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Rise in inflation puts the final nail in the coffin for a May rate cut The rise in Mexico’s headline inflation rate to 4.6% y/y in the first half of April, coming alongside the delay to rate cuts in the US (and fall in the peso), mean that Banxico is all …
24th April 2024
Activity in the region picked up in Q1 and we expect this to continue in the coming quarters. But growth over the year as a whole will fall short of consensus expectations. The disinflation process is entering a slower phase and the delay in rate cuts …
The better-than-expected budget figures out of Argentina at the start of the year are undoubtedly good news and show that the fiscal adjustment is happening more quickly than we’d expected. That said, many of the factors that have helped to flip the …
23rd April 2024
Currency falls another headache for central banks The reassessment of interest rate expectations in the US combined with tensions in the Middle East has put substantial downward pressure on EM currencies this week, with some in Latin America hit …
19th April 2024
Investors are no longer pricing in a 50bp interest rate cut at the Brazilian central bank meeting next month, despite the forward guidance at the March meeting signalling such a move. While we think it’s too early to throw in the towel on a 50bp cut, a …
18th April 2024
We think the headwinds driving the depreciation of the Chilean peso against the US dollar have largely run their course. We expect the Chilean peso to recover some ground by the end of the year. The Chilean peso has underperformed almost all other major …
The latest polls ahead of Mexico’s election on 2 nd June suggest that Claudia Sheinbaum, protégée of incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Amlo), is likely to become the country’s next leader. She’s widely expected to continue with Amlo’s …
17th April 2024
Concerns about escalating tensions in the Middle East and the impact on global oil supplies increase the likelihood that the US will renew its sanctions waiver on Venezuela when the current one expires on Thursday. A rise in key oil exports would help the …
16th April 2024
Underlying inflation still a cause for concern The common theme from the March CPI data released this week was that headline inflation surprised to the downside in the region’s major economies. But markets and central banks have paid just as much – if not …
12th April 2024
Underlying services prices still providing cause for concern The slightly softer-than-expected Brazilian inflation figure for March of 3.9% y/y keeps the door open to 50bp interest rate cuts at the Copom meetings both next month and in June. But with …
10th April 2024
Media reports that Brazil’s government is already seeking to water down the latest fiscal rule (which has been in place for less than a year) reinforces the point we made when the rule was first unveiled that the Lula administration would be unable to hit …
9th April 2024
Further rise in core services inflation shifts odds in favour of a hold Mexico’s headline inflation rate held steady at 4.4% y/y in March, but the further rise in core services inflation to a 10-month high last month adds weight to our view that Banxico …
Downside inflation surprise keeps 75bp cut on the table The larger-than-expected fall in Chile’s inflation to 3.7% y/y in March has increased the chances of the central bank delivering another 75bp cut at its next meeting in May, although we still think …
8th April 2024
Banxico: hawks still rule the roost The hawkish tone of the minutes to Banxico’s March meeting, at which it kicked off its easing cycle with a 25bp cut, adds weight to our view that the easing cycle will be very gradual. We already knew that one member …
5th April 2024
The more cautious tone of the Monetary Policy Report released by Chile’s central bank today confirms that policymakers have been spooked by the inflation surprises at the start of the year and has prompted us to nudge up our year-end rate forecast to …
3rd April 2024
Brazil: Copom signals it will tread more cautiously The minutes to the Brazilian central bank’s meeting last week (at which it cut the Selic rate by 50bp, to 10.75%, as expected) confirmed our view that Copom will soon start to slow the pace of easing. …
28th March 2024
Overview – Activity in the region slowed to a crawl at the end of last year and, while a recovery will take hold in the coming quarters, growth will fall short of consensus expectations. The disinflation process has largely run its course and the strength …
26th March 2024
Argentina: another strong budget outturn Coming hot off the heels of last week’s successful debt swap, there was further good fiscal news in Argentina this week. Budget data showed another large primary surplus in February (albeit smaller than January’s …
22nd March 2024
Easing cycle begins but rate cuts to be slow going Mexico’s central bank finally embarked on an easing cycle today, lowering its policy rate by 25bp to 11.00%, but the fact that the vote was split and that Banxico didn’t commit to further rate cuts …
21st March 2024
Copom points to smaller cuts ahead The Brazilian central bank’s 50bp cut in the Selic rate to 10.75% today was never in doubt, but the change in the forward guidance supports our view that the easing cycle will slow to 25bp cuts soon (probably at the June …
20th March 2024
We hosted a 25-minute online briefing on Wednesday 27 th March to discuss EM financial risks in more detail. Watch the recording here . The past few years have sharpened investors’ focus on assessing risks and vulnerabilities across the EM world. We have …
Weak end to 2023, but better start to 2024 The 0.1% q/q rise in Chilean GDP confirms that the economy had a stop-start recovery over the course of last year, but we think that it will make more solid gains over the course of 2024. Our growth forecast for …
18th March 2024
A good and bad week for Milei There was renewed optimism about Argentine president Javier Milei’s economic plans earlier this week. The government secured a successful swap of local currency debt (equal to about $50bn), extending the maturity profile of …
15th March 2024
Our latest Latin America Chart Pack is embedded below. Activity in the region slowed to a crawl at the end of last year and, while a recovery will take hold in the coming quarters, growth will disappoint consensus expectations. The disinflation process …
13th March 2024
The impact of a second Trump presidency on Mexico’s economy would depend to a large extent on whether the USMCA deal remains intact or Mexico finds itself subject to US import tariffs. If the latter, Mexico would be one of the most affected EMs. And even …
