• The Wisynco Group today officially opened its new US$35-million brewery and manufacturing facility in Lakes Pen, St Catherine. Chief Executive Officer of Wisynco, Andrew Mahfood, said the facility will significantly expand the company’s production capacity, strengthen its ability to meet growing market demand, and provide greater flexibility to diversify its product portfolio.
• Overall, the new facility represents one of Wisynco’s most significant manufacturing investments to date and formally positions the company in the brewing category. The facility is now producing beers, stouts, malts, and ready-to-drink beverages, including Worthy Park mixed rum-based beverages and Stone Ginger Wine, all manufactured locally for domestic consumption.
• State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Delano Seiveright, described Wisynco Group’s new brewery and manufacturing facility as a strong endorsement of Jamaica’s manufacturing future and the country’s broader economic direction. The Minister emphasised that the project aligns with the Government’s industrial strategy of scaling Jamaican-owned companies with deep local roots, citing Wisynco and the Mahfood family as examples of firms continuing to reinvest domestically.
• Wisynco was highlighted as a “textbook example” of a Jamaican company advancing national industrial development, supported by the Government’s Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) regime. The ACA allows qualifying capital investments made between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026, to be written off more rapidly, improving cash flow and lowering the effective cost of investment, thereby encouraging expansion in the productive sector.
• At the local level, the facility is expected to generate jobs, skills development, stronger supply chains, and increased commercial activity in St. Catherine. Manufacturing investments of this scale also anchor communities, support logistics and distribution networks, and create long-term, stable employment.
• At the national level, benefits include higher output, stronger exports, improved food and beverage security, and deeper industrial resilience. The Minister concluded that this type of investment demonstrates how Jamaica can sustain growth despite shocks, such as Hurricane Melissa, by strengthening its productive base through collaboration between pro-growth Government policy and private-sector leadership.
• As at the close of trading on Thursday, WISYNCO’s stock price closed at J$19.36, reflecting a 3.9% year-to-date increase. At this closing price, it holds a P/E ratio of 16.7x below the Main Market Distribution & Manufacturing sector average of 16.8x.

(Sources: JIS and NCBCM Research)

• Paramount Trading (Jamaica) Limited (PTL) returned to profitability in Q2 FY2026, posting net profit of J$31.11Mn for the quarter ended November 30, 2025, compared with a loss of J$10.79Mn in the corresponding prior-year period. The improved outturn was driven by tighter cost discipline following hurricane-related disruptions in the prior year.
• Quarterly revenues fell marginally (-3.4%) year-on-year to J$385.7Mn. Management noted that quarterly revenue was adversely impacted by supply chain disruptions in October and depressed demand following Hurricane Melissa.
• Despite softer revenues, gross profit increased 18.6% YoY to J$157.05Mn, with gross margins expanding to 48.5% from 42.0% in Q2 FY2025. The margin improvement reflects better pricing discipline, more favourable product mix, and lower relative direct costs as volumes normalized, resulting in a14.4% reduction in direct expenses.
• Operating profit (EBIT) improved sharply to J$63.36Mn, up from J$10.95Mn in the prior-year quarter driven by lower selling & distribution down 65.54%. Net finance costs declined to J$21.48Mn from J$21.75Mn, reflecting slightly lower principal balances on loans.
• On a six-month basis (6M FY2026), PTL reported net profit of J$86.40Mn, a sharp improvement from a loss of J$48.74Mn in the prior-year period. The stronger year-to-date performance was largely driven by the robust Q2 recovery, which more than offset a softer Q1.
• Looking ahead, Management’s renewed focus on pricing discipline, product mix optimisation and cost containment should help sustain improved margins, even if top-line growth remains modest in the near term owing to the disruption of Hurricane Melissa. While demand conditions may remain uneven, the company’s return to profitability in Q2 provides a stronger earnings base for the remainder of FY2026, supporting a cautiously improving outlook.
• As at the close of trading on Thursday, PTL’s stock price closed at J$1.43, reflecting a 13.5% year-to-date increase. At this closing price, it holds a P/E ratio of 13.6x below the Junior Market Distribution sector average of 16.0x.

