Global Markets and Economic Update : MEXICAN STOCK

* The market on Tuesday recovered much of Monday’s stunning drop as worries about growing civil unrest receded somewhat. The Bolsa index shot up 95.45 points, or 3.9%, to 2,554.56, after tumbling 165.92 points, or 6.3%, on Monday.

* Many large U.S.-based investors who own Mexican stocks say they remain confident that the Chiapas uprising is an isolated incident and no reason to exit the market. But they also concede that the general selloff in emerging markets worldwide so far this year suggests that Mexican stocks may go lower before they go substantially higher, as Mexican investors in particular take some money off the table.

The Bolsa Index Tuesday closes: 2,554.56

Source: D.A. Campbell, Times research

SPOTLIGHT: IRAQ

The economy has been careening toward disaster since the 1991 Persian Gulf War. International trade sanctions--which prohibit the export of oil among other goods--and the policies of President Saddam Hussein have fueled hyper-inflation, pushing many citizens into poverty and increasing crime rates.

Sources: Bank of America; World Information Services