Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim speaks during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has not be selling stock in the New York Times Co NYT.N, Slim's son-in-law and main spokesman, Arturo Elias Ayub, said on Friday after the newspaper's stock slid on comments made by Slim during a media conference.

Elias Ayub told Reuters “it was just a saying” and that Slim was not selling the stock in the paper.