MONETARY POLICY Central Bank cuts rates to 80% in surprise move as inflation cools 12-03-2024 09:43 Central Bank unexpectedly cuts banchmark interest rate as policy-makers forecast cooling of inflation.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil economy grew 2.9% in 2023, says official data 01-03-2024 16:08 Brazil's economy expanded 2.9% in 2023 after a fourth quarter of zero growth, according to data released Friday by the IBGE national statistics agency.
MARKETS Latin America’s quasi-sovereign companies attract bond investors 19-02-2024 14:09 State-owned companies across Latin America face falling output, cash woes and expensive investment plans. Yet bondholders can’t get enough.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil’s economic activity caps 2023 with better-than expected growth 19-02-2024 14:05 Brazil’s economy grew more than expected in December, indicating activity is still showing some resilience to high interest rates as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva readies higher government spending.
MONETARY POLICY Central Bank cuts key rate to 100% by swapping main policy tool 19-12-2023 08:25 Central Bank changes benchmark tool for monetary policy, replacing four-week notes with one-day transactions in a bid to lower borrowing costs.
IMF Argentina pays US$840 million in interest to IMF 06-11-2023 15:41 After dealing a debt maturity with the IMF in the amount of US$2.6 billion last week, Argentina will now cancel a further US$840 million in quarterly interest with the multilateral lender.
INTEREST RATES Central Bank hikes rate to 133% on inflation data 12-10-2023 23:39 Argentina’s Central Bank sharply raises key rate to 133%, sixth hike this year.
POLICYMAKERS MEET Central Bank to keep key interest rate unchanged despite surging inflation 14-09-2023 00:46 Central Bank board will likely keep its key interest rate unchanged because policymakers expect slowing price pressures later on in the year.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil inflation accelerated in August to 4.61% 12-09-2023 14:54 Brazil’s inflation rate rises for second straight month in the wake of trimming of rates by central bank, but food prices decrease.
Economy Brazil’s economic activity tumbles past all forecasts 17-07-2023 19:57 Brazil's economy shrank more than expected in May, but President Lula's government's reforms and anticipated rate cuts have raised investor optimism.
MONETARY POLICY Central Bank expects to hold benchmark rate through primary vote 05-07-2023 22:34 Economists surveyed by Argentina’s Central Bank see prices rising 149% annually by the end of this year and a 3% contraction in GDP.
ECONOMIC POLICY First South American central bank to cut says caution needed 09-06-2023 12:31 Uruguay to keep restrictive policy even with more rate cuts; Economy will probably grow around 2% this year.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Brazil’s economic growth bounces back under Lula 01-06-2023 12:39 Brazil’s economy roared back in the first months of 2023, lifted by bumper harvests that outweighed the drag of double-digit borrowing costs.
FIGHT AGAINST INFLATION Central Bank ramps up interest rate to 97% as inflation soars 15-05-2023 14:37 Argentina's Central Bank hiked its base interest rate Monday by six points to 97 percent, the first in a series of measures to tackle soaring inflation ahead of October's general election.
MONETARY POLICY Central Bank to boost rates by 600 basis points as inflation soars 14-05-2023 11:55 Economy Minister Sergio Massa to announce new set of emergency measures, including raising Central Bank's key interest rate by 600 basis points to 97%.
INTEREST RATES Brazil holds interest rate, citing 'resilient' inflation 04-05-2023 11:11 Brazilian Central Bank resists pressure from President Lula to trim interest rates and announces hold for six straight time.
MONETARY POLICY Central Bank lifts rate to 81% as inflation jumps 20-04-2023 15:58 Argentina's Central Bank raises its benchmark interest rate by 300 basis points to 81% in response to March inflation data.
URUGUAY Uruguay leads Latin America with first rate reduction 19-04-2023 21:06 Uruguay becomes first inflation-targeting country in Latin America to start lowering borrowing costs after economy entered technical recession towards end of last year.
REGIONAL ECONOMY Latin America’s policy-makers warn investors of long fight against inflation 17-04-2023 17:08 Battle against inflation will take longer than expected, the region top economic authorities said at IMF Spring Meetings.
CENTRAL BANK Argentina raises key rate to 78% for first time since September 16-03-2023 17:43 Argentina raised its benchmark rate on Thursday for the first time since September after annual inflation surpassed 100%.
CENTRAL BANK Argentina considers first rate hike since September after inflation hit 103% 16-03-2023 08:58 Argentina’s Central Bank is considering raising its benchmark rate for the first time since September, according to two people with direct knowledge.
DEBT DEBATE UN development chief sounds alarm over debt distress 06-03-2023 12:23 A top United NAtions official has warned that "urgent" measures are needed to help 52 countries, including Argentina, facing debt repayment problems that put some at risk of default.
BLOOMBERG - ANALