Inflation risks growing

Inflation is at, or close to, multi-year highs across Latin America which has prompted a slew of interest rate hikes across the region. We think that central banks in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Peru will continue their tightening cycles over the coming months, and that Colombia’s will soon join the club. However, in general, we expect that inflation across Latin America will fall in 2022 as temporary factors (base effects linked to fuel prices, re-opening effects, supply shortages) unwind, bringing tightening cycles to an end within a year or so. A key risk is if the current high rates of inflation cause expectations to drift higher, which may prompt central banks to press on the brakes more aggressively than we currently anticipate.