Latin America Economics Weekly Brazil GDP, Peru & Colombia elections, Cuba tensions Data due next Friday are likely to show that growth in Brazil's economy rebounded by 0.7% q/q in Q1. Coming alongside the recent rise in inflation, that raises the possibility that the BCB may opt for... 22nd May 2026 · 6 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Brazil inflation, COP drop, Venezuela’s restructuring The latest macro data keep the door open to monetary easing in Brazil, but a rise in energy prices or an escalation of the scandal involving presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro that weighs more... 15th May 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Copom rates, Brazil’s rare earths, fiscal developments With the latest indicators suggesting that Brazil's economy is holding up well and the labour market is still strong, we now expect the Selic rate to end this year at 13.25% (compared to 12.50%... 8th May 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Making sense of BanRep’s hold, Mexico’s export boom Colombia’s central bank (BanRep) defied expectations for another rate hike this week, opting to keep rates unchanged instead, which may raise concerns that the Board is taking President Petro’s... 1st May 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly USMCA, Kast’s fiscal plans, BCB to cut rates Comments from US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this week suggest seem to have dashed Mexico’s hopes of removing tariffs on autos, exports of which have been struggling. There are also... 24th April 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Peru’s messy election, Brazil’s “Terrabras” Peru's election results are still inconclusive five days after the vote. The scenario in which a far-left candidate (Roberto Sánchez) makes it to the presidential run-off vote, to be held in June... 17th April 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Strong trade data, inflation jump, Peru votes The early trade data for March suggests that Brazil's economy is, on net, benefitting from the energy price shock and that Chile's rising energy import bill is being offset by strong exports... 10th April 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Drama at Colombia’s central bank The decision by Colombia’s central bank to hike its policy rate by 100bp, to 11.25%, at Tuesday’s meeting has been overshadowed by Finance Minister Germán Ávila's withdrawal from the MPC due to... 2nd April 2026 · 6 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Few signs of fuel subsidies, the right on the rise Governments in Latin America, unlike those in other parts of the emerging world, have generally refrained from large fiscal measures to shield households and businesses from higher energy prices... 27th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Copom cuts, Venezuelan oil to the rescue? Brazil's central bank kicked off its easing cycle this week and, given how high real interest rates are, we think that it's one of the few EMs that has room to loosen policy further even if global... 20th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Terms of trade boost, Copom: 25bp vs 50bp As net energy exporters, most major Latin American economies benefit on net from the renewed leg up in oil prices. As thing stand, we don't think the inflationary impact will stop Brazil's central... 13th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly What the war in Iran means for Latin America Most major Latin American economies will see a terms-of-trade boost from the surge in energy prices due to the war in Iran. Most of the windfall will be saved, providing relief to fragile public... 6th March 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly New tariffs, Mexico’s World Cup fears, Brazil GDP Brazil has seen one of the largest falls in the tariff rate applied by the US after the Supreme Court over-turned IEEPA tariffs, but it's to unlikely to have a major impact on exports. For Mexico... 27th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Peru ousts another president, Colombia rebalancing? The ousting of Peru's President Jerí this week will have limited immediate economic implications given that Peru's balance sheet is strong. But political instability - which is unlikely to go away... 20th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Mexico’s core inflation worries, Colombia’s imbalances The rise in Mexican core inflation last month looks worrying on the face of it, but it was driven by excise duty hikes, which Banxico is likely to look through it. A 25bp interest rate cut at the... 13th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly China-Panama rupture, precious metals & Lat Am The Panamanian Supreme Court’s decision to annul the licences that allowed a Hong Kong based firm to operate in the Panama Canal has been met with a backlash from China. While it’s not clear if China... 6th February 2026 · 5 mins read