20 July 2012
MONTANITA HOUSE FOR RENT One price for WHOLE HOUSE, more private than a hotel and fit as many people as you wish!… 3 bedroom with one queen bed each, 2 full bathrooms, fully furnished kitchen with dining table and mini-refrigerator, patio with hammocks overlooking the ocean, dining area… House has internet and WIFI. This quiant [...]
Posted in Ecuador Q&A
20 July 2012
Biking Cotopaxi, Ecuador in Family I see it all the time working in a hotel in Guayaquil. They arrived, a young expat family with two parents in their 30′s and 2 little kids. They had never been to Ecuador. But they were planning on making a life here. They had read all the fluffy speak [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
19 July 2012
With a few new amendments of legislation the Ecuadorian government has further clamped down on businesses who don’t affiliate their employees to the BIESS, or the local Social Security system. All full time employees need to be affiliated, and the employee needs to pay 9.35% of their salary to the program, which provides them access [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
15 July 2012
“I don’t know, $100k for a beach house?” … …I said to a friend this week who said she was interested in buying one she saw beachfront for $100k. Not sure, but spending six figures for a second residence where I’m not even going to be, nor put a business, just doesn’t flow with me. [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
09 July 2012
Libertad, the “other”side of Salinas. “Damn, this is some delicious shrimp.” My new friend said. “I know, I didn’t even like shrimp until I got to Ecuador.” I responded. We were sitting in a small, open-air restaurant mainly frequented by locals in a small town I see a lot of short-term potential for near Salinas. [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
08 July 2012
This weekend in Guayaquil there is an event in the convention center trying to push China-Ecuador relations. China is already a BIG investor in Ecuador. Of the $15 billion they have invested in South America, Ecuador has 40% or $6 billion of China money invested. To keep reading this article and others like it, sign [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
07 July 2012
In the first quarter of 2012 Ecuadorian shrimp exports fell 18% to Europe compared to the same period a year ago while they grew by 36% to the US in the same period. Many attribute this dynamic to the harsh crisis effecting Europe at the present time. But over the last 9 months the price [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
06 July 2012
Cuenca property is hot. Actually smoking, baby. But not just due to an increasing demand from foreign retirees, but also locals who for the first time since 2009 have access to reasonably priced loans form their local Social Security system, the BIESS. According to Marco Rodriguez, the president of the Realtors association in Cuenca, the [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
06 July 2012
According to the Ecuador Central Bank, in the first quarter of 2012, the exportation of Tuna and other fish products fell 112 tons compared to the same period a year ago, but revenues still increased 13% due to the higher international prices for the product. After an interesting conversation with a local fishermen in Ecuador, [...]
Posted in Ecuador Q&A
05 July 2012
Last Friday, cocoa closed on the NY stock exchange at $2112 per ton, a year ago at this time it was at $3200 per ton. The drastic fall in prices has caused an 11% decrease in revenues generated on cocoa export sales in Ecuador in the first trimester of 2012, compared to the same [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
05 July 2012
According to the Municipal Office in Cuenca, in January and February if this year, they approved 551 building projects. Over the same period last year in 2011 they approved 332 projects. A view from an apartment on Ordonez Lasso in Cuenca. Many believe the hot market is due to the loans that have started to [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
04 July 2012
Due to new measures by the Ecuadorian government to cut the quantity of imported cars in Ecuador by 30%… …Both prices for new and used vehicles are expected to rise sharply in the coming months. It’s true, traffic, particularly in Ecuador’s 2 major cities, Quito and Guayaquil, is bad. Very bad! I’m talking an absolute [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
04 July 2012
In the first trimester of 2012, according to the Ecuadorian Central Bank, flower exports increased 8.9% compared to the same period of last year for a total sales amount of $285 million USD. To keep reading this article and others like it, sign up for my weekly, Ecuador Insider’s Newsletter below (You can unsubscribe at [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
03 July 2012
5 new malls will open their doors this year in Guayaquil. Mainly on the outskirts of town, to the north and off towards the coast, these new malls illustrate a strong demand for conveniences and shopping currently absent in many areas of Ecuador. This could be a big opportunity for an investor with some money. [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
03 July 2012
The chief non-petroleum export of Ecuador, the Banana, fell in sales in the first trimester of 2012 by 10% ompared to the first trimester of last year. The fall is generally attributed to the world financial situation and the unusually strong rains Ecuador experienced this winter. To keep reading this article and others like it, [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
03 July 2012
The President of Ecuador, President Correa, announced yesterday that the GDP of Ecuador grew 4.87% in the first trimester of 2012 compared to the first trimester of 2011. It’s true, this place is hopping, the crisis in Europe and the US seems a long way away. people have money, cash, credit, and they’re buying. To [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
02 July 2012
Before considering coming to work in Ecuador, you may be tempted to ask, how much can you make as an executive or manager in a company in Ecuador? Well, as you can imagine in a country where the minimum wage is $285 a month… not much. Managers in small and medium sized businesses can expect [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
01 July 2012
Ecuador’s neighbors, Colombia and Peru, announced this week that they had signed free trade agreements with the EU. This puts a bit of pressure on Ecuador, in that exporters from Colombia and Peru will be able to enter the EU with more competitive pricing than Ecuador. For the time being, maybe Ecuador can get by [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
01 July 2012
“How much for the house?” I asked. “$175k.” The real estate agent in Guayaquil, Ecuador responded. “Humm, that’s funny.” I thought. Cause I just spoke to someone (the owner) 5 minutes ago who told me the place was for sale for $170k. But I wasn’t surprised. You see, in a country not used to using [...]
Posted in Expat Lifestyle
30 June 2012
The IESS, or the Social Security Establishment in Ecuador, funds 37% of their budget with oil revenues. If the price of Oil falls under $79 a barrel the government may issue 12 year 7.5% earning bonds in order to help pay the pensions owed through the Ecuadorian Social Security system. Currently, the price of oil [...]
Posted in Investor News/Analysis
