GRUMA PARTICIPATES IN THE 2015 EDITION OF THE WORLD FORUM ON MEXICAN GASTRONOMY. (EL UNIVERSAL ONLINE) (OEMENLINEA.COM.MX/YAHOOFINANZAS)

Gruma sponsored the World Forum on Mexican Gastronomy for the third year running. The Forum seeks to contribute to the recovery, safeguarding, and promotion of Mexico’s culture and gastronomy, which was added to the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. As part of its commitment to preserve Mexico’s culinary heritage, the leading corn flour and tortilla producer agreed to sponsor this year’s event onChilipeppers, bell peppers, and spicesfeaturing specialists, traditional chefs, exhibitors, cultural promoters, students, and academics from different countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, and the United Kingdom.Gruma CMO Hernán Marcos attended the forum representing company President and CEO Juan González Moreno.

U.S. DRIVES GRUMA SALES  (EL NORTE)

The U.S. appetite for tortillas is working to Grupo Maseca’s(Gruma) benefit. A JP Morgan analysis revealed that Gruma Corporation, the company’s division for Europe and the U.S., will present 25% compound annual growth in its operating cash flow in 2015 and 2016. The securities firm said that the growing company has positioned itself well in the U.S., where many of its competitors are regional businesses. It also said that Gruma holds 35% of the market share in the United States, a very high percentage for one single company.Gruma has been able to capitalize on the country’s growing Hispanic population, and Mexican food has become more popular among other demographics as well...

RUBÉN BELTRÁN/A BRIDGE OF UNDERSTANDING  (EL UNIVERSAL p.28)

On December 11, Mexico and Russia will celebrate 125 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This historical occasion is an excellent opportunity to take inventory of the current state of relations between the two nations. Companies such as Gruma (food industry) and Nemak (automotive industry) have recently paved the way for participation in the Russian economy, and Mexican airline Interjet has joined in as well with the purchase of 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 Russian airplanes, over the last two years.

GRUMA: FOLLOWING A 937% INCREASE IN STOCKS IN FIVE YEARS, GRUMA FACES THE END OF ITS COMMODITY CYCLE  (PULSO - CHILE)

Leading corn flour producer Gruma shares have increased 937% in the Mexican market in the last five years, and the company is on track to be the country’s best stock for the third year in a row. However, the company may be at its maximum growth capacity in the local market and could be facing the end of its commodity cycle, since hedging of its principal raw material, corn, which offered healthy earnings in the last few years, will end in 2016

GRUMA (EL ECONOMISTA p.7) TRENDS

Over the last 52 weeks, the corn product company’s stock prices have recorded 66.2% growth and seem to be maintaining this trend in 2015, with a 59.16% increase and the highest share price listed at 248.30 MXN.

MEXICAN MONEY  (AMÉRICAECONOMÍA p.5, 74-76)

There is no doubt that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has had his sights set on Spain for some time now. The second richest man in the world, with a fortune estimated at 77 billion USD, acquired stock in La Caixa bank in 2011 and become one of its main stockholders with the purchase of nearly a million shares. Included on a list of the Mexican companies with the highest holdings in Spain in recent years is Gruma, in the food industry, with 48.9 million USD.

TOP SEVEN MOST NOTABLE BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS (EXCÉLSIOR p.1-10)

Boldness, vision, and the ability to leverage structural reforms to the fullest have marked the success of the most outstanding entrepreneurs this last year. Juan Antonio González Moreno is ranked five under the headline “A 21^st Century Business.” The Gruma President & CEO has seen 54.62% yield in his company’s stock, based on the success of Gruma Corporation in the United States and the resources allocated by the corporation to improve its technology. The company plans to build a plant in Malaysia as part of its strategy to position itself on the world’s radar.

GAP, GRUMA, LALA, LIVERPOOL, AND ALSEA WINNERS IN 2015 (EL UNIVERSAL p.1)

The companies reporting the highest yields on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) in 2015 include Alsea, El Puerto de Liverpool, Gruma, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), and Grupo Lala. Between January and December 1 this year, GAP produced 70% yields on its stock price; Gruma was up 57%, Liverpool reported 50%, Alsea 44%, Lala 42%, Walmex 38%, Asur 29%, Kimberly-Clark 26%, Femsa 24%, and Bimbo 17%...

GRUMA  (EL ECONOMISTA p.7) TRENDS. 

Según estimaciones del área de inversiones de Scotiabank, 63% de los ingresos de la productora y comercializadora de harina de maíz podría venir de sus operaciones en EU, debido a la concentración de mexicanos en esa nación.

GRUMA INVESTMENTS IN VENEZUELA.  (REFORMA p.1-2) (EL UNIVERSAL p.8) (LA JORNADA p.27) (MILENIO DIARIO p.36) (EXCÉLSIOR p.2) (LA RAZÓN p.20) (EL NORTE) (EL NORTE) (LA CRÓNICA DE HOY p.26)

Gruma announced today that as of December 31, it will write off the book value of its net indirect investment in Molinos Nacionales (Monaca) and Derivados de Maíz Seleccionado (Demaseca) plants in Venezuela. In a release, the company explained that in light of the considerable depreciation of the Bolivar and Venezuela’s macroeconomic condition, it decided to write off the net indirect investment related to Monaca and Demaseca, and the accounts receivable from certain Monaca subsidiaries. The write-off will result in a non-cash charge of approximately 4.362 billion MXN that will be recorded in December 2015 as “Profit (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net.” “The charge is a virtual budget item, so Gruma’s cash generation will not be affected,” the company added. Gruma had announced that it lost control of Monaca and Demaseca on January 22, 2013, and would no longer report financial information from their operations. However, the company continued to reflect the book value of the net indirect investments on its balance sheet as “Investment in Venezuela available for sale.”

GETTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.  (EL NORTE)

The ice rink, slide, and train at last year’s Grand Christmas Village on the Explanada de los Héroes were traded in for this year’s Nativity scenes depicting Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The government invited more than 30 of the biggest companies in Nuevo León, such as Cemex, Femsa, and Frisa to participate in this exhibition of manger scenes and other Christmas displays, which opened last night on the Explanada and Paseo Santa Lucía esplanades. “We will offer street food (antojitos)and rolled taco (taquitos)tastings on weekends,” said Grupo Maseca CMO Hernán Marcos.The Group’s Nativity scene features a Christmas tree made from the bags used to package the company’s products.

2016 FAVORITES: GRUMA AND ALSEA  (EL ECONOMISTA p.10)

Companies like Alsea, BanRegio, Bimbo, Crédito Real,Gruma, Rassini

Sports, Unifin, and Walmex are in line as stock market favorites for 2016. The directors of different analytics divisions said that they felt that these issuers would offer the highest yields next year.

MEXICO AND RUSSIA CELEBRATE 125 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP  (EL PAÍS p.1-6)

In 2012, both Mexico and Russia began new presidential administrations under Enrique Peña Nieto and Vladimir Putin, respectively, whose terms will both end in 2018. The countries have engaged in continuous and productive political dialogue during this time. The two heads of state have had the opportunity to meet at different international forums where they have exchanged ideas. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Serguei Lavrov recently said that Mexico is Russia’s second largest trading partner in Latin America, and stressed that the country hopes to expand cooperation between these two nations. Significant investments from Mexican companies such as Nemak and Grupo Maseca in Russian industry have totaled 80 million USD and 50 million USD, respectively, for the construction of production plants in Russia.

BEST AND WORST STOCKS INDEXES FOR 2015 (EL FINANCIERO p.21)

Companies on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) Index reflected stark contrasts in 2015. On the high-earning side are businesses in the airport, food, and commercial industries. On the negative side are companies in the construction and commodities production industries. Just a few days before the end of 2015, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico has the lead, with a cumulative yield of 69.03%, followed by Gruma and Alsea with 53.73% and 44.81%, respectively. Fourth and fifth places are held by Grupo Lala and El Puerto de Liverpool, with increases standing at 44.39% and 42.98%.

GRUMA’S SHARE PRICE BOOST (EL NORTE 0)

In 2015, Gruma managed to consolidate itself as one of the most profitable companies on the Mexican Stock Exchange. Despite the the IPC Index fading by -0.3%, from 43,145.66 to 43,012.37 points, Gruma’s share price has returned an accumulated profit of 53.3% so far this year.

PI ENJOYS A PRODUCTIVE 2015, DRIVEN BY THE CCE (EL ECONOMISTA pp-28-29)

The year 2015 will be remembered for the “great dynamism” shown by Mexican business leaders, and in seeking to reassert a strong counterbalance and achieve greater dialog with the federal government, four changes were made to the membership of the Coordinating Business Council (Consejo Coordinador Empresarial - CCE)... The privately-owned organization was strengthened by the arrival of new members, including Santiago Álvarez Vega of Laboratorios Pisa de Guadalajara; María Asunción Aramburuzabala of Tresalia Capital; Carlos Danel of Grupo Compartamos; Jorge Esteve of Grupo Esteve; Juan González Moreno of Gruma; Ángel Losada of Grupo Gigante; José Antonio Pérez Antón of Grupo ADO and Laura Zapata of Envases Universales.

THE FIVE WINNERS AND LOSERS OF THE MEXICAN STOCK EXCHANGE IN 2015 (EL FINANCIERO 16)

Despite the Mexican Stock Exchange’s main market indicator being hit by concerns over a hike in interest rates in the United States, the economic slowdown in China and the drop in the oil price to the tune of -0.3% in 2015, some issuers managed to return a profit of almost 70%. On this, the day prior to the end of the financial year, we can reveal that the five big winners of the Mexican Stock Exchange’s IPC Index were Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico with a profit of 66%; followed by Gruma, up 53%; then Alsea, up 45%; and finally Liverpool and Lala, both up 40%...

GRUMA CONTINUES ITS UPWARD TREND FOR ANOTHER YEAR (EL ECONOMISTA 18)

Having returned a profit of 54.5% so far this year, the share price of corn flour producer Gruma has continued on its upward trend to outperform the Mexican Stock Exchange’s IPC Index, a market indicator that includes 35 leading companies, which as of December 30 had slipped by 0.31%. According to data obtained from Economática, these results make the issuer the second best performing company included in the IPC Index, behind airport operator GAP... Since 2011, Gruma’s shares have enjoyed continued growth, with its best year being 2013, when its share price rose by 152.1%...