollar terms, from 2002 to 2009; compared to about 1% in
Mexico. Further shipping costs have also been rising and as a
result some
manufactures have shifted production
to Mexico, where wages are still significantly lower than those in
the US.
Brazilian stock market index Sao Paulo Bovespa has added just
2.9% this year while its Mexican counterpart IPC All-Share is up
8.5% year-to-date. Mexican peso is up about 6% against USD this
year, while the Brazilian Real is down about 9% (partly due to
central bank's intervention).
The Bank of Mexico has kept the key rate unchanged at 4.5% since
2009 as the inflation has generally remained within its target
range of 2% to 4%. The central bank expects the inflation to come
down to 4% by the end of the year from 4.5% currently. Country's
foreign reserves have risen to $162.7 billion as of the end of June
2012. (Read:
Forget
the BRICs; Focus on the PICK ETFS
)
Looking at the negatives, the country suffers from a high crime
rate, drug-related violence and income inequality. About 46% of
Mexico's population lives in poverty (per World Bank) It remains to
be seen whether the new government led by the President elect
Nieto, which assumes power in December, will be able to take
necessary steps to address these challenges.
iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index (
EWW
)
EWW tracks the MSCI Mexico Investable Market index which
consists of stocks traded primarily on the Mexican Stock Exchange.
The index is a capitalization weighted index that aims to capture
99% of the total market capitalization. (See more in the
Zacks ETF
Center
).
Launched in March 1996, the fund now has more than $1.2 billion
in AUM. The assets are invested in 42 holdings with an average
market cap of $30.33 billion. Consumer staples (31.9%), telecom
(23.9%) and materials (16.5%) are the top sectors that the fund is
invested in. Growing consumer demand in the country suggests that
the fund will benefit from its heavy exposure to consumer staples
and telecom sectors.
The fund charges 52 basis points per year in expenses and
currently has a 30-say SEC yield of 1.31%. The ETF has gone up
17.02% year-to-date.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research?
Today, you can download
7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days
.
Click to get this free report >>
ISHARS-MEXICO (EWW): ETF Research Reports
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment
Research
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks
Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the
Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report