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South America has been hit by the global economic slowdown, although some countries are showing signs of recovery. Much of the region has a huge infrastructure gap to close, leading to the arrival of a number of new foreign players to the region’s cement market and numerous capacity expansion projects at existing facilities.
Following subdued economic growth, most South American countries are seeing an improvement in their fortunes,
although for some, such as Chile, a recovery may still be some way off
Much of South America has been experiencing subdued economic growth, but some regeneration was reported in the 4Q16. Brazil, the region’s largest economy, and Argentina, its second-largest, are emerging from their deep recessions. Argentina is poised to see its strongest growth in six years in 2017 – up by 3.1 per cent, according to Morgan Stanley. Brazil, meanwhile, is forecast to see a slower pick-up, but analysts still expect 1.1 per cent growth this year.
