Supply Chain Research

Mexican trade grew for an eighth month in December with an 8% rise in combined imports and exports. Yet, an 0.5% point outperformance in import growth vs. exports meant there was an unexpected trade deficit of $160 million for the month. That was due to an 8% rise in imports, which in turn was driven by a 27% surge in purchases of petroleum products. At $4.4 billion petroleum product imports reached the highest in over a decade. With 88% of Mexican energy imports coming from the U.S. that bodes well for the U.S. export picture. Yet, it may not be enough to tone down the U.S. position in ...