Latin America Economics Update Argentine economy slumps following default Capital outflows following the Argentine government’s default probably contributed to the slump in economic activity in August, leaving the economy on course to contract by 1-2% this year. Unless the... 24th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Restructuring petro-loans won’t save Venezuela from default On the face of it, the Venezuelan government’s restructuring of petro-loans from China should boost foreign currency revenues and ease the economy’s severe dollar drought. But in reality, the deal... 23rd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil Election Watch: into the final straight The latest polls suggest that this weekend’s run-off in Brazil’s presidential election is still too close to call, which we suspect favours the incumbent, Dilma Rousseff, over the challenger, Aécio... 23rd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Equities suffer further losses, but currencies and bonds fare better Following last month’s broad sell-off in “risky” assets, in which financial markets in Latin America were hit across the board, the performance this month has been more mixed. While equities have... 22nd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Further interest rate cuts still likely in Chile Interest rates in Chile were cut by 25bp to 3.00% last night and, although the accompanying statement suggests that we may be nearing the end of the easing cycle, we expect further cuts over the next... 17th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Assessing the impact of lower oil prices on Latin America The biggest loser from the drop in oil prices within Latin America will be Venezuela and, although the government may make its debt servicing obligations this month, a default seems more likely than... 16th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil's economy probably stagnated in Q3 Activity data for August contain some evidence that conditions in Brazil’s beleaguered economy may have started to improve. But as things stand it seems the best we can hope for is that GDP in the... 16th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lower commodity prices and what they mean for Lat Am Fresh falls in global commodity prices in recent weeks have stoked concerns about how Latin America will fare as the tailwinds from the global commodities boom fade. The short point is that regional... 13th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update More interest rate cuts to come in Peru Interest rates in Peru were left unchanged at 3.50% last night but with economic growth still weak and inflation likely to remain within target over the coming months, we are comfortable with our... 10th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Rise in Mexican investment has further to run Stronger investment spending looks set to underpin faster economic growth in Mexico over the coming years. So in contrast to Brazil where weak investment has caused capacity constraints to build and... 9th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Latest rise in Brazilian inflation gives ammunition to Neves The latest rise in Brazilian inflation, which has pushed it further above the upper bound of the central bank’s target range, will give further ammunition to Aécio Neves ahead of his run-off against... 8th October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Venezuelan bonds in for a rough ride The Venezuelan government may have gathered enough foreign currency to meet its debt obligations this month, but with the economy crippled by a shortage of foreign currency and oil prices now falling... 3rd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil Election Watch – heading to a second round No candidate looks set to secure a majority in the first round of voting in Brazil’s presidential election this Sunday, meaning that the race is all but certain to extend to a second round run-off... 2nd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Resignation of BCRA Governor opens door to more unorthodoxy The resignation of the Governor of the Argentine central bank (BCRA) opens the door for even more unorthodox economic policy. With no end in sight to the government’s debt dispute, and policymaking... 2nd October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazilian industry under pressure, but Mexico is on the up The September manufacturing PMI for Brazil gives little hope that the economy snapped out of recession in the third quarter. Meanwhile, in Mexico, PMI surveys both at home and in the US continue to... 1st October 2014 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Lat Am markets suffer more than most in latest EM sell-off Markets in Latin America have been hit particularly hard in the latest EM sell-off. A combination of factors has been responsible, including falling commodity prices and a renewed focus on the likely... 30th September 2014 · 1 min read
