Tag: H. Calero

The devaluation of Asian currencies has made Asian products, excluding China, more inexpensive for foreigners.  China, who has avoided devaluating the yuan, is losing some ground in the export battlefield.  The stability of China’s currency has kept the US stock market afloat and the US dollar not too costly.  This issue explores why China desperately needs to stimulate its economy and how some of its policies may affect Puerto Rico’s exports, leading us into the next recession.

For most modern, fast growing economies, human resources have become the engine driving its present and future development.  During the past decades, Puerto Rico’s workforce has been either unemployed or plainly discouraged. Historically, the island’s participation rate has been below 50% and unemployment rates have hovered around the 14% to 16% levels. Trends in human resources indicate a shift away from manufacturing and into services. What types of jobs will be required and how will our education meet the challenges? This issue looks at some of the factors explaining the survival of the working age population without a job and how education will shape the outlook for the future.
(See Special Edition on 9/00.)

Privatization is the trend.  Still, 22% of the $32 billion GNP in 1997 was bought by the government, excluding the public corporations. It hires 23% of the 1.1 million employees and invests heavily on construction.  The average government sector worldwide consumes 15% of GNP.  Does this pose a problem for the island? This issue looks at the size of Puerto Rico’s public debt, which amounted to $20.7 billion as of February 1998.  It analyzes the fiscal moderation mechanisms imposed by our constitution and how it appears to be by-passed with the growth of extra-constitutional debt. Contents of this issue provide answers as to the size, growth, and sectors this debt is financing.

The 45% increase in bankruptcy filings in 1997 and the continuation of this pattern appears to indicate our level of indebtedness is beyond reasonable limits.  This phenomenon has raised concerns regarding the health of our economy.  However, this trend is not unique to Puerto Rico and in fact, there are more bankruptcies per capita in the US than in PR.  Explanation of this surge in bankruptcies is not as simple as over-consumption.  Contents of this issue explore consumer confidence and baby boom demographics among the main factors behind this trend.

As fiscal 1998 unfolds, alarming events in the PR economy have taken place, threatening lower economic growth in 1998 and 1999.  Forty-nine manufacturing companies have either announced or closed operations on the island, a reduction of almost 7,000 jobs.  American Airlines announced its decision to move its hub to Miami.  Chase Manhattan Bank sold its loan portfolio to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and will thereby close its operations in Puerto Rico.  Contents of this issue assesses the behavior of the economy in fiscal 1997 and the impact of these events on the future growth rates of real GNP, exports, investment, consumption, government expenditures, unemployment, and inflation, among others.

Every day your dollar is worth less. According to the consumer price index (CPI), Puerto Rico faces an inflation rate of almost 5.5% in 1998. This contrasts with the low 2% inflation in the US. If we cannot blame the US for our price increases, where does our inflation come from? This issue looks at the components and statistical measures of the CPI for answers.  Comparisons with the US and other countries will highlight big differences in the housing, education, and food categories.  Consumption patterns of 1977 indicate 41% was spent on food in PR. The US spends 16.3% while Greece spends 36.7%.  As a result, alternative measures of inflation have been suggested.  This issue evaluates and concludes which is the better way to measure inflation.

Tourism in Puerto Rico generates employment, income, and production. Still, can this sector afford sustainable growth? In 1997, tourist expenditures amounted to almost 7% of GNP.  Last year, 4.4 million tourists visited the island.  Although cruise passengers represented 25% of all visitors, their expenditures were less than 4% of total expenditures.  Occupancy rates averaged 69% with 8,803 hotel rooms.  Almost 51% of our visitors come from Canada and the US.  This issue is packed with statistics on hotel registrations, accommodations by area, occupancy rates, visitors’ expenditures, international comparisons in terms of room rates and salary structure, and current events that will shape the future of the industry.