Mexico foreign investment up 39.2 pct in 1st half

Foreign direct investment in Mexico was $13.244 billion in the first half of the year, up 39.2 percent from the same period in 2006, the government said on Tuesday.

The government also increased its estimate for foreign direct investment over the whole of 2007 to $23 billion from $18.3 billion.

The government's previously estimated investment had 2007 foreign direct investment slowing slightly from the $19 billion that investors sank into Mexico last year, when the economy was growing at a faster pace.

Mexico's economy is seen growing about 3.6 percent this year, down from 4.8 percent in 2006.