Lessons and reflections from the Mexico Week by Carlos Garcia-Cueva
Last week a group of professionals, politicians, academics, diplomats and students got together for three days to talk about one common interest: Mexico. For the last sixteen years, the LSE Mexico Week has had the objective to discuss the most pressing issues that arise in the country in the UK.
This edition of the Mexico Week analysed the role of Mexico in the world drawing from different angles in politics, development, policy, regulation, economic policy and security. This article will thus briefly summarise the main lessons and reflections that can be drawn from this exercise, which as well counted with the invaluable support of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce, its President and Members.
The first point to be discussed is the current state of affairs concerning elections and politics. In this context, academics and diplomats said the several trends that have characterised the Latin American political systems in the last decades, highlighting the close link between exogenous factors (market liberalisation, international organisations and economic pressures) as well as endogenous considerations (security issues, economic situation and social policies). In this regard, the challenges are not minor. In fact, bearing in mind the following 2018 elections, it can be noted that the campaigns are gradually acquiring speed and relevance, defining the potential candidates and platforms.
Millions of women across America aspire to have successful careers and raise families. But, finding the balance to merge those two paths is a difficult challenge which requires support and mentorship, as well as flexibility and understanding from employers.
Certainly, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, former Pearson CEO Marjorie Scardino and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg all prove that it is possible to be a strong female leader in the corporate world. But these women are still part of a tiny, high-profile minority.
Femsa Follows Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim in Euro Debt Debut March 14, 2016
Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB sold euro-denominated debt for the first time on Monday, joining a wave of Mexican borrowers tapping the market as the European Central Bank starts buying investment-grade company debt.
Femsa, which owns Latin America’s largest convenience-store chain as well as a stake in Heineken NV, sold 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in seven-year bonds on Monday at a yield of 1.82 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The bonds yield 1.96 percentage point more than the 2023 German Bund.
Jose Cuervo Tequila Billionaires Approach Banks for IPO
March 16, 2016
Jose Cuervo, the world’s biggest tequila producer, has started talking with banks about an initial public offering in Mexico, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
The company, which is controlled by the billionaire Beckmann family and based in Mexico City, may sell shares later this year or early 2017, according to three of the people, who asked not be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter. One of the people said the company behind the 250-year-old brand needs time to meet the corporate governance and financial disclosure requirements required to go public.
Mexican cement maker Cemex said on Thursday it will raise its 2016 cash flow target by 75 percent and may sell $300 million in real estate assets as part of a cost-cutting effort to regain its investment-grade rating.
In a webcast presentation from New York, Cemex Chief Executive Fernando Gonzalez said the company, which operates in 50 countries, aimed to raise free cash flow by another $350 million this year from a previous target of $200 million in additional funds.
Last year, Cemex's free cash flow totaled about $600 million...
300,000 Mexicans take the law into their own hands (in a good way) March 17, 2016
Mexican citizens are not waiting any longer for their politicians to draft new laws against corruption. They have taken on the job themselves.
Mexicans have the right to propose changes to the Constitution or laws if the proposal is backed with at least 120,000 signatures. If that is the case, the Congress has to discuss the bill and vote on it.
A diverse group of organisations, including Transparencia Mexicana, got together to come up with a proposal that could strengthen the fight against corruption in the country.
Mexico kept its overnight interest rate unchanged after the peso’s rebound from a record low eased inflation pressures and the Federal Reserve left borrowing costs on hold.
Banco de Mexico, led by Governor Agustin Carstens, held the overnight rate at 3.75 percent Friday as forecast by all 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The central bank said it will pay special attention to the exchange rate and its possible pass-through to consumer prices, while a faster peso appreciation could lower inflation...
Openings: Why football needs fanzines March 18, 2016
It’s hard to remember, in the age of multibillion-pound TV deals and plutocratic foreign ownership of the country’s top clubs, just what a state English football was in 30 years ago. Sure, the national team reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, eventually succumbing to the otherworldly genius (and hand) of Diego Maradona. But at home the picture was decidedly bleak: games took place in dilapidated, dangerous, often insanitary grounds; English sides were banned from European competition after the Heysel disaster in 1985; and the ordinary fan was despised — by government and media alike — as a hooligan and pariah.
Obama’s Cuba visit is latest step towards ‘new alliance of the Americas’
March 20, 2016
In the heady days of Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House in 2008, the soon-to-be president made a speech at the Cuban American National Foundation that was to become a benchmark for his relations with a hemisphere.
“It’s time for a new alliance of the Americas,†the candidate declared. “It’s time to turn the page on the arrogance of Washington and the anti-Americanism across the region that stands in the way of progress.â€
Spring has sprung - at least it has for those in the northern hemisphere.
At 04:30 GMT on Sunday, the sun crossed the celestial equator heading towards its most northerly point, the Tropic of Cancer, at the summer solstice.
The spring and autumn equinoxes mark the point when hours of night and day are nearly equal right across the globe.
Sun worship was one of the main forms of religious practice among our ancestors, and there are stlll plenty of people who at least acknowledge the "other world" significance of the sun and moon.
Ancient sites such as Glastonbury and Stonehenge in the UK are thronged with sun worshippers, as well as those looking to feel the vibe of these ancient sites at significant times of the sun's cycle.
