economy

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#336699" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gringos Guide to Colombia"><U>Colombia</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=125 BGCOLOR="#A6CAF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Colombia</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=USD&to=COP&amt=1&t=2y" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/conver"><U>COP vs USD chart</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.undcp.org/colombia/rocha.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.undcp.org/colombia/rocha.html"><U>Drugs and GDP</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="exports.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="exports"><U>Export products</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/colombia.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/colombi"><U>Energy situation</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="conglomerates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="conglomerates"><U>Grupos grandes</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="informal_economy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="informal economy"><U>Informal economy</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="media.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="media"><U>Media ownership</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://home.earthlink.net/~cafe.tinto/CO_100_empresas.xls" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://home.earthlink.net/~cafe.tinto/CO"><U>Top 100 companies</U></A></div> <div> <B>LatAm investing</B> </div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.adrbny.com/dr_directory.jsp" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.adrbny.com/dr_directory.jsp"><U>Bank of NY ADRs</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="crisis.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="crisis investing"><U><I>Crisis Investing</I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="latineconomies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="latin american economies"><U>Latin economies</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://home.earthlink.net/~cafe.tinto/LatAm_100_bancos.xls" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://home.earthlink.net/~cafe.tinto/La"><U>Top 100 banks</U></A></div> <div> <B>Publications</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dinero.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dinero.com"><U><I>Dinero</I></U></A><I> </I>(CO)</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.larepublica.com.co" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.larepublica.com.co"><U><I>La Republica</I></U></A> (CO)</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.latin-focus.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.latin-focus.com/"><U><I>Latin Focus</I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.latinvestor.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.latinvestor.com"><U><I>Latin Investor</I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.latintrade.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.latintrade.com"><U><I>Latin Trade</I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.nationmaster.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.nationmaster.com"><U>Nation Master</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.portafolio.com.co" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.portafolio.com.co"><U><I>Portafolio</I></U></A><I> </I>(CO)</div> <div> <B>Did you know?</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700b400000000.gif" HEIGHT="12" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Salsa outsells ketchup in the U.S.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700b400000000.gif" HEIGHT="12" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Anheuser Busch owns half of Grupo Modelo (Corona)</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700b400000000.gif" HEIGHT="12" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">GE/NBC owns the Telemundo Network</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700b400000000.gif" HEIGHT="12" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mangos cost $1.50 each in Minneapolis</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> economy</div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="572" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2382 ><NOBR><bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="541" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 260 ><NOBR><bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="527" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 246 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="37081ec0.gif" border=0 width="385" height="236" ALT="Microsoft Excel Chart" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="2d496b90.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="185" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 772 ><NOBR><div> <B>W</B><B>orkforce facts</B></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The monthly minimum wage for 2005 is 381,500 pesos or about $166 USD</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The monthly transportation subsidy is 44,500 pesos or about $19 USD</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ten percent or more of the population earns the minimum wage</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Consumer price inflation in 2004 was 5.5%, the lowest in 49 years</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">To compare the per capita income of Colombia to its neighbors <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6666CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="latineconomies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="latin american economies"><U>click here</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4515e0c0.gif" border=0 width="350" height="268" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="4525e0c0.gif" border=0 width="350" height="268" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 354 ><NOBR><div> <B>Colombia's IGBC stock index vs. the S&P 500</B></div> <div> (Two year comparions in local currency, not adjusted for inflation)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="42e00e40.gif" border=0 width="512" height="228" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800000000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">for Bancolombia unconsolidated monthly results click <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6666CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="bancolombia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="bancolombia"><U>here</U></A></FONT></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 726 ><NOBR><div> <B>Economic indicators as of January 2006</B></div> <div> (USD are not based on the purchasing power parity method; population</div> <div>  is significantly higher than the CIA estimate; source: <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#6666CC" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="http://www.dinero.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dinero.com"><U>Dinero</U></A></FONT> magazine)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="4685e7a0.gif" border=0 width="350" height="634" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD HEIGHT= 192 WIDTH="533"><div> <B>Recommended: </B><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index%3Dbooks%26field-titleid%3D1424139%26ve-field%3Dnone/qid%3D/104-6530503-7507951" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search"><U><I>Adventure Capitalist</I></U></A> by Jim Rogers and the <A HREF="http://www.millenniumadventure.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.millenniumadventure.com"><U>Millennium Adventure</U></A> website</div> <div> <I>It's the ultimate road trip. Legendary investor Jim Rogers and his fiancé travel to 116 countries in a custom-built four-wheel-drive bright yellow Mercedes. Over three years, they make their way through war zones, are guarded by military convoys, observe a fifty-million-person pilgrimage, eat disgusting food, put the car on barges for transport between countries, and have their lives threatened at every turn. As well as describing his adventures, Rogers has plenty to say about the economies and roads he encounters on his journey. With his keen financial acumen, he picks out those countries with the highest prospective economic success and which ones are headed for disaster. All in all, a wonderful trip. "If Warren Buffett and Bill Bryson were trapped in a car with each other for three years, they might write like Jim Rogers." (B.O.T Editorial Review Board).</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>