Tag: Puerto Rico Economic Pulse©

Tired of owning 5 remote controls: one for TV, another for VCR, another for DVD…The consumer electronics revolution has just begun and people are beginning to own complicated gadgets, serving many functions in one small unit.  The new generation of mobile phones comes equipped with internet access.  Why are mobile phone companies pursuing Internet access?  Learn about Puerto Rico`s booming Internet business. What factors led the Internet to penetrate Puerto Rico faster than the rest of the world and how will this impact the evolution of Puerto Rican cyberspace?  Finally, find out how wireless Internet access will expand Puerto Rico`s cybernetic population even more.

Over a hundred years ago, Puerto Rico operated many trains. Fifty years ago, their demise signaled a new era of transportation chaos in San Juan. Find out how a vicious cycle of road construction, car usage and suburban sprawl has led Puerto Rico to depend entirely on the automobile for transportation. As a result, over twenty years ago, local planners began dreaming of an urban train designed to serve the needs of the San Juan Metropolitan Area (SJMA). Result: Tren Urbano (TU). How much will TU cost? How much will it impact your wallet? Who will pay for TU’s operational deficit? Learn the challenges TU faces in achieving its goal of reducing traffic congestion. What complimentary policies are needed?

There is a fundamental change in the economy: life is getting more competitive and companies have been thinking harder than ever before on how to stay on top. Section 936 of the US tax code provided federal tax exemption to US companies that established production in Puerto Rico. With the phase-out of this incentive by 2005, many analysts forecast manufacturing plants would close. Instead, many former 936 corporations, have stepped up their investments in the Island. Find out why. 

There would appear to be no barriers to the expansion of construction in PR.  Housing, commercial buildings, and infrastructure are all riding high.  After six years, this sector seems to take on new power as it threatened to reach the $7 billion mark and posted double-digit growth.  Government megaprojects have been heralded as the main driver.  Will this hold?  And, for how long?  After all, interest rates seem to be creeping upwards and fiscal revenues are finite.  How sensitive is housing to rate increases?  Find out what ingredients explain this construction boom.

The economy of carefree consumers and builders rolled on last year, widely fueled by the destruction of Hurricane Goerges in 1998.  Was the 42% growth of the Puerto Rico economy in 1999 significant?  With higher oil prices and interest rates, is the growth sustainable?  Have we become less oil dependent?  How real is low unemployment?  Arguably equally important is the enhanced role of investments as opposed to government aid in personal income.  Perhaps this is the result of a new entrepreneurial culture.  Uncover facts you didn`t know about PR.

Economic prosperity in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the 1990`s has helped skyrocket the local commercial banking sector. A consolidation wave eliminated more than half the commercial banks that were present in 1989. How have banks reacted to a changing depository environment over the past ten years? Are banks coping with the end of Section 936 benefits? Will the changing federal legislation impact the local banking sector? The 1990`s have also been characterized by rising bankruptcy rates. What is the impact on a bank`s personal loan portfolio? Learn where new loans are coming from and potential pitfalls in the future of loan growth and whether local bank stocks have felt the impact of rising interest rates.

Globalization has reshaped economies all around the world transforming local markets into world affairs. Mergers and acquisitions have redefined the might of the players. They are now bigger, more cost-efficient and ever-seeking a competitive edge. In PR, federal laws and local deregulation acts in 1990 and particularly in 1996 have redefined what telecommunications are all about. This highly technologically driven sector is changing faster than a speeding bullet. More services, new technologies, lower competitive prices are just some of the features in this new universe. With the sale of publicly owned PRTC, can we expect more competition? Find out where all this is going.

This has been the year in which more money has been pumped into the megaprojects of the Super aqueduct, the Urban Train, and highway construction. The six-year old health care reform plan for the medically indigent is already in need of reform. The disaster of Hurricane Gorges in September 1998 turned out to be a blessing in disguise, propelling the economy to 4.2% real growth in fiscal 99. Our consumers kept breaking sales records. But depending on the two C`s: construction and consumption may be too complacent for the economic outlook in year 2000. Although, not an alarming fact, it does cast some doubt as to our ability to stay on the path of growth. As we break into the new millennium, we face an election year crammed with challenges and issues for the new gubernatorial candidates. Find out how a review of the major headlines during the year provides some clues on the economy at least for the next twelve months.

Learn how changes in age composition can affect your business. Puerto Rico has become an important consuming market, considered by many as one of the youngest markets in the world. But will Baby Boomers soon begin to show their wrinkles? Find out which age bracket will have the highest growth in spending power. The next 20 years could see a fundamental restructuring of how workers fund retirees. Timely reaction to these consequences will enable retailers to understand and reach the elusive moving target… customers.

As time goes by, the international or offshore banking plays an important role in a country`s financial development. Puerto Rico is no exception and has hitched on to this bandwagon. But, how effective have IBEs been since the law was amended in 1989? The emergence of financial institutions that establish their operations outside their home country is supposed to help the host country attain more economic development. Has the opening of subsidiaries in Puerto Rico by offshore institutions generated more jobs? Are the jobs created more sophisticated, highly skilled, and technologically oriented? Find out what has been the contribution of these entities to PR.