Mexican Stocks Retreat Sharply As Trade Optimism Fades

(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Mexican stocks tumbled Thursday as the benchmark S&P/BMV IPC index shed 1.88% to close at 56,866.76 points. The significant decline erased nearly all gains from Wednesday's rally, when the index had surged 2.1% on trade optimism.

Traders grappled with a market disconnect as Mexican shares moved contrary to global trends. U.S. markets climbed after President Trump announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom, sending the S&P 500 up 0.6% and the Nasdaq rising 1%.

The peso strengthened against the dollar for a second consecutive session following the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates at 4.25-4.5%. Mexico's central bank likewise kept its benchmark rate steady at 9.00%.

Insurance giant Qualitas Controladora led decliners with a steep 7.53% drop to 217.01 pesos. Banking heavyweight Grupo Financiero Banorte fell 3.87% to 162.49 pesos while retail titan Wal-Mart de Mexico slid 3.57% to 63.00 pesos.

Bucking the downward trend, electronics retailer Grupo Elektra gained 1.61% to 363.00 pesos. Pharmaceutical company Genomma Lab Internacional added 1.15% to 21.09 pesos. Chemicals and materials producer Orbia Advance Corporation rose 0.73% to 13.75 pesos.



Trading volume remained moderate with 137 advancing stocks versus 105 decliners. This breadth indicator suggests selective buying interest persisted in smaller issues while large-caps faced intense selling pressure.

Technical indicators flashed mixed signals after the sell-off. The RSI retreated from overbought territory at 72.45 but remains elevated. The MACD maintains its positive reading at 481.58 despite momentum slowing.

The index now tests key support around 56,500 after breaking below several short-term moving averages. All major moving averages from the 5-day to 200-day still point upward, suggesting the longer-term uptrend remains intact despite today's retreat.

Mexico underperformed regional peers as Brazil's Ibovespa lost just 0.2% while Colombia's COLCAP declined 0.45%. The Mexican market has gained 14.77% year-to-date despite Thursday's setback.

Analysts attribute the selling to uncertainty about Mexico's position in evolving global trade patterns. The UK-US trade agreement intensified worries that Mexico might lose advantages under existing arrangements.

"The market faces a climate of high volatility and uncertainty," noted a multi-asset strategist at a major European bank. "We need to see more agreements involving larger trading partners."

Attention now turns to upcoming US-China trade talks scheduled for Saturday. Investors remain cautious about near-term prospects with Wells Fargo warning of "more downside volatility before tariff uncertainties are resolved."

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