Latin America Economics Update Banxico & BanRep close to but not at the end of their cycles Central banks in Mexico and Colombia both delivered 25bp hikes yesterday, and hinted that these could be the end of their cycles. But, on balance, we think that the strength of inflation will prompt... 31st March 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s new fiscal plans: yet to convince The new fiscal rule proposed today by Brazil’s finance minister would, if implemented in full, go some way towards stabilising the public debt ratio. But the government has a lot to do convince... 30th March 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: Copom sticks to its guns The statement accompanying the Brazilian central bank’s decision to keep the Selic rate unchanged at 13.75% yesterday will have disappointed some (not least in the government) that thought global... 23rd March 2023 · 3 mins read
Global Economics Update What next after Credit Suisse? While the Credit Suisse rescue might draw a line under that particular institution’s problems, it is clear that confidence in the financial sector overall is still extremely fragile. So regardless of... 20th March 2023 · 5 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update A closer look at EMs’ exposure to bank flows A key channel through which emerging markets could be affected by the strains in the global banking sector is if lending by foreign banks falls sharply. On this front, EMs’ vulnerabilities have eased... 16th March 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update “Malbec dollar” won’t save Argentina from devaluation A preferential rate to facilitate wine exports is the latest addition to Argentina’s myriad exchange rates, but it doesn’t address the fundamental problem that the peso is overvalued. We estimate that... 15th March 2023 · 5 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update The SVB collapse & contagion risks in EMs At the time of writing, financial markets appear to be stabilising after the turmoil caused by the collapse of SVB. And it doesn’t look like EMs have suffered large capital outflows or strains in... 14th March 2023 · 5 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Mexico: strong wage growth to curb fall in inflation Headline inflation in Mexico will continue to fall back over next couple of years, but strong wage growth means that it won’t return to Banxico’s 2-4% tolerance band until late-2024. Against that... 8th March 2023 · 6 mins read
FX Markets Update The Colombian peso looks poised for a rebound As political risks appear to be largely discounted by investors, we expect the Colombian peso to outperform other major EM currencies over the next couple of years. In view of the wider interest we... 2nd March 2023 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil: is a corporate debt crisis brewing? The dramatic rise in borrowing costs in Brazil in the past few years appears to be causing debt problems at a growing number of companies. So far at least, there is little evidence of widespread... 28th February 2023 · 4 mins read
FX Markets Update We expect the Mexican peso to reverse course before long The Mexican peso’s outperformance since the start of 2022 has pushed up its valuation substantially, and we think that this leaves it vulnerable to sharp falls against the US dollar if, as we expect... 16th February 2023 · 4 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Tight monetary policy despite peak inflation Inflation across most of Latin America has peaked, but this is mainly an energy story – core price pressures are proving much more persistent. And underlying price pressures are likely to ease only... 16th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Industrial Metals Update The impact of civil unrest in Peru on copper Anecdotal reports and high frequency data suggest that ongoing civil unrest in Peru is beginning to choke off activity at key copper mines. But, if recent history is anything to go by, output can... 15th February 2023 · 2 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Lula and the threat to the BCB’s independence Brazil’s president Lula seems to be on the warpath in his quest for lower interest rates and now has the central bank’s (BCB’s) independence in his sights. Were Lula to get his way, the experience... 8th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil’s BNDES: new leader, old problems The newly-appointed head of the Brazilian development bank, BNDES, takes charge today and is likely to be under pressure to increase lending. But the experience from the 2000s suggests that credit... 6th February 2023 · 3 mins read
Latin America Economics Update Lula’s hopes for a higher inflation target would backfire The suggestion by Brazil’s President Lula that the central bank’s inflation target should be raised is likely to be a bigger concern for the second half of his presidential term (2025-26) than the... 2nd February 2023 · 3 mins read
