Mexico's 2014 Foreign Direct Investment $22.6 Billion

By Anthony Harrup 

MEXICO CITY--Mexico received $22.6 billion in foreign direct investment last year, including $5.6 billion in the fourth quarter, far short of the record investment received in 2013, according to preliminary numbers reported by the Economy Ministry on Tuesday .

Foreign direct investment was lower than the $42.1 billion reported for 2013, when the amount was boosted by $13.2 billion with Anheuser-Busch InBev's buyout of the half of brewer Grupo Modelo that it didn't already own.

Direct foreign investment inflows of $33.9 billion last year were offset by $11.4 billion in reductions, including when foreign companies sell their investments to Mexicans, the ministry said.

AT&T Inc.'s sale of its 8.3% stake in telecommunications company America Movil reduced foreign direct investment last year by about $5.5 billion.

The U.S. telecommunications giant is putting most of that money back into Mexico, however. Earlier this year it completed a $2.5 billion acquisition of mobile carrier Iusacell, and has agreed to pay about $1.9 billion for Nextel Mexico, a unit of NII Holdings Inc., which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

The manufacturing industry received the most foreign investment last year, with $12.9 billion, followed by financial services, mining, commerce and construction. Foreign direct investment numbers invariably rise as more investments are registered for the period.

Write to Anthony Harrup at [e-mail]

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