Latin America Economics Update Will Mexico hike interest rates? A series of hawkish comments from Mexican policymakers has fuelled speculation that the central bank may finally be on the cusp of hiking interest rates – having kept them at record lows for the best... 31st October 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Currency concerns start to resurface The strength of local currencies is once again starting to trouble policymakers across Latin America. But while there has been a tendency to blame exchange rate appreciation on a third round of... 24th October 2012 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update How reliant are EM governments on high commodity prices? A sharp decline in commodity prices would cause the public finances to deteriorate in many emerging market countries, with the loss of revenues greatest in the Middle East and parts of Africa. However... 16th October 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil's housing market: slowing but not stalling The surge in Brazilian property prices seen over the past few years appears to be slowing, but the housing market still looks significantly overvalued – perhaps by as much as 30-50%. In this month’s... 9th October 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Labour market reforms to help Mexican industry to outperform The announcement of labour market reforms in Mexico is a step in the right direction and should help to raise productivity growth over the coming years. That, along with Mexico’s already strong... 5th October 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus How far has the inflation outlook deteriorated? As things stand, the spike in global food prices since early June is likely to push up annual inflation in Latin America by around 0.5-1.0%-pts over the next six months or so. But while this is likely... 3rd October 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Stimulus starting to take hold in Brazil There are signs that policy stimulus is starting to take hold in Brazil. Retail sales are growing, car sales hit a record high in August and even output in the beleaguered industrial sector has... 27th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico hedges its bets, again The Mexican government’s decision to hedge its oil revenues for next year will keep the fiscal position on a stable footing in the near-term. Nonetheless, a heavy reliance on oil revenues casts doubt... 27th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexican credit growth to support outperformance In contrast to much of Latin America, which has undergone a credit-fuelled boom in recent years, bank lending in Mexico has been more restrained. As a result, while many countries in the region are... 25th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update A closer look at regional growth 2012 has been a year of mixed fortunes for Latin America’s largest economies. In Chile and Peru, growth has bounced back following a minor wobble in late 2011 and both countries are currently... 13th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexican industry set to slow by year-end Mexican industry remains in good shape for now, but forward looking indicators suggest that activity is likely to slow towards the end of the year. This supports our view that GDP growth will slow... 4th September 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Persistent imbalances in the drivers of growth Growth is still unbalanced in many parts of Latin America. The resilience of domestic demand against a weak global backdrop has helped to bolster service sector activity, even as local industry... 30th August 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexican economy heading for a softer patch The Mexican economy slowed in the second quarter of this year, and growth is likely to ease further over the next 6-12 months as the external environment deteriorates. Even so, in relative terms at... 16th August 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: don’t bank on a rapid rebound The rapid turnaround in fortunes for Brazil’s economy has provoked much head-scratching from policymakers and investors alike. We think the key point is that the slowdown in growth owes as much to... 13th August 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus First thoughts on the Mexican election results The dust has yet to settle on the Mexican general election and so it is probably too soon to draw any firm conclusions as to what the outcome will mean for policymaking. That said, the early signs... 9th August 2012 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Mexican interest rates more likely to fall than rise The Mexican Central Bank (BANXICO) left interest rates on hold at 4.5% this afternoon. Strong economic growth and a recent pick-up in inflation mean that the three-year pause may last a while longer... 20th July 2012 · 1 min read