12th March 2024
Core inflation strength will worry Copom The Brazilian inflation data for February, which showed that the headline rate held steady at 4.5%, provided further evidence that underlying inflation pressures remain strong. This supports our view that interest …
Sheinbaum’s policy platform to hit fiscal realities Claudia Sheinbaum, the frontrunner to become Mexico’s next president, revealed her policy plans over the past week which, as expected, are aimed at building on President López Obrador’s legacy. But her …
8th March 2024
Inflation drops, Banxico on course for rate cut this month The drop back in Mexico’s headline inflation rate to 4.4% y/y in February, alongside the weakness of the latest activity data, leaves Banxico on course to cut interest rates at its next Board …
7th March 2024
The sharp narrowing in Colombia’s current account deficit last year to its lowest level since the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis looks encouraging, but it was entirely a result of the weakness of domestic demand. As the economy recovers, the …
4th March 2024
Mexico election campaign officially kicks off Today is the first official day of campaigning for Mexico’s election that takes place on 2 nd June. President López Obrador (Amlo) is barred from running but his anointed successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, is well …
1st March 2024
Consumer resilience comes to an end The stagnation in Brazil’s GDP in Q4 and the decline in household consumption confirmed that the economy lost momentum sharply and, while we expect a pick-up in growth in the coming quarters, we’re now more confident in …
Mexico’s President López Obrador’s cloak of fiscal prudence is being shed this year as Morena tries to bolster its support ahead of June’s election. As some of the factors supportive of the public finances in recent years also fade, the debt-to-GDP ratio …
27th February 2024
Further signs that underlying inflation isn’t easing The breakdown of Brazil’s February mid-month inflation reading of 4.5% y/y showed that core services inflation remained elevated. And while further 50bp cuts in the Selic rate next month (to 10.75%) and …
Venezuela’s inflation plunge In our last Weekly , we flagged Argentina’s inflation problem and the risk that things could get worse before they get better. Data out this week showed that Venezuela may be coming out at the other end of the tunnel. Headline …
23rd February 2024
The latest monthly activity data suggest that Mexico and Brazil ended 2023 on a weak note, a trend we expect to continue this year. But we think the Andean economies are on track to stage a recovery. The big falls in inflation in the region are behind us …
22nd February 2024
Inflation drops back, March rate cut in play The drop back in Mexico’s headline inflation rate to 4.5% y/y in the first half of February leaves Banxico on course to begin an easing cycle at March’s Board meeting. That said, the rise in core services …
Headline inflation in Brazil has declined in recent months, but a deeper dig into the data shows that underlying price pressures are starting to build again. Although another 50bp cut in the Selic rate at the next central bank meeting in March is nailed …
20th February 2024
Can Milei tame inflation? The jump in inflation in Argentina to 254% y/y in January underscores the scale of the challenge the Milei administration faces stabilising the economy. The rise (from 211% y/y in December) reflected the full impact of the 50%+ …
16th February 2024
Weak end to 2023 The stagnation in Colombia’s GDP in Q4 confirmed that the economy remained very weak at the end of last year and we think the recovery this year will be slower than most anticipate. At the margin, the weakness of the latest activity …
15th February 2024
Argentine President Javier Milei’s ambitious economic reform plans have quickly run into political obstacles. There’s still plenty of fiscal tightening that Milei is likely to undertake and there have been some areas of success such as the peso …
Moody’s downgrade of Pemex at the end of last week reinforces the view we set out last year that the next government in Mexico will prove to be less supportive of the troubled state energy company. Ultimately, we think this will force Pemex to seek a …
12th February 2024
Brazil: the hawkish case builds This week’s release of the minutes to the latest Copom meeting, January CPI figures and December budget data support our view that Brazil’s central bank will lower interest rates by less than most expect this year. The …
9th February 2024
Rates on hold, Banxico to stay cautious even once easing cycle begins Mexico’s central bank left interest rates unchanged at 11.25% again today but the accompanying statement further opened the door to the start of an easing cycle, probably at the next …
8th February 2024
Mexican inflation drops, but Banxico to hold firm later today The jump in Mexico’s headline inflation rate to 4.9% in January means Banxico won’t feel comfortable enough yet to start an easing cycle at the Board meeting later today. Elsewhere, the further …
The large rise in the Brazilian government’s budget deficit, to 8.9% of GDP, over 2023 as a whole should partially reverse this year. But the key point is that the underlying sovereign debt dynamics are worsening. And unless the government pulls out all …
7th February 2024
Chile is frequently identified as one of the main beneficiaries of global efforts to put economies on a greener footing, but we doubt that the country will reap the full benefits of this trend. Chile is likely to struggle to substantially raise copper and …
6th February 2024
Milei’s shock therapy plan suffers another blow As expected, the IMF Board signed off on the seventh review of Argentina’s $44bn programme this week. This gives the country access to the next loan tranche of $4.7bn to support “authorities’ upfront policy …
2nd February 2024
Inflation in Mexico has dropped back over the past year but rapid wage growth continues to fuel strong underlying price pressures and means that the headline rate won’t return to Banxico’s 2-4% tolerance band until late-2024. Coming alongside pushback …
1st February 2024
While Latin American central banks seemed to act in unison when raising interest rates (albeit with Brazil a bit ahead of the pack), the raft of interest rate decisions in the region yesterday highlighted that, on the way down, policymakers have very …
Panama’s time as a Latin American growth star is set to come to an end this year. This will have a knock-on effect on the government’s revenues and means that the public debt ratio is set to rise further. That could put Panama’s coveted investment grade …
31st January 2024
