Southland

Trade Figures Due: The U.S.-Mexico trade figures for April that the Commerce Department will release Wednesday are expected to show further growth in Mexican exports to the United States and slippage in the volume of U.S. products heading south. The devaluation of the peso, which made Mexican goods more attractive to consumers here, boosted Mexico’s U.S. exports to nearly $15 billion over the first three months of this year, a 32% increase over the northbound flow last year. The southbound traffic of U.S. goods during the first quarter slowed to $11.2 billion, a 6% decline from last year. For Mexico, the devaluation is having its desired effect of balancing trade. For many Southland exporters, the peso’s woes have caused the loss of lucrative markets in Mexico because consumers there can no longer afford U.S products.