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 Update Brazil pivots towards rare earth nationalism A bill approved by Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies this week tackles some of the key impediments to (currently minimal) rare earths extraction. However, the bill gives the government significant control... 7th May 2026 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: early thoughts on Lula vs. Bolsonaro Brazil’s presidential election on 4th October is shaping up to be a close race between President Lula and right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro. While Bolsonaro would likely take a tougher stance on... 6th May 2026 · 4 mins read
Latin America Rapid Response Brazil Interest Rate Announcement (Apr. 2026) The decision by Brazil’s central bank to cut interest rates by another 25bp today, to 14.50%, was accompanied by a large upward revision to its inflation forecast but no suggestion in the... 29th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Latin America Rapid Response Brazil IPCA-15 (Apr. 2026) The jump in inflation in Brazil to 4.4% y/y in the first half of April shouldn’t prevent Copom from cutting its policy rate by another 25bp, to 14.50%, at tomorrow’s meeting. 28th April 2026 · 2 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 Chart Pack Latin America Chart Pack (Apr. 2026) Our Latin America Economics Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. Many major Latin American economies have received a terms-of-trade boost from the... 16th April 2026 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update High energy prices a double-edged sword Latin America as a whole is a net beneficiary from higher energy prices, but the terms of trade boost is limited (or in Mexico’s case more than offset) by a lack of domestic refining capacity. The... 13th 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 Rapid Response Brazil IPCA (Mar. 2026) The rise in Brazilian inflation, to 4.1% y/y in March, was driven almost entirely by the energy shock feeding through to transport inflation; underlying price pressures eased last month. If the fall... 10th April 2026 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: rising NPLs will keep credit conditions tight The rise in Brazil’s non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to its highest level in over a decade doesn’t appear to be a threat to financial stability. But it is symptomatic of very high interest rates and... 1st April 2026 · 3 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 Rapid Response Brazil IPCA-15 (Mar. 2026) The fall in inflation in Brazil to 3.9% y/y in the first half of March is likely to be temporary amid the rise in global energy prices, but we think it would take a much larger energy shock to derail... 26th March 2026 · 2 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 Rapid Response Brazil Interest Rate Announcement (Mar. 2026) The scale of further interest rate cuts in Brazil – following Copom’s 25bp cut (to 14.75%) to start the easing cycle today – will hinge on the duration and intensity of the energy shock. But the sheer... 18th March 2026 · 2 mins read
