| Sound fundamentals: economic indicators for Central America | ||||||
|
(1996) |
Area (1,000 km2) |
Population (m) |
GDP ($bn) |
GDP per capita ($) |
Forex reserves ($m) |
External debt ($bn) |
Costa Rica |
51 |
3.5 |
9.1 |
2,600 |
1,036 |
4.0 |
El Salvador |
21 |
5.9 |
10.6 |
1,800 |
993 |
2.8 |
Guatemala |
109 |
10.9 |
17.9 |
1,480 |
1,010 |
3.4 |
Honduras |
112 |
6.1 |
4.0 |
650 |
445 |
4.6 |
Nicaragua |
139 |
4.7 |
2.0 |
440 |
337 |
6.0 |
Panama |
77 |
2.7 |
8.2 |
3,000 |
1,327 |
7.1 |
| Source: Dresdner Bank Lateinamerika | ||||||
There aren’t many emerging-market regions where the undeveloped state of the local equity market is partly blamed on kidnapping. In Central America, though, companies take the idea of protecting staff from headhunters rather more literally than usual. Luis Ernesto Rodriguez, managing director of Centrica Securities in Guatemala City, says that companies are reluctant to list on the local stock exchange partly because to do so they would have to publish financial statements.
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