Economy

BMI View: Although El Salvador scores well in the 'willingness to pay' category in our sovereign risk ratings, external vulnerabilities drag down its 'ability to pay' external obligations.

BMI View: At Banguat's meeting in December, policymakers decided to keep the benchmark interest rate at 5.00%, citing an improvement in the trajectory of inflation, while expressing... 2007-01-09

BMI View: BMI's proprietary sovereign risk rating index, which our Financial Markets team launched back in March 2006, is designed to quantify the debt servicing capabilities... 2007-01-08

BMI View: Panama enters our sovereign risk ratings with a score of C, which puts it alongside Colombia as one of the most creditworthy countries in the region.

BMI View: Guatemalan economic growth was stronger than expected in 2006, and the outlook is increasingly bright, in our view. Accordingly, we have increased our real GDP growth... 2007-01-02

BMI View: The effects of the flexible currency regime, which was introduced in October to replace the existing crawling peg depreciation scheme, are becoming clearer. The colon... 2006-12-05

Guatemala's economic activity index (IMAE) rose by 5.14% y-o-y in September, as an improving inflationary picture (September's consumer inflation came in at just 5.70% y-o-y, compared... 2006-12-05

BMI View: The Panamanian economy grew robustly in the second quarter of 2006, posting 7.9% real GDP growth. While we expect year-end growth to reflect a moderation over the course... 2006-12-05

BMI View: Data released by the Banco Central de Nicaragua (BCN) showed that October's inflation reading came in at a three-year low. Consumer prices registered a 6.98% y-o-y rise,... 2006-12-04

BMI View: Despite a relatively solid performance by the export sector, Costa Rica's trade deficit has continued to widen in 2006. Nevertheless, a more supportive external environment... 2006-12-01