(Sources: PTL Financial Statements & NCBCM Research)

• The Government of Trinidad and Tobago plans to borrow up to US$1 billion from international investors. This money will be used for general development projects and to repay previous loans. The money is being raised through the international capital market, which is where governments and companies sell debt (bonds or notes) to large investors around the world.
• Under the External Loans (Tax and Exchange Control Exemption) Order, 2026, signed by Minister of Finance Davendranath Tancoo on Monday, payments of principal, interest, and other debt charges on the Notes will be exempt from all taxes and exchange control.
• The Notes will be offered for sale exclusively to Qualified Institutional Buyers in the United States under Rule 144A of the US Securities Act, and to buyers outside the US under Regulation S.
• The Government has appointed J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Bank of America Securities Inc. as Joint Lead Managers/Arrangers to facilitate the issuance.
• Registering a bond or stock with the SEC for a public offering can take months and cost millions in legal and accounting fees. By using Rule 144A and Reg S, a company can raise hundreds of millions of dollars in a matter of days by going directly to the world's biggest professional investors.

(Source: Trinidad Express)

• Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis on Monday announced additional measures aimed at easing the cost of living and providing direct financial relief to Bahamian families, reaffirming affordability as a top priority of his administration.
• Speaking as the country continues its recovery from recent economic crises, the prime minister acknowledged that while progress has been made, many households are still struggling with high prices. He said the government remains focused on taking practical steps to put more money back into the pockets of Bahamians.
• Central to the new measures is the removal of Value-Added Tax on unprepared food. Under the announcement, VAT on these items will be reduced to 0%, lowering the cost of everyday groceries and offering immediate relief at checkout for consumers. The change is scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2026. The announcement builds on a series of affordability-focused initiatives already implemented by the Davis administration.
• These include lowering the overall VAT rate from 12% to 10%, reducing VAT on essential items, raising the minimum wage, expanding access to free medication through the National Prescription Drug Plan, providing electricity bill relief, and rolling out the National School Breakfast Programme.
• According to the Office of the Prime Minister, the measures reflect the administration’s approach to governance described as steady, responsible, and results-driven—with a focus on improvements that directly impact daily life. The initiatives form part of a broader effort to ensure economic recovery leads to shared progress and greater financial security across all communities.
• Prime Minister Davis stressed that the work is ongoing, noting that the government will continue to listen to citizens, respond to their needs, and keep Bahamian families at the centre of decision-making. Further details on the newly announced measures are expected to be released by the relevant ministries in the coming weeks.

(Source: Caribbean National Weekly)

• A push by policymakers for Chinese firms to diversify beyond the world's top consumer market by shifting focus to Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America paid dividends, cushioning the economy against United States (U.S.) tariffs and intensifying trade, technology and geopolitical frictions since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year.
• As a result, China on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, reported a record trade surplus of nearly $1.189Tn in 2025, a 20% year on year increase, led by booming exports to non-U.S. markets as producers looked to build global scale to fend off sustained pressure from the Trump administration.
• The Asian powerhouse economy's monthly trade surpluses exceeded $100Bn seven times last year, partially underpinned by a weakened yuan, up from just once in 2024, underscoring that Trump's actions have barely dented China's broader trade with the wider world, even if he has curbed U.S.-bound shipments. Exports to the U.S. slumped 20% in dollar terms in 2025, while imports from the world's top economy were down 14.6%.
• Nevertheless, Chinese factories managed to make inroads in other markets, with exports to Africa jumping 25.8% and those to the ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations up 13.4%. EU-bound shipments grew 8.4%.
• China's rare-earth exports in 2025 also surged to their highest level since at least 2014, even as Beijing began curbing shipments of several medium to heavy elements from April - a move analysts saw as an effort to showcase ⁠ its leverage over Washington while negotiators wrangled over soybean ⁠ purchases, a potential Boeing aircraft deal and the fate of TikTok's U.S. operations.
• The country’s surplus is still widening: For December alone, China’s surplus reached $114.14Bn, propelled by surging exports to the European Union, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. It was the third-highest monthly surplus on record, trailing only January and June last year.
• Heading into 2026, the challenges for Beijing are aplenty, including deflecting concerns from an increasing number of global capitals about China's trade practices and overcapacity, as well as its overreliance on key Chinese products. One of the key questions facing policymakers is how long the $19Tn economy can continue to counteract a property slump and sluggish domestic demand by shipping ever cheaper goods to other markets.

