This prediction is echoed by the bank’s Mexico economist, Carlos Capistran, who thinks that the government is overestimating revenues and economic growth.
Should Mexico lose its investment grade (IG) rating it would be another hit to the region’s faltering economic reputation. Brazil is still a long way from reclaiming its IG status and the other big news story in Latin America – Argentina – is hardly an example of a strong or improving credit environment.
It would also be a worrying sign that the malaise that has hit the southern cone can affect the Pacific Alliance – that group of countries whose economic and financial management orthodoxy was supposed to ensure that membership of this club remained exclusive to those with strong and stable credit ratings.
Sharp
Sadly, it seems that the fund managers’ prediction could be correct. For only the second time since the Mexican peso was floated, the Mexican current account turned into surplus in the second quarter of 2019.
And the swing was sharp – from a deficit of 1.3% in the first quarter to a 1.0% surplus. The drivers were sharp contractions in imports for consumption (the country is in a technical recession) and capital goods (which signals lower future growth).