Latin America Economics Update Why Brazil’s real could hold on to its recent gains Given the extent of its rally over the past couple of months it’s difficult to make the case that the Brazilian real will now strengthen much further from here. But by the same token, we think there... 11th August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Few signs of financial stress as credit bubbles deflate Our latest Banking Heat Map shows that Latin America’s credit bubbles are gradually deflating and so far this does not appear to have triggered widespread problems in the region’s banking sectors. Non... 4th August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: the economic impact of the 2016 Olympic Games Despite hopes to the contrary, the Rio Games are unlikely to provide much of a boost to Brazil’s economy. We expect the country’s recession to ease further over the coming quarters, but this has... 1st August 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lat Am equities up despite softer commodities Equities in Latin America have outperformed those in the developed and wider emerging world so far this month, despite another dip in the prices of some global commodities. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s... 28th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Is a debt problem brewing in Mexico? In contrast to the prevailing view that tight credit conditions have been a constraint on Mexican growth, the debt ratio has actually increased at a reasonably sharp pace over the past five years... 25th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Rising inflation will push Colombia into further rate hikes Upside risks to Colombian inflation over the next few months mean that we now expect the central bank to raise interest rates by 25bp this month, to 7.75%, with a further hike in August likely... 20th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile & Peru hold interest rates, but hikes on the horizon The decisions by the Chilean and Peruvian central banks to leave monetary policy unchanged didn’t come as a surprise as, for now, the inflation picture in both economies is improving. But with... 15th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: Peace deal will improve medium-term outlook The likely signing of a final peace agreement between the Colombian government and the country’s largest insurgent group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), will be an historic... 14th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil inflation set to fall but interest rate cuts to be gradual We expect inflation in Brazil to fall back over the next year but, despite a recent repricing, the centralbank may still not cut interest rates as quickly as the markets expect. 7th July 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update New Argentine GDP data look plausible…but point to recession Argentina’s statistics office has finally released a new GDP series based on a revised methodology and the good news is that it seems to paint a more accurate picture of economic activity on the... 30th June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Markets recover after Brexit jolt Equities and currencies across Latin America tumbled alongside global markets in the immediate aftermath of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, but have since recovered some (and in a few cases... 29th June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update $50pb oil still leaves Venezuela in deep trouble The recovery in global oil prices, coupled with a possible restructuring of debt repayments to China will help to ease some of the pressure on Venezuela’s economy but does not alter the bigger picture... 23rd June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Macri makes inroads into Argentina’s deficit but more work to do Revamped data released by Argentina’s Finance Ministry show that the primary fiscal deficit narrowed significantly in Q1. However, further cuts will be needed to stabilise the public debt ratio and... 17th June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update First reflections on Temer’s first month Michel Temer’s first month as interim president of Brazil has been a mix of the good (eye-catching economic reforms) and the bad (three members of government, including the transparency minister, have... 15th June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru’s election confirms continuation of market-friendly policy Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s (PPK) victory in Peru’s presidential election is likely to mean the continuation of the current government’s market-friendly economic policy. While there is a risk that his... 13th June 2016 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Counting the cost of Brazil’s credit binge Non-performing loans in Brazil will climb higher as the past decade’s debt boom continues to unwind. However, we think the cost of cleaning up the banking system should be manageable, helped in part... 7th June 2016 · 1 min read