Dollar falls below 18 pesos and exports set a record. The World Bank raises its forecast, but Mexico stays among the slowest growers
A day of good trade and market numbers contrasted with a harsh diagnosis: in 2026 the Mexican economy will outgrow only a handful of countries in the region.
The peso had its best session in days. The exchange rate returned to below 18 pesos per dollar: Expansión put it at 17.95 during the afternoon and La Jornada reported a close of 17.97, with a weaker dollar and energy prices that favored the peso, according to Proceso and El Economista. The stock market followed: the S&P/BMV IPC rose 0.52% to 65,312.46 points, its best level in a month according to El Economista and market reports. In New York, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs (El Financiero, El Economista). El Financiero also carried the Citi Survey on how long the dollar could stay below 18. The rebound has context: last week the peso had hit its weakest level in months, and on Monday the appreciation came on the back of enthusiasm over Brazil. On Tuesday, by contrast, the push was broader, with a weak dollar against almost all currencies ahead of the Federal Reserve minutes, according to El Economista.
Trade figures helped the mood. El Financiero reported that Mexico’s exports to the United States totaled a record 60.6 billion dollars in August, and El Economista reported that Mexico reached a record 17.4% share of U.S. imports. Gross fixed investment advanced at its fastest pace in two years, according to El Financiero. Not everything was positive: consumer confidence fell 1.2 points in September, El Economista reported. In other words, exporting companies are doing better than households, which remain cautious about spending.
The counterpoint came from the World Bank. The institution raised its growth outlook for Mexico in 2026 and 2027 (El Economista); Bloomberg Línea reported figures of 1.4% and 1.8%, a tenth of a point more than in June. Even so, El Financiero stressed that Mexico’s growth this year will outpace only that of Bolivia, Jamaica and Saint Lucia in the region, and Expansión summed up the report as “weak performance.” Proceso highlighted that Mexico and Brazil appear among the most lagging economies, while Milei’s Argentina is the one growing fastest. The day before, the IMF had raised its forecast to 1.5%. Both institutions agree on the diagnosis: Mexico is growing, but only a little. In the Senate, Finance Secretary Édgar Amador attributed the rise in tax collection to the fight against evasion and against huachicol fiscal; Expansión reported that, according to the Finance Ministry (Hacienda), the SAT collected 776,000 million pesos more in two years without a tax reform.