Latin America Economics Update Easing cycle not over in Chile Interest rates in Chile were left unchanged last night at 3.00% and, although policymakers continued to signal the end of the easing cycle, we still think that it has a little further to run. With... 19th November 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Another interest rate cut still likely in Peru Interest rates in Peru were left unchanged at 3.50% last night but, with economic growth still weak and inflation likely to fall back into target in the coming months, we are comfortable with our... 14th November 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Returning presidents dent hopes for reform Dilma Rousseff’s triumph in last month’s Brazilian presidential election made it a hat-trick of victories for incumbents in Latin America this year. Meanwhile, in Uruguay the Frente Amplio party is on... 5th November 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: next move in interest rates could be down Interest rates in Colombia were left unchanged at 4.50% last night and with economic growth slowing and inflation unlikely to pose a problem for policymakers, further interest rate hikes now seem... 31st October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s central bank tries to claw back lost credibility The surprise decision by Brazil’s central bank to raise interest rates now, rather than waiting for Dilma Rousseff’s new government to take shape, is an early sign that tackling inflation could be... 30th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile’s economy slowed further in Q3 Data for September suggest that conditions in some parts of Chile’s economy – notably manufacturing – improved following a weak performance in August. But the bigger picture is that GDP growth appears... 29th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Dilma scrapes home, quashing hopes of policy shift in Brazil Dilma Rousseff's narrow victory in yesterday’s presidential run-off in Brazil has dented hopes that the elections might deliver much-need economic policy reforms. Growth in Ms. Rousseff’s first term... 27th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentine economy slumps following default Capital outflows following the Argentine government’s default probably contributed to the slump in economic activity in August, leaving the economy on course to contract by 1-2% this year. Unless the... 24th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Restructuring petro-loans won’t save Venezuela from default On the face of it, the Venezuelan government’s restructuring of petro-loans from China should boost foreign currency revenues and ease the economy’s severe dollar drought. But in reality, the deal... 23rd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil Election Watch: into the final straight The latest polls suggest that this weekend’s run-off in Brazil’s presidential election is still too close to call, which we suspect favours the incumbent, Dilma Rousseff, over the challenger, Aécio... 23rd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Equities suffer further losses, but currencies and bonds fare better Following last month’s broad sell-off in “risky” assets, in which financial markets in Latin America were hit across the board, the performance this month has been more mixed. While equities have... 22nd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Further interest rate cuts still likely in Chile Interest rates in Chile were cut by 25bp to 3.00% last night and, although the accompanying statement suggests that we may be nearing the end of the easing cycle, we expect further cuts over the next... 17th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Assessing the impact of lower oil prices on Latin America The biggest loser from the drop in oil prices within Latin America will be Venezuela and, although the government may make its debt servicing obligations this month, a default seems more likely than... 16th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil's economy probably stagnated in Q3 Activity data for August contain some evidence that conditions in Brazil’s beleaguered economy may have started to improve. But as things stand it seems the best we can hope for is that GDP in the... 16th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lower commodity prices and what they mean for Lat Am Fresh falls in global commodity prices in recent weeks have stoked concerns about how Latin America will fare as the tailwinds from the global commodities boom fade. The short point is that regional... 13th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update More interest rate cuts to come in Peru Interest rates in Peru were left unchanged at 3.50% last night but with economic growth still weak and inflation likely to remain within target over the coming months, we are comfortable with our... 10th October 2014 · 1 min read
