Latin America Economics Update Chile still on track to lower interest rates this year Chile’s central bank (BCC) held its interest rate at 5% last night, in spite of weaker growth and inflation data which had led some analysts (including ourselves) to forecast a cut. Going forward... 14th June 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile: prospect of rate cuts to keep peso under pressure The Chilean peso recently weakened to over 500/US$ and, with support for rate cuts within the central bank growing, we expect it to fall to around 520/US$ by year-end. Meanwhile, Brazil’s decision to... 5th June 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Slower growth to become the new norm Economic growth across Latin America was weaker than expected in Q1. We estimate that regional GDP increased by about 2.2% y/y, down from 2.8% y/y in Q4 of last year – the slowest pace since 2009... 31st May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Latin American equities underperform The recent weakness of Latin American stock markets has continued unabated in May, with returns well below those of developed and emerging market equity benchmarks. Going forward, we expect stocks to... 30th May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Hidden vulnerabilities Latin American GDP growth slowed to its lowest rate since 2009 in the first quarter of this year and, while we expect to see a gradual recovery over the coming quarters, mounting vulnerabilities will... 22nd May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chilean GDP growth moderates in Q1 Chile’s economy stumbled in Q1 as investment spending slipped back from the robust rates of the past few quarters. With copper prices now falling and credit conditions tightening, GDP growth is likely... 20th May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile prepares the ground for rate cuts later in the year The Central Bank of Chile (BCC) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.0% last night, however the accompanying statement was a little more dovish in tone than in recent months. We continue to... 17th May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Can we trust Chile's inflation data? There appears to be some truth to claims that discrepancies in Chile’s consumer price data have lowered inflation artificially. Even so, the overall impact on headline CPI has been relatively small... 2nd May 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Growth softens The past month has brought further signs that the recovery in economic growth in Latin America that began in mid-2012 is now running into headwinds. Admittedly, calendar effects have probably... 30th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mining stocks take a hit Latin American equities have mostly sold off over the past month, compounding an already weak start to the year. Hardest hit have been the large mining firms based in the Andes, many of whom appear to... 29th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update What do lower copper prices mean for Chile? The recent falls in global copper prices add further weight to our belief that GDP growth in Chile will be slower than most expect this year. Even so, this is unlikely to be a disaster for the economy... 26th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Region increasingly vulnerable to lower commodity prices The slump in commodity markets last week has raised questions over how exposed Latin America is to a period of lower prices. While the risks vary from country-to-country, the bigger picture is that... 22nd April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update China's slowdown: who is most vulnerable? The past week has seen renewed concern that a slowdown in China will drag on growth in the rest of the emerging world, including Latin America. We think these concerns are justified. But while Latin... 18th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico reform programme takes shape The Mexican economy has slowed since the start of the year, taking some of the shine off of one of Latin America’s more positive growth stories. Nonetheless, we expect the economy to rebound later... 16th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile, Peru to extend long pause on interest rates The central banks of Chile and Peru left their respective policy rates unchanged last night and offered little to suggest that a near-term rate move is on the cards. In the case of Chile, though, it... 12th April 2013 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Domestic demand offsets external weakness Growth in Latin America has continued to rebound in recent months. But while the economy is on course to expand by about 3% y/y in Q1, the pace of growth remains far below the 5-6% y/y rates that were... 27th March 2013 · 1 min read
