Seeking to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship.
1/15/2019 – Reuters
MEXICO CITY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that there had been “acts of sabotage” and theft from oil drilling platforms and that his government would address the problem as part of a crackdown on fuel theft.
“We have identified the problem and we are also going to face it,” he said at his morning press conference, without providing further details.
1/15/2019 – The Washington Post
By the Associated Press
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says fuel thieves have again damaged a critical pipeline that supplies the capital with fuel piped in from the Gulf coast.
Lopez Obrador says that the thieves’ intent was to hit back at his government’s campaign against theft of fuel.
One day earlier, Lopez Obrador announced that there had not been any new illegal taps in that pipeline since Friday. But on Tuesday he said the state petroleum company Pemex has had to repair the pipeline again.
1/11/2019 – Bloomberg
By Dale Quinn
Mexico’s Finance Ministry confirmed that it spent about $1.23 billion to protect 2019 revenues against falling crude prices in the world’s largest annual oil deal.
The oil producer locked in hedges at $55 a barrel, equivalent to the price approved by lawmakers for the 2019 budget, according to a Finance Ministry statement. The total expense comes to about 23.5 billion pesos.
Mexico has in recent years spent around $1 billion on average buying financial put options from Wall Street banks, a closely-watched set of trades that typically covers 200 million to 300 million barrels and has the potential to roil markets. The trade, also known as the Hacienda hedge, is considered the largest oil deal on Wall Street.
1/11/2019 – The New York Times
MEXICO CITY — Mexicans faced with a fuel shortage are turning to bikes and scooters, generating business for startups that rent those alternative rides, but straining operations for ride-hailing service Uber in some cities.
The shortages came after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador closed some vulnerable pipelines in a crackdown on fuel theft. There have been long lines at pumping stations this week in several states.
Uber said the fuel shortage posed challenges in some cities in the central state of Guanajuato and the Western state of Michoacan. Users are requesting fewer trips in those cities, but with fewer Uber drivers on the road, demand has increased for those who are working, said company spokesman Saul Crespo.
1/10/2019 – Reuters
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico completed its 2019 oil hedge, the world’s largest sovereign derivatives trade, at an average of $55 per barrel, placing the equivalent of $1.23 billion in put options, the finance ministry said on Thursday.
Mexico hedges its crude every year and deals are closely watched by the market since the trades are big enough to affect prices. The program is a longstanding part of Mexico’s strategy for safeguarding oil revenues from market volatility.
The government said it spent 23.49 billion pesos on put options, a financial instrument that sets an agreed price to sell assets around a specified date. It did not say how many barrels of crude were covered by the trade.
1/9/2019 – Reuters
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Bottlenecks for offloading imported fuel are forming at some Mexican oil ports following government orders to shut pipelines to limit losses from widespread fuel theft, according to traders and Refinitiv Eikon data.
With storage limited in Mexico, the move by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to shut pipelines and move fuel mostly by rail and truck has slowed transport, causing long lines for consumers and slowed deliveries at ports, where more than 7 million barrels of fuel – enough for several days of use in Mexico – languish.
The crackdown on fuel theft, a crime that has drained billions of dollars from state coffers and is blamed for rising violence in some regions, is the leftist president’s first major move against criminals and corruption since taking office in December, but risks angering consumers and hurting the economy.
1/10/2019 – The Washington Post
By the Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — Gasoline and diesel shortages are mounting in Mexico, but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is vowing not to retreat in his battle against fuel theft gangs.
Lopez Obrador is blaming sabotage of a key pipeline leading to Mexico City for blocks-long lines at gas stations.
Lopez Obrador said Thursday that “there will be no retreat, not one step backward” in the crackdown.
He said gangs had become so sophisticated they were running their own tank farm to store stolen fuel in northern Mexico.