(Sources: Reuters and NY Times)

• Price hikes picked up speed for United States (U.S.)-based businesses toward the end of last year, a potential signal that inflation has yet to peak and prices could soon rise faster for consumers. U.S. wholesale inflation picked up speed in November, pushed higher in part by fast-rising energy prices, according to shutdown-delayed data released Wednesday, January 15, 2026.
• The latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report showed that prices rose 0.2% in November from the month before, resulting in an annual rate of 3%, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS).
• Wednesday’s data also showed that wholesalers and retailers were likely continuing to pick up most of the hefty tab resulting from President Donald Trump’s sweeping and steep tariffs on imported goods. Trade services, which measure profit margins for wholesalers and retailers, were down by 0.8% in both October and November, a possible indication that businesses were absorbing higher costs versus fully passing them along to customers.
• As the labour market has weakened, wage growth has slowed, and economic disparities have grown wider, some businesses have sought to cut prices, rather than raise them further, because a wider swath of Americans is struggling with affordability.
• When excluding food, energy, as well as trade services, which also can be volatile, the underlying trajectory of wholesale inflation was even more concerning: Prices shot 0.7% higher in October and rose 0.2% in November, lifting the annual rate to 3.4% in October and then 3.5% in November. This was the highest annual rate for PPI excluding energy, food and trade services in eight months.
• The latest PPI report offers some signals for the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, as several PPI data points feed into the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index. The CPI data during the fourth quarter and the latest PPI data point to the PCE price index edging further from the Fed’s 2% target rate, Pantheon’s Tombs wrote. The October and November PCE report, which will include the latest data on spending, is scheduled to be released on Thursday, January 22.

(Source: CNN)

• Bunker Fuel and Petroleum Logistics operator, West Indies Petroleum Terminal Limited (WIPT) reported a 25.3% year-on-year decline in Q3 2025 net profit to US$0.65Mn for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The weaker outturn was primarily driven by lower throughput volumes, which more than offset stable cost control and inflation-linked tariff increases and weighed on revenues.
• WIPT recorded Q3 revenues of US$2.23Mn, down 6.3% YoY, reflecting reduced throughput activity during the period. Management noted that the volume decline is temporary, citing an expected rebound following the waiver of the Common External Tariff (CET) for a major throughput client and increased activity from third-party customers.
• The granting of the CET waiver is expected to be a primary catalyst for revenue growth in the final quarter of FY 2025. By removing the unified customs duty for a key throughput client, WIPT anticipates a normalisation of volumes that were deferred during the Q3 period. This, coupled with the onboarding of new third-party contracts, positions the company for a significantly stronger topline exit heading into 2026.
• Operating profit (EBIT) declined 21.6% YoY to US$0.90Mn. The contraction largely mirrored the revenue decline, as operating and administrative expenses remained broadly flat year-on-year, demonstrating effective overhead control despite lower utilisation.
• Finance costs showed modest improvement, with finance costs improving modestly falling to US$0.21Mn from US$0.26Mn in the prior-year quarter. This improvement reflects the repayment of an amortising bond in 2024, which reduced interest obligations.
• The softer quarterly outturn translated into weaker year-to-date performance. For the nine months ended September 2025 (9M 2025), revenues slipped 3.0% YoY to US$6.50Mn, while net profit declined 6.4% to US$1.93Mn. This year-to-date (YTD) decline was largely attributable to an 18.9% decline in throughput volumes, which was partially offset by higher inflation-adjusted storage and throughput rates.
• Structurally, WIPT’s revenue mix continued to improve, with non-related third-party customers accounting for 44% of revenues in 2025, up sharply from 9% in 2024. This reflects the successful acquisition of storage and throughput contracts from an oil supermajor supporting management’s outlook for more resilient and diversified earnings into 2026.
• As at the close of trading on Wednesday, WIPT’s stock price closed at J$10.71, reflecting a 717.56% year-to-date increase. Since the commencement of public trading on the JSE, WIPT has experienced strong buying interest, pushing its valuation to a P/E of 828.1x, a significant premium compared to the Main Market Energy, Industrials and Materials sector average of 116.0x. This expansion has been driven predominantly by the sharp appreciation in the share price rather than growth in earnings per share of WIPT, with the rising P/E reflecting price momentum following WIPT’s entry into the sub-index.

