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1998 report on foreign investment in Latin America and the Caribbean

INTRA-LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT IS GROWING


- Chilean companies have been the region’s largest investors, followed by those from Mexico and Argentina -


Investment by Latin American countries elsewhere in the region increased considerably in 1997 compared with the previous year, when it had already quadrupled with respect to 1990, says the 1998 edition of ECLAC’s annual report, Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 1997, Latin American investors committed US$8,365 million in privatization deals and other purchases of local companies in several countries of the region. Of this amount, 58% was accounted for by privatizations and the remaining 42% by the purchase of private sector properties.

Chile (38%), Mexico (27%) and Argentina (24%) are the most active investing countries in the region, with some 88% of total operations identified in the study.

ECLAC argues that intra-Latin American investment has been aided by a number of factors, including the reduction or elimination of restrictions on foreign capital, the kinds of privatization schemes adopted, advances in regional integration (Mercosur especially), strategic sectoral agreements between companies from different countries, and renewed strategies of market penetration, including the establishment of productive enterprises and the buying-up of local competitors.

The phenomenon is particularly apparent in the Southern Cone (Mercosur, Bolivia, Chile and Peru), most notably in the active internationalization of Chilean firms, in Mexican investments in Central America and some South American economies (Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela), and, on a smaller scale, in investments between Colombia and Venezuela.

The purchase of companies already involved in their main sectors of activity has been the modality most commonly used by Latin American investors to penetrate new external markets. Investment to set up new firms abroad has been less frequent and has been concentrated in large-scale projects in energy integration, exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, and, to some extent, manufacturing (especially in the case of Argentine investment).

The main recipients of Latin American investment in 1998 have been Venezuela (39%), Brazil (23%), Colombia (19%) and Argentina (11%). Such investment has been associated particularly with the expansion of Chilean electricity companies - in most cases, in alliance with Spanish firms - into Brazil and Colombia, and with the activities of Argentinian and Mexican iron and steel companies in Venezuela. Argentina is the country where the presence of Latin American investors is most diversified, in terms of both origin and activity.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN:
INTRAREGIONAL FDI BY COUNTRY, 1997
(In millions of dollars)

Country

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Peru

Venezuela

Total

Argentina

265

590

180

936

1979

Bolivia

6

6

Brazil

380

115

495

Chile

221

1337

1315

139

154

3356

Colombia

7

7

Costa Rica

2

Mexico

232

20

     

1802

2222

Peru

100

100

Venezuela

118

9

271

398

Latin America and the Caribbean

941

265

1 947

195

1 586

139

3 293

8365

Source: ECLAC - Unit on Investment and Corporate Strategies

The ECLAC study concludes that property transfers are concentrated in a few sectors, notably electricity, in a small number or countries, in several large-volume projects - privatizations, especially -, in a few investors (notably Chilean) and, as a result, in few companies. Chilean electricity companies stand out most of all, as they have been predominant in acquiring assets (generation, transmission and distribution), above all in Brazil and Colombia

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN:
PARTICIPACIÓN DE INVERSIONISTAS LATINOAMERICANOS EN LA ADQUISICIÓN DE ACTIVOS PÚBLICOS Y PRIVADOS, 1997-PRIMER SEMESTRE 1998
(En millones de dólares)

Empresa

País

Sector

%

Comprador

Origen

Modalidad

Monto a/

Siderúrgica del Orinoco (SIDOR)

Venezuela

Siderurgia

70

Hylsamex, Tamsa, Siderar, Techint y Usiminas

México Argentina Brasil

Privatización

2 300

Comercializadora y Distribuidora de Energía de Bogotá (CODENSA)

Colombia

Electricidad

49

Enersis, Endesa, Endesa-España

Chile España

Privatización

1 230

HIT de Venezuela

Venezuela

Bebidas

50

Panamco

México

Adquisición

1 112

Generadora de Energía Eléctrica de Bogotá (EMGESA)

Colombia

Electricidad

60

Endesa, Endesa-España

Chile España

Privatización

951

Cía. Energética do Ceará (COELCE)

Brasil

Electricidad

83

Enersis / Endesa-España

Chile España

Privatización

868

Centrais Elétricas Cachoeira Dourada (CDSA)

Brasil

Electricidad

100

Endesa b/

Chile

Concesión

714

Central Hidroeléctrica de Chivor (CHIVOR)

Colombia

Electricidad

99

Gener

Chile

Privatización

644

Cía. de Eletricidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (CERJ)

Brasil

Electricidad

70

Enersis, Chilectra, Endesa-España y Eletricidades de Portugal

Chile España Portugal

Privatización

588

Energía del Pacífico

Colombia

Electricidad

57

Electricidad de Caracas y Houston Energy Industries

Venezuela Estados Unidos

Privatización

495

Central Hidroeléctrica de Betania (CHB)

Colombia

Electricidad

99

Endesa y Corp. Financiera del Valle

Chile Colombia

Privatización

302

Empresa Petrolera Andina

Bolivia

Petróleo

50

YPF / Pérez Companc / Pluspetrol (Repsol)

Argentina España

Capitalización

265

Fuente: CEPAL, Unidad de Inversiones y Estrategias Empresariales.

a/ Monto total de la operación, la participación de empresas latinoamericanas puede ser menor al actual en consorcio con otros inversionistas de fuera de la región.
b/ Además de Endesa Chile participa la empresa peruana EDEGEL en la cual Endesa comparte la propiedad con la firma estadounidense Entergy Corp.

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