Latin America Economics Weekly Petro spooks investors (once again), Brazil’s fiscal rule In Colombia, President Petro’s healthcare reform unveiled this week reinforces our concerns about a worsening public debt trajectory and more interventionist policymaking, and caused the peso to fall... 17th February 2023 · 6 mins read
Global Markets Update We expect equities in Brazil to continue to struggle We expect MSCI’s Brazil Index to drop over the next couple of quarters in local-currency terms, before it begins to recover towards the end of this year. 17th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Hawks still rule the roost, BCB threats This week’s larger-than-expected interest rate hike in Mexico alongside comments from central bank officials elsewhere suggest that worries about strong underlying price pressures are putting... 10th February 2023 · 6 mins read
Latin America Data Response Brazil & Mexico CPI (Jan.) Mexico’s headline inflation rate edged up to 7.9% y/y in January, setting the scene for Banxico to raise interest rates by 25bp, to 10.75%, later today. We think that this will mark the end of the... 9th February 2023 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Lula and the threat to the BCB’s independence Brazil’s president Lula seems to be on the warpath in his quest for lower interest rates and now has the central bank’s (BCB’s) independence in his sights. Were Lula to get his way, the experience... 8th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s BNDES: new leader, old problems The newly-appointed head of the Brazilian development bank, BNDES, takes charge today and is likely to be under pressure to increase lending. But the experience from the 2000s suggests that credit... 6th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Weak survey data, inflation concerns, rate forecasts The batch of survey data for January released this made for pretty depressing reading and reinforces our view that, despite the boost from commodities, regional growth will slow sharply this year... 3rd February 2023 · 7 mins read
Latin America Data Response Brazil Industrial Production (Dec.) The stagnation in Brazilian industrial production in December is consistent with a 0.5% q/q fall in output over Q4 as whole, indicating that the sector was a drag on the economy. And the early signs... 3rd February 2023 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Lula’s hopes for a higher inflation target would backfire The suggestion by Brazil’s President Lula that the central bank’s inflation target should be raised is likely to be a bigger concern for the second half of his presidential term (2025-26) than the... 2nd February 2023 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM banks well placed to face rising loan losses EM banks will face an increase in loan losses this year, but the good news is that banking sectors on the whole appear well-placed to absorb these, particularly in parts of Latin America, Emerging... 2nd February 2023 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: Copom casts doubt on 2023 rate cuts The statement accompanying yesterday’s Brazilian central bank meeting, at which the Selic rate was left at 13.75%, hinted that interest rates may need to stay at their current high level into next... 2nd February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Focus Brazil’s rapid wage growth flying under the radar The slowdown that we expect in Brazil’s economy should take some steam out of the labour market, but it looks like it won’t be enough to stop wages from rising at a rapid pace. This appears to be a... 1st February 2023 · 12 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Common currency, new FX forecasts, Bolivia’s lithium Argentina and Brazil’s plan to establish a common unit of account to increase bilateral trade and reduce their dependence on the dollar misdiagnoses the main impediments to both goals. Elsewhere... 27th January 2023 · 8 mins read
Latin America Data Response Brazil & Mexico Bi-Weekly CPI (Jan.) The small rise in Mexico’s headline inflation rate, to 7.9% y/y, in the first two weeks of January means that there is a growing risk that Banxico delivers a bit more tightening beyond the 25bp... 24th January 2023 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Weekly Brazil’s hot labour market, Argentine bonds Expectations for inflation and interest rates in Brazil have shifted up on the back of Lula’s fiscal plans, but an equally (if not more) concerning development on this front is the surge in wage... 20th January 2023 · 8 mins read
Commodities Update Lula unlikely to herald new era for biofuels The election of left-wing candidate Lula for a third term as Brazil’s president is unlikely to accelerate Petrobras’ sluggish shift towards large scale biofuel production. We expect proposed oil... 18th January 2023 · 4 mins read