MEXICO CITY – Mexico received $4.78 billion in foreign direct investment, or FDI, in the first quarter, a figure that was up 10.5 percent from the same period in 2010, when the country received $4.33 billion, the Economy Secretariat said.
The FDI figure was up by more than $2 billion, compared to the fourth quarter of 2010, when Mexico received $2.75 billion, the secretariat said.
The FDI numbers are preliminary because they are subject to subsequent revisions by companies, the secretariat said.
Some 1,827 companies invested directly in Mexico in the January-March period, with reinvested earnings accounting for 66.8 percent of FDI, while new investment represented 28.3 percent of the total and adjustments between companies accounted for 4.9 percent of the total, the secretariat said.
Some 54.4 percent of FDI went into manufacturing, while trade drew 18.1 percent, mining attracted 12 percent, professional services drew 7.3 percent, real estate attracted 6.1 percent and other sectors drew 2.1 percent, the secretariat said.
The main sources of FDI in Mexico were the United States, accounting for 85.2 percent, Switzerland, with 7.7 percent, Canada, with 2.4 percent, Spain, with 2.3 percent, the Virgin Islands, with 2.2 percent, and all other countries at 0.2 percent.
Mexico received $94.83 billion in FDI between January 2007 and March 2011, the Economy Secretariat said. EFE
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