While one ratings agency outlines a pessimistic outlook for Mexico, from one of its worst recessions on record, and reports of upward revisions in growth could translate to a good year for Mexico country-specific exchange traded fund . Of course, there is still one lingering problem…

But first, the good:

• An indicator for Mexico’s total economic output rose 0.5% in last October, or up 4.3% year-over-year, reflecting a preview of economic growth that was faster than previously expected for the fourth quarter, reports Jason Lange for Reuters.
• Central Bank Gov. Agustin Carstens stated that the economy will soon maintain sustainable growth that could fuel inflation, but analysts suspect that the Central Bank will hold interest rates steady in the short-term.
• A number of new jobs have been created, chipping away at the high unemployment rate, though many acknowledge that far more is needed to consider Mexico “recovered.”
• Finance Minister Ernesto Cordero could raise Mexico’s growth forecast from the current estimates of 3.9% on improved U.S industrial production and internal demand, write Carlos Manuel Rodriguez and Crayton Harrison for Bloomberg.

Drug violence, however, continues. Fitch Rat

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Over the festive season and the New Year many people will have accrued large amounts of debt on credit cards, overdrafts, and in the form of loans. With the financial climate in the state that it is in many of those that have accrued debt over the Christmas period will have added to existing debt that they already had, and this could effectively tip them over the edge financially due to the larger levels of debt that they have to deal with.

This year is set to be very challenging for consumers as the government cutbacks start to take effect and the risk of unemployment continues to increase. Many people will be concerned about the security of their jobs, and will also be experiencing changes with things such as benefits, which will be affected by the government cutbacks. On top of this consumers have the 2.5 percent increase in VAT to deal with, which could leave them facing far higher costs.

Industry expert are now urging those that have accrued debt that they are struggling to deal with to seek advice with regards to their debt problems as soon as possible rather than letting the problem fester.

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Student credit cards effectively unregulated by IndexCreditCards

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Chase SapphireSM Card

Credit card regulations badly applied

When the Credit CARD Act of 2009 was signed into law, protections for students and young people were widely seen as among its most important provisions. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary, writing in the Washington Post, recently said those who harbored such high hopes were naive.

Sadly, she’s probably right. Who in their right mind would think that something as trifling as a federal law could stand between credit card companies and a profitable target market, especially when the Federal Reserve appears to regard its regulatory role as that of industry lapdog?

Student credit cards for all

Think that’s a bit hyperbolic? Well, one of the key provisions of the act was to ban people under 21 years from being given credit cards without an adult to co-sign. Sin

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There a tons of gas credit cards on the market, but not all of them are a good deal. Here’s what you need to know about the Marathon credit card application offers. There are actually 3 different cards…

• Not a major credit card – can only be used at Marathon gas stations.
• The interest rate depends on which state the cardholder lives in. The APR in 48 states ranges from 12% to 21%. The two states with lower APRs are Arkansas at 5% and Texas at 10%.
• Ohio-based customer service, which is a plus
• There is no rewards program and no annual fee

Verdict: For those with bad credit that can’t qualify for a regular card, this might be worth considering to use as a tool to rebuild credit. For everyone else this Marathon credit card is a bad idea.

• This is a credit card for businesses that can be used only at Marathon gas stations
• The APRs on this Marathon business card are the same as what you will find on the regular consumer card.
• Provides a commercial billing statement each month that provides the date, location, and dollar amount for each transaction.
• This business card has no annual fee and offers no rewards.

Verdict: This card doesn’t appear to offer any unique benefits. As an alt

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Capital One Platinum Prestige, for people with excellent credit, has just extended its 0% introductory APR periods from 12 months to 15 months. This applies to both balance transfers and purchases.

At the time of this writing, it is the only credit card out there with a 15 month 0% introductory APR on purchases. There are several competitors with 0% for 12 months, but nothing as long as 15 months. As a result, over a 2 year period, no credit card tops this offer in terms of your effective annual rate. We take into account fees, introductory periods, and ongoing rates when we calculate the year effective annual rate for you on our low interest credit cards page. Simply adjust your credit level and the number of years you will hold the card, and you’ll see that if you choose “Excellent Credit” and “2 years”, Capital One Platinum Prestige ranks at the very top of a sorted list of 920 credit cards.

Several balance transfer credit cards exist with more than 15 month 0% introductory APRs, including 18 months with Citi Platinum Select, and 24 months (limited time offer) from Discover More. In our opi

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