Latin America Economics Update Copom opts for smaller hike, but keeps hawkish stance Brazil’s central bank slowed the pace of its hiking cycle with a 100bp hike (to 11.75%) yesterday, but the hawkish tone of the statement suggests that Copom is more concerned about the coming jump in... 17th March 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Chile: Three key challenges facing President Boric Chile’s newly-inaugurated President Boric is inheriting a slowing economy which is likely to slip into a recession this year. But his government will still have to push through significant fiscal... 15th March 2022 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Update New forecasts for Lat Am inflation & rates We estimate that the impact of higher fuel, food and potentially goods prices triggered by the war in Ukraine will add roughly 1.0%-pt to headline inflation rates across major Latin American economies... 10th March 2022 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Why Argentina’s IMF deal is on shaky ground Argentina’s government reached a fresh IMF deal which, assuming it passes through Congress, will lead to a gradual shift towards more market-friendly policies. However, many of the economic... 8th March 2022 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Oil rally to help Colombia’s twin deficits The recent surge in oil prices means that Colombia’s twin current account and budget deficits are unlikely to be a major concern over the next couple of quarters. However, it will still require a... 3rd March 2022 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Signs of life in Venezuela’s oil sector Oil production in Venezuela has been showing signs of life, and there is probably scope for further gains in the near term. But it would require a lifting of sanctions and significant investment over... 21st February 2022 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Update High oil prices more harm than good for Lat Am Persistently high oil prices would bode ill for current account positions in much of Latin America, adding to the existing vulnerabilities in Chile. It would also keep inflation elevated, leading to... 16th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Banxico: New Governor, same script The second successive 50bp hike by Mexico’s central bank (to 6.00%), in another 4-1 split on the Board, suggests that it is maintaining its hawkish stance under the new Governor Victoria Rodríguez... 11th February 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Less to Brazil’s investment boom than meets the eye Fixed investment in Brazil rose at one of its fastest rates in the last 50 years in 2021 which, while a positive development, was driven by factors that are unlikely to be sustained. Fixed investment... 10th February 2022 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Copom nears the end of the cycle but still hawkish The statement accompanying the Brazilian central bank meeting yesterday, at which the Selic rate was hiked by 150bp to 10.75%, made clear that policymakers will slow the pace of tightening from here... 3rd February 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico: few signs of green shoots After slipping into a technical recession at the back end of 2021, the latest surveys suggest that Mexico’s economy remains in a weak spot at the start of 2022 owing to Omicron-related disruption. 2nd February 2022 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Nudging up our Colombia rate forecast The surprisingly hawkish shift on Colombia’s central bank board at Friday’s meeting, when the policy rate was increased by 100bp to 4.00%, suggests that the tightening cycle will be more aggressive... 31st January 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina agrees to new IMF deal The announcement by Argentine President Fernández that the government has reached a new agreement with the IMF, the 22nd in their history, will give some relief to international bondholders in the... 28th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Chile’s central bank not waiting around The decision by Chile’s central bank to deliver a surprisingly large 150bp rate hike yesterday, to 5.50%, supports our view that the tightening cycle will go further than the path it had previously... 27th January 2022 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina & the IMF: deal or no deal? Although the Argentine government and the IMF do not fully see eye-to-eye, there have been signs of progress in negotiations and we think it’s most likely that they will sign a fresh agreement within... 12th January 2022 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Latin America: five key calls for 2022 We think that Latin American GDP growth will slow by more than most expect in 2022, while inflation will also drop more a bit more quickly than the consensus anticipates. This feeds into our... 10th January 2022 · 4 mins read
