Panama · Public Finance Key Facts —Total project cost The new Hospital del Niño now carries a total price tag of US$705.8 million, including US$128.4 million in pure financing costs, reflecting the heavy price of deferre…
Real Estate Key Facts —The fall. Panama sold 4,020 new homes in 2025, down 34.4% on 2024 and down from 7,687 in 2023. —The paradox. The country carries a housing deficit above 180,000 units, yet ended 2025 with 2,536 uns…
Unlike man-made canals such as the Suez and Panama, which are sovereign infrastructure and levy substantial transit tolls, most natural international waterways - including the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, Taiwan…
Mexico · Trade Key Facts —What it is. A 303-kilometer rail line across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico’s narrowest point, linking the Pacific port of Salina Cruz with the Gulf port of Coatzacoalcos. —A “dry canal.” Th…
New bank lending in Panama fell about 7% in early 2026, with construction and housing finance hit hardest, a warning sign for the wider economy. The post Panama’s New Bank Credit Falls 7% as Housing Finance Dries Up appe…
Panama foreign investment fell 61.5% in the first quarter, sharpening a push to use Mercosur ties to draw fresh capital as neighbours pull ahead. The post Panama’s Foreign Investment Fell 61% as It Pivots to Mercosur app…
Panama has rejected a report branding its Colon Free Zone a smuggling hub, defending the largest duty-free zone in the Americas against reputational damage. The post Panama Fights Back After Report Calls Its Free Zone a…
Copa's Panama Stopover let over 132,000 travellers turn a layover into a holiday in the first half of 2026, up 38%, as the program stretches to 15 days. The post Panama Turns 132,000 Layovers Into Holidays in Record Half…
Chiriqui has a billion dollars of projects on paper, and a chamber of commerce saying an investor there can wait six months for a single inspection. The post Panama’s Western Province Has $1bn Waiting on an Inspection ap…
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen joins Bloomberg Open Interest to explain why the biggest threat to global shipping isn't the Strait of Hormuz—it's still the Red Sea. He breaks down the surge in imports driven by tariff uncert…
Energy Key Facts — The cargo. ECA LNG Phase 1, at Ensenada in Baja California, loaded and shipped its first cargo, bound for Asia. — The owners. Sempra Infrastructure (NYSE: SRE) operates the plant; TotalEnergies (NYSE:……
Economy Key Facts —The law. Panama enacted Law 526 on May 28, adding economic-substance rules to its tax code for multinational groups. —The test. Entities earning foreign passive income must now prove real local activit…
Trade Key Facts —The beat. The Panama Canal expects to top its $5.2bn revenue forecast for the year ending in September. —The cause. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed more ships toward the canal as a safer route…
Economy Key Facts —The split path. Panama’s industrial lobby, the SIP, says growth could reach 6% in 2027 if the Cobre copper mine reopens, but only 3.7% if it stays shut. —The gap. That is a difference of roughly 40 per…
Panama · Politics Key Facts —The plan. President Jose Raul Mulino said Panama will build a maximum-security prison and tighten jail rules for crimes run from inside. —The aim. A “force majeure plan” would fully isolate g…
Trade Key Facts —The audit. An external audit delivered on June 19 found the Cobre Panamá mine roughly 88% compliant across legal, fiscal and environmental duties. —The delay. President Mulino let his own mid-year deadli…
Harry Kane rescued England from a seismic World Cup shock with two late goals to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in Atlanta and secure a place in the last 16. Aiming to end a 60-year wait to win a major tournam…
Global supply chains face unprecedented threats as maritime chokepoints become geopolitical battlegrounds. The US-Iran conflict highlighted how disruptions in vital waterways like the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb t…
Thirsty England fans bought more than 8m pints on Saturday, with higher sales expected as the team progresses World Cup live – latest updates England’s group stage matches in the World Cup have been a boon for UK pubs, w…
Pair’s goals saw off Panama but Tuchel has problems at right-back and on flanks for last-32 tie against the DRC England will head to Atlanta with problems in central defence, right-backs dropping like flies, weary legs i…