Latin America Economics Update Markets in Brazil and Colombia suffer fresh falls Following a brief recovery last month, Brazilian and Colombian financial markets have sold off in recent weeks, with both equities and currencies coming under pressure. But elsewhere in Latin America... 27th May 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update A closer look at Mexico’s mining downturn First quarter GDP data from Mexico, due to be released tomorrow, are likely to show that the economy made a sluggish start to the year, due in large part to continued weakness in the mining sector... 20th May 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile and Peru happy to play a waiting game The fact that the timetable for rate “lift-off” in the US seems to have been pushed back in recent weeks has relieved pressure on policymakers in both Chile and Peru to follow suit and tighten policy... 15th May 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil heads deeper into the fiscal mire It is, in truth, too soon to expect any improvement in Brazil’s public finances as a result of the belt-tightening measures introduced over the past few months, but the fact that the fiscal position... 7th May 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil hike rates; all eyes now on the real Calling turning points is always tricky but, assuming that the real remains stable over the coming months, we think that last night’s 50bp increase in Brazilian interest rates to 13.25% could be the... 30th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lat Am currencies find their feet Following an extended period of weakness, it appears that Latin America’s currencies have finally started to find their feet. Most have been broadly flat against the dollar so far this month, while... 28th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update A glimmer of hope for Brazil’s manufacturing sector Some of the structural constraints that have held back manufacturing in Brazil over the past decade now appear to have eased. So while we don’t expect an imminent turnaround in the sector, or an Asian... 27th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Colombia: limited room for interest rate cuts this year Interest rates in Colombia were left unchanged at 4.50% on Friday night and above target inflation and a large current account deficit limit the room for monetary easing to counter slowing economic... 27th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Argentina Activity Indicator (Apr.) Our Argentina Activity Indicator (AAI) suggests that conditions in the economy have stabilised following sharp falls in output last year, but the best we can say is that GDP is stagnating – there is... 23rd April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Reasons to remain upbeat on Mexico Despite a recession in the mining sector and an impending fiscal squeeze, we remain upbeat about Mexico. A gradual improvement in the labour market and a likely recovery in the US, after a weak start... 21st April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Chile: policy tightening not imminent Interest rates in Chile were left unchanged at 3.00% last night and despite the central bank adopting a relatively more hawkish tone than a couple of months ago in its statement accompanying the... 17th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Ominous signs from Colombia’s current account Colombia’s current account deficit widened to its largest level on record last year as exports plummeted following the drop in oil prices. Narrowing the deficit in the absence of a rebound in oil... 16th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Strong dollar unlikely to trigger a re-run of Lat Am crises Despite falling back a little over the past few weeks, the strength of the US dollar has rekindled fears in Latin America of a re-run of the economic crises that swept across the region in the 1980s... 14th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Peru signals end of easing cycle Interest rates in Peru were left unchanged last night and a subtle shift in language in the statement accompanying the decision suggests that policymakers appear to have closed the door to further... 10th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Big falls in the Brazilian real are probably behind us The Brazilian real has come under renewed pressure over the past couple of months as markets have responded to an ugly mix of a stagnant economy and a deepening political crisis that is threatening to... 8th April 2015 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Currency rout rules out further policy easing Currencies across Latin America have continued to weaken against the dollar over the past month. Concerns that this could trigger a spate of crises in the region seem overdone. However, one... 1st April 2015 · 1 min read
