Southwest Economy Archive

• April 14, 2023
  Mexico awaits ‘nearshoring’ shift as China boosts its direct investment

  Luis Torres and Aparna Jayashankar

  When it comes to trading goods with the United States, Mexico would appear a logical sourcing alternative to China. Before the pandemic, increasing friction between the U.S. and China—the top supplier of goods imports to the U.S. in 2019—contributed to an anticipated “nearshoring” shift among companies dependent on Asia.
• March 10, 2023
  Texas to get new type of refinery: a lithium refinery

  Michael D. Plante and Jessica Rindels

  Tesla is developing the facility near Corpus Christi to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide, a lithium chemical used in the high-performance lithium-ion batteries that companies such as Tesla prefer.
• March 10, 2023
  Mexico recovering from pandemic slowdown; structural issues persist
  Daniel Chiquiar, professor of economics at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico) and former chief economist of Mexico’s central bank, Banco de México, discusses the country’s recent economic performance and the challenges it faces in 2023.
• December 22, 2022
  Less-tight labor market helps Texas grow faster than U.S. during pandemic

  Anil Kumar

  Amid widespread reports of worker shortages, Texas' not-so-constricted labor markets have helped the state outpace the nation in job growth.
• December 22, 2022
  Blame costlier natural gas, rising fees for increasing Texas power bills

  Jesse Thompson

  The cost of keeping the lights on in Texas homes has soared this year, as natural gas prices attained highs not seen since 2008.
• December 22, 2022
  H-E-B seeks path during era of consumer wariness, persistently rising costs
  Craig Boyan. president of San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, discusses lingering pandemic challenges and operating in a difficult economic environment.
• December 22, 2022
  Texas economy rides wave of changing technology and diffusion of know-how

  Laila Assanie and Yichen Su

  Data on patents and employment show that Texas is a major center of innovation and high-tech employment.
• December 22, 2022
  Texas metro unemployment rates drop but remain above early 2020 levels

  Ana Pranger and Pia Orrenius

  Unemployment rates across Texas metros have come down quickly since the pandemic recession of 2020, though they remain above preoutbreak levels.
• December 22, 2022
  Go Figure: If Texas were a country …

  Content: Ana Pranger; Design: Justin Chavira and Emily Rogers

  Texas is comparable to entire countries—and so are some of its urban areas.
• October 3, 2022
  Maquiladoras, Mexico’s engine of trade, driven to navigate evolving demand

  Jesus Cañas

  Mexico’s maquiladoras, an important generator of manufacturing and employment activity along the U.S.–Mexico border, confront a changing landscape. Evolving global trade patterns, reflecting stressed supply chains and increasing electric vehicle production, will test maquiladora agility and growth prospects.