During the first quarter of 2015, Mexico recorded 7573.2 million dollars in respect of foreign direct investment (FDI), which is the highest preliminary figure for a first quarter in the history of the indicator and is 30.1% higher than the preliminary figure for the same period of 2014 (5820.8 million dollars).

This figure is the net result of the sum of 9193.9 million dollars by way of inflows minus 1620.7 million dollars recorded as decreases in FDI. Among the FDI inflows stands a transaction by 2,037 million dollars, arising from the acquisition of shares in the telecommunications companies Iusacell and Unefon by AT&T.

In this administration, the preliminary sum of cumulative FDI amounted to 74994.6 million dollars, a figure 44.5% higher than the preliminary cumulative amount reported in the same period of the previous administration (51.890 million dollars).

The FDI registered during the first quarter of 2015 came from 1,357 companies with foreign capital and is comprised as follows:

  • By type of investment (source of funding): 61.8% through reinvestment of profits, 37% for new investments and 1.2% by way of intercompany accounts.
  • By sector: manufacturing, 34%; mass media information, 29%; financial services, 20.4%; trade, 8.2% and construction, 6.9%. The remaining 12 sectors received 1.5%.
  • By country of origin: The United States, 59.4%; Spain, 14.3%; Japan, 8.2%; South Korea, 4.8%; France, 2.9%; and the Netherlands, 2.3%; 48 other countries accounted for the remaining 8%.

The figures reported only consider investments made and formally notified to the National Registry of Foreign Investment of the Secretariat of Economy; hence its preliminary nature and its updates on the rise, subject to change, in subsequent quarters.

The methodology for determining the FDI is based on international standards, contained in both Manual of the Balance of Payments of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Framework Definition of Foreign Direct Investment of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The FDI figures were jointly reviewed by the Secretariat of Economy and the Bank of Mexico and they will be integrated to the Report of Balance of Payments of the latter.