Grupo Mexico SAB, the country’s largest mining company, announced that it increased the most in just four months of period after fourth-quarter sales at the United States based unit doubled up on increasing copper costs and output.

The Mexico City-based company has raised 7.1% to 28.39 pesos in Mexico trading, the sharpest gain since September 22.

According to the statement issued by Southern Copper Corp., a Phoenix-based unit of Grupo Mexico, “fourth-quarter sales more than doubled to $1.14 billion.”

Economists following Mexico’s economy are now eyeing higher growth and more benign inflation in 2010, taking pressure off the central bank to increase interest rates.

A monthly poll by the central bank showed economists on average expect the economy will increase 3.3% in 2010, more than an estimated of 3.1% in the previous poll.

According to the survey conducted, in spite of increasing forecast for growth, economists reduce their inflation outlook to 4.93% from 5.04%.

Elavon, the credit card processing arm of the United States Bancorp, has announced that it had entered into an alliance with Banco Santander SA’s Mexican subsidiary to increase in Mexico’s fast growing card market.

However, no further information was disclosed on terms of the transaction.

In the meantime, Elavon already has grouping with Santander in other markets like Britain, the United States and Puerto Rico.

Mexico’s economy is hoping for some hefty signs of recovery, and that’s positive news for the United States exports for both pork as well as beef in the coming time.

In 2009, the economy of the country decreased by 7%, based on global economic positions, but because of some major hits like the Novel H1N1 discovery and outbreak in April 2009.

For the last year, Mexico was place on top in both volume and value for U.S. beef exports.

According to the statement issued by the Treasury Department of Mexico, the country’s economy has fallen by 6.8% in last year, the most terrible figure in the last 30 years.

Moreover, the 2009’s Gross domestic Product (GDP) fall outpaced the 6.2% decrease in country’s currency as well as debt crisis in 1995.

As per the report released by Treasury Department, “A bright spot was a 1.2 percent expansion in the fourth quarter of 2009 from the third quarter, although the level of economic output was 3 percent lower than the same period of 2008.”

ANTAD, Mexican retail group, said that sales of its members' same-store has increased 6 per cent in December 2009, which was the maximum growth for any month last year.

ANTAD, which groups around 17000 stores including 2,815 supermarkets all over the world, said that because of the sales growth in December, complete year’s sales growth has reached to 0.8%.

Mexican Retailer’s net sales in December, which comprised sales of stores opened for less than a year, increased 12 per cent to 105.6 billion pesos, whereas, net sales for full year jumped 7.4 per cent to MXN839.6 billion.

There is good news for the local residents of Barcelona as the country has launched its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Moreover, the city also hopes to recreate the success it enjoyed when it hosted the summer competition back in 1992.

Now, this will be the 30th anniversary of the event in which around 169 countries took part.

If the bid would be finalized, it will become the first city to host both events and could record more number of tourists booking hotels en Barcelona and visiting the city during the occasion.

According to the study conducted by the Spain’s government, the number of foreign visitors in the country has decreased for the second successive year in 2009.

Moreover, the study revealed that about 52 million foreigners have spent their holidays in the country, 8.7% down as compared to 2008 when 57.3 million foreign tourists visited Spain.

It was the sharpest fall since comparative data began to be kept in 2001, but was below the 10% fall that experts had anticipated.

French company, Alstom has inked a deal worth US$ 43.6 million (30 million euros) with the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) for the establishment of a geothermal power plant in Mexico’s Puebla state.

The deal, which covers the 25 MW Los Humeros II Phase B power facility, follows a contract signed in May last year by Alstom and the CFE for the Los Humeros II Phase A project.

Moreover, the company, which mainly deals in transportation and energy infrastructure, said construction of the two plants will be finished in May 2012.

According to the statement issued by the governor of the Bank of Mexico, Augustin Carstens, the country’s economy will go up by 3% in the existing year.

Augustin based his forecasting on the basis of 2.9% growth in the 3Q of last year as compared with the same quarter in 2008, as well as hopes of greater growth in manufacturing.

While talking to media, the governor said, “The third quarter was good and in the fourth quarter we are expecting substantial growth in aggregate demand.”