News and AnalysIs for

Labor productivity across Latin America has stagnated for decades, widening the region’s gap with developed economies, according to a new Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report titled “Making Labor Markets Work: Improving Productivity and Worker Well-Being in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Gran Tierra reported second-quarter 2026 net income of US$25 million, a sharp swing from a US$119 million net loss in Q1, on total production of 41,501 boed and Adjusted EBITDA of US$85 million.

Cerro Matoso, Colombia’s ferronickel producer in Córdoba, cut its operations 50% indefinitely as of August 4, after Canacol Energy continued restricting gas deliveries to below 4,000 MBTUD — less than a quarter of the contracted volume.

An extensive El Espectador retrospective, drawing on interviews with more than 10 sector figures, delivers a mixed verdict on the outgoing Petro government’s hydrocarbons record – industry groups call it negative, while the government points to democratic legitimacy for its choices.

GeoPark reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of US$143.3 million, up 12% from US$128.4 million in the first quarter, on stable consolidated production of 27,271 boepd and a combined realized oil price of US$67.20/boe, up from US$60.4/boe in 1Q2026 as Brent averaged US$96.9/bbl.

Gran Tierra Energy has agreed to sell its entire Colombia and Ecuador oil business – all of its South American assets – to Établissements Maurel & Prom, a Paris-listed operator majority owned by Indonesia’s Pertamina, for total consideration of US$1.33 billion.

Ricardo Roa’s July 30 exit from Ecopetrol’s presidency has triggered a wider reorganization moving beyond the parent company into its subsidiary boards and legal ranks.

Aval Asset Management raised its price target for Ecopetrol shares to CoP$2,950, a 27% increase over its prior valuation, though the firm maintains a neutral rating given ongoing operational and financial challenges.

An El Heraldo feature gathering multiple sector experts makes the case that Ecopetrol’s decline under the outgoing government reflects deliberate policy choices, not just market conditions: 13 consecutive quarters of falling profits, crude production down 2.7% to 725,200 bd, and a leadership scandal involving outgoing president Ricardo Roa.

The collaboration agreement between Ecopetrol and Parex Resources for joint development of the Casabe, Casabe Sur, Peñas Blancas, and Llanito fields in the Magdalena Medio took effect July 30^th, after satisfying all suspensive conditions including approval from the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC).