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 anthony.harrup@wsj.com
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