Latin America Economics Focus Why Brazil's next president must focus on the savings shortfall From the perspective of economic policy, the over-riding priority for Brazil’s new president must be to raise the level of domestic savings. Without this, much-needed investment will have to be funded... 11th August 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack On course for a weaker 2011 This month’s data have brought fresh signs that the region’s recovery, which has so far been pretty impressive, is starting to lose some of its steam. Brazilian industrial production stagnated in... 27th July 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Softer tone of recent data won't stop rate hikes Although the incoming data from Latin America have shown tentative signs that the recovery in the region is losing some of its steam, this is in line with our expectations and does not alter the... 19th July 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Data starting to soften but recovery still on track The latest data from the region have been somewhat softer than expected. Industrial production slowed in both Brazil and Mexico last month, while forward looking indicators weakened too. Data on the... 29th June 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Colombia: How should Santos build on Uribe’s legacy? Colombia had a relatively ‘good’ crisis but following his victory in Sunday’s election the new President, Juan Manuel Santos, will need to pursue aggressive supply-side reforms to mitigate the threat... 23rd June 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Two-speed tightening cycle underway With the recovery well underway in most parts of Latin America the monetary tightening cycle has begun in some parts of the region. Policymakers in Brazil are in the midst of an aggressive tightening... 14th June 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Markets hammered by flight to safety Financial markets across the region have been hammered by a flight to safety over the past month as concerns about fiscal sustainability in the euro-zone have reached fever pitch. Equities, currencies... 28th May 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil to hike again, despite market turmoil A clear divergence in the outlook for monetary policy across the region has opened up over the past month. Policymakers in Brazil have signalled that they will act aggressively to calm fears about... 25th May 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Colombia elections: Reasons not to fear a Mockus victory We think that concerns that the possible election of Antanas Mockus as President of Colombia could spark a sell-off in the markets are overdone. While his unorthodox approach may cause some market... 21st May 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economic Outlook Fundamentals remain good but growth set to slow in 2011 (Q2 10) The economic resurgence in Latin America is likely to stay strong for a while yet. Brazil and Peru should remain the region’s best performers – we expect both to expand by 6% this year. Mexico, Chile... 10th May 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Divergences in the inflation outlook open up With growth prospects in Latin America starting to diverge, the outlook for inflation varies between countries. In Brazil, the rapid recovery from last year’s relatively shallow recession has caused a... 30th April 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Brazil set to begin tightening monetary policy Interest rate hikes in the region are imminent. We think that a 50bps hike in Brazil this month is almost a done deal, with Peru is likely to follow suit in June. Meanwhile Colombia, and now Chile... 16th April 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus Earthquake unlikely to derail Chilean economy Following the devastating earthquake in Chile on 27th February we have revisited our economic forecasts. But while activity in the hardest hit region of Bío-Bío has been heavily affected, we think... 1st April 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Chart Pack Brazil continues to lead the way Brazil’s recovery continues to impress. GDP expanded by 2.0% q/q in the final quarter of last year and all the signs are that growth has remained strong in recent months. That said, concerns are... 29th March 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Focus How quickly will Brazil raise interest rates? Last night’s decision to keep Brazilian interest rates unchanged at 8.75% was in line with our forecast but against that of the consensus, which had expected a 50bps hike. Yet the debate over the... 18th March 2010 · 1 min read
Latin America Economics Update Tightening cycle nears but rate hikes will be moderate Interest rate hikes in the region are drawing near. It’s a close call, but we expect the Central Bank of Brazil to stay on hold this month and begin raising interest rates in April instead. Peru and... 12th March 2010 · 1 min read
