Latin America Economics Update Chile: central bank may pause before cutting rates again Signs that Chile’s economy regained some momentum heading into 2012 should prompt the central bank (CBC) to keep rates on hold at this month’s meeting. Nevertheless, if the bright start to the year in... 8th February 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile’s two-speed economy likely to struggle in 2012 Growing imbalances in the drivers of Chilean growth leave the economy vulnerable to a deterioration of its terms of trade, particularly via falling metals prices, over the year ahead. With this in... 30th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack A flying start, but can it last? Financial markets in Latin America have made a flying start to 2012 following a recovery in global risk appetite and an improvement in the incoming economic data. Nonetheless, we would caution against... 26th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Savings hold the key to dealing with falling commodity prices The recent rebound in commodity prices has eased concerns about growth outlook for Latin America. But the key point remains that the windfall from high prices has been spent, rather than saved... 26th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Will China pull the rug from under Latin America? This is the first edition of our new monthly publication Latin America Watch. This will analyse major talking points in the region and preview key data and events. In this issue we look at the impact... 19th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile cuts interest rates as growth cools The Central Bank of Chile (CBC) trimmed its benchmark interest rate by 25bps to 5.0% last night following recent signs of a slowdown in growth. By contrast, Peru’s strong consumer activity and rising... 13th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil meets inflation target by the skin of its teeth Perhaps a little against the odds, the Brazilian Central Bank (BCB) just about met its inflation target last year as headline inflation slowed to 6.5% in December. Although it may be sticky, inflation... 6th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile to cut rates as economic activity cools A minor upturn in Chile’s November economic activity does little to alter the overall trend towards slower growth heading into 2012. With external demand set to deteriorate further over the course of... 5th January 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Policy set to ease across the region in 2012 Growth concerns will increasingly dominate Latin American policymakers’ agendas as we move into 2012. With many of the world’s advanced economies headed towards recession, and China’s economy... 20th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Growth concerns to dominate in first half of 2012 The past month has brought yet more evidence that Brazil’s economy has come rapidly off the boil. Indeed, it seems likely that the country may now, in technical terms at least, be in recession. For... 15th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile: next in the region to commence rate cuts? Chile’s central bank (CBC) kept interest rates at 5.25% last night. With the euro-zone debt crisis set to escalate in 2012, the CBC could be the next central bank in Latin America to commence rate... 14th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update How would a crisis in Europe hit Latin American banks? 8th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lat Am equities to disappoint in 2012, outperform in 2013 In light of our revised assumption on the timing of the euro-zone break-up, we have revised our equity markets forecasts. We think that all of the region’s markets will fall next year, and expect them... 7th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Slowing growth in Chile bolsters the case for rate cuts Recent indicators suggest that the pace of growth in Chile has continued to slow in Q4 as external demand weakens. There is probably now a 50/50 chance of a rate cut in December but, either way... 5th December 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Better placed, but not immune The past month has brought further signs that growth in Latin America has started to slow in response to the deepening crisis in the euro-zone, the turmoil in world markets and weaker demand from... 28th November 2011 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Room for manoeuvre The deepening crisis in the euro-zone, coupled with fears of a slowdown in China, has meant that concerns about overheating in Latin America’s major economies have quickly given way to worries over... 21st November 2011 · 1 min read
