MEXICO CITY: Mexican factory exports rose in December while consumer imports fell, painting a mixed picture for a recovery in Latin America's No. 2 economy.
Mexican factory exports jumped 3.42 percent from November when adjusted for seasonal swings, the national statistics agency said on Tuesday.
The uptick was due to a 5.96 percent increase in non-auto exports. Auto exports declined 1.63 percent. Most of Mexico's exports are manufactured goods and nearly 80 percent of them are sent to the United States.
Non-oil consumer imports fell 0.79 percent in December compared with November, pointing to weaker demand from shoppers during the holiday season.
A slump in oil prices has hurt Mexico's peso, which slipped to its lowest in nearly six years last month, stirring fears in the Mexican central bank that the weak currency could fan inflation by raising the cost of imports.
Mexico posted an $11 million trade deficit in December when adjusted for seasonal swings, the report said.
In non-seasonally adjusted terms, Mexico posted a trade surplus of $254 million.
A separate report issued by the statistics agency on Tuesday showed that Mexico's economy grew 0.49 percent in November from October and expanded 2.04 percent from November of 2013.
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