• WIPT’s share price increase is likely driven less by its underlying operating performance and more by market speculation, limited investor familiarity with the company’s business model, and the extreme scarcity of shares following its recent listing by introduction. This means that no shares were offered to investors as part of the listing. The extremely limited float has amplified price volatility and momentum-driven buying, resulting in market multiples that are not supported by current or near-term earnings.

(Sources: WIPT Financial Statements & NCBCM Research)

• Mexico’s GDP per capita has fallen below that of China and the Dominican Republic, reversing a position it held in the 1990s, according to economic experts. The statement was issued by Ernesto Revilla, Citigroup’s chief economist for Latin America, during the 2026 Economic Outlook Seminar organised by Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).
• Revilla explained that in 1990, Mexico’s GDP per capita was well above that of both China and the Dominican Republic. By 2020, the three economies were at similar levels, and by 2024, Mexico was already around 10% below both countries. He attributed this decline mainly to Mexico’s persistent low economic growth, noting that during the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, average GDP growth was just 0.9%, resulting in virtually no per capita income growth over the past six years.
• Looking ahead, Revilla said that even with projected growth of 0.3% in 2025 and around 1% in 2026, the government led by President Claudia Sheinbaum would average 1.5% GDP growth over the coming years, still below Mexico’s economic potential. He stressed that uncertainty surrounding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), weak external conditions, limited public investment, and low returns on government spending have continued to weigh on economic performance.
• Despite these challenges, Revilla noted that a modest recovery could occur in 2026, supported by a more favourable environment, gradual normalisation of investment after a deep contraction in 2025, and expectations of a renegotiation of the USMCA that could unlock new investment flows. He also highlighted positive factors such as a recovering labour market, low unemployment, continued support from social programs, and remittances, although growing more slowly, which continue to bolster household consumption.

(Source: Dominican Today)

• Guyana is preparing for its next major step in offshore oil production with the Uaru development, ExxonMobil’s upcoming project in the Stabroek Block. Rather than opening a new frontier, Uaru deepens production in an already proven basin.
• The project is built around scale. More than 800 million barrels of recoverable oil are targeted, with an initial production target set at 250,000 barrels per day. Once production begins, Guyana’s national capacity is expected to move decisively past one million barrels per day.
• The development will use up to 10 drill centres tied to 44 wells, designed to sustain high output over the life of the field. At the centre of operations, there will be a new floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
• Japanese contractor MODEC is constructing the Errea Wittu FPSO, which will process and store crude produced from the Uaru field. The vessel introduces design changes that align with Guyana’s push for lower-emissions offshore production. Guyana’s Uaru and Whiptail projects are on track for a 2026 to 2027 start-up.
• Uaru will have two key upgrades. Power generation will come from a combined-cycle gas turbine, improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A closed-loop flare system will also be installed to limit flaring during routine operations.
• The project is operated by ExxonMobil, which holds a 45% interest in the Stabroek Block.  Meanwhile, Co-venturers Hess and CNOOC hold 30% and 25%, respectively.

(Source: OilNow Guyana)

• United States (U.S.) inflation stayed at 2.7% in December, according to data that suggested price growth is being contained even as it remains above the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) target.
• The annual consumer price index (CPI) figure was unchanged from November and in line with the expectations of economists polled by Bloomberg. Core inflation, stripping out volatile food and energy prices, was 2.6%, just below expectations of 2.7%. Meanwhile, housing-related prices rose 3.2%, pushing up the headline figure.
• The release from the Bureau of Labour Statistics indicated price rises in the world’s leading economy had eased, despite concerns last year that Donald Trump’s aggressive deployment of tariffs could fuel a lasting inflationary surge. “The key takeaway is that goods prices were very benign, which underscores the point that tariffs have had a far more muted impact on inflation than feared,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING.
• Still, economists remained wary of the data after a sharp drop in the previous month’s release drew criticism that it had been distorted by a halt to data collection during last year’s record government shutdown. “Although these values suggest a softening in inflation, we are cautious not to extrapolate too much from this volatile report,” said Michael Hanson, a senior economist at JPMorgan.
• The two-year Treasury yield, which is highly sensitive to interest rate expectations, dropped 0.03 percentage points to 3.52% following Tuesday’s inflation report. Two interest rate cuts in 2026 are currently priced in by traders in the futures market. The US dollar index fell after the release, while stock market futures rose.

(Source: Financial Times)