Latin America Economics Update Brazil: rate cuts to remain gradual, for now The decision by Brazil’s COPOM to cut the benchmark Selic interest rate by only 25bp (rather than 50bp), combined with a slightly less dovish accompanying statement than some had expected, reinforces... 20th October 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina: is Macri already a busted flush? The Argentine government’s recent upward revision to its 2017 budget deficit forecast has added to concerns that President Macri’s reform agenda is already starting to slow after less than a year in... 19th October 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil & Chile Consumer Prices (Sep.) The bigger-than-expected drop in Brazilian inflation in September should be enough to seal the deal on an interest rate cut at this month’s COPOM meeting. 7th October 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil Industrial Production (Aug.) The 3.8% m/m drop in Brazilian industrial production in August isn’t quite as bad as it seems at first sight. Around two-thirds of the fall was due to a drop in vehicle output, which was affected by a... 4th October 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update An anatomy of Brazil’s recession The depth of Brazil’s recession has been blamed on everything from lower global commodity prices and tightening domestic credit conditions to poor infrastructure and excessive red tape. But this... 29th September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Trump, the US election and the implications for Latin America Donald Trump’s performance in last night’s first US presidential election debate doesn’t appear to have done himself any favours, but his election in November is still a real possibility. This would... 27th September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil IPCA-15 (Sep. 16) Data to mid-September provide the first signs that Brazilian food inflation – which has been a source of recent concern for the central bank – is starting to ease. But while that could put an interest... 22nd September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Food inflation to fall in Brazil and Colombia, but rise in Mexico Food inflation should ease over the coming months in Brazil and Colombia, which will help to bring down the headline inflation rates in both countries. By contrast, in Mexico, we expect the lagged... 21st September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus What next for Brazil? Brazil’s economy is bottoming out and, while the recovery will be slow going, our 2017 GDP forecast is a bit above consensus. Inflation should ease and, although COPOM will move gradually in the first... 15th September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil Consumer Prices (Aug.) August’s inflation data are not going to provide any reassurance to Brazilian policymakers that now is the time to begin lowering interest rates. The headline inflation rate rose to a three-month high... 9th September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Troubled States only a small part of Brazil’s fiscal problems There is little doubt that the finances of Brazil’s State governments are in dire straits, but there is some confusion as to how this relates to the wider fiscal position. The key point is that the... 6th September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil & Mexico Manufacturing PMIs (Aug.) The fall in Brazil’s manufacturing PMI in August is disappointing, particularly coming on the back of consecutive increases in the previous two months. However, the decline was relatively modest and... 1st September 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil GDP (Q2) The bigger-than-expected 0.6% q/q drop in Brazil Q2 GDP was caused by another large fall in consumer spending. An improvement in investment should ensure that the economy returns to growth over the... 31st August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Rousseff’s removal will shift attention to fiscal reforms The vote by Brazil’s Senate to formally remove President Rousseff from office was a foregone conclusion and is unlikely to have a major impact on markets. Attention will now shift to the passage of... 31st August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Data Response Brazil IPCA-15 (Aug.) - 16 Brazil’s mid-month inflation data have tended to overestimate inflation over the full month recently but even so the latest rise, from 8.9% y/y to 9.0% y/y in mid-August, is likely to cause some alarm... 24th August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s CA deficit narrows, but more work to do elsewhere The further narrowing of Brazil’s current account deficit in June has significantly reduced the vulnerability of the country’s financial markets to external shocks. Elsewhere, however, there is still... 16th August 2016 · 1 min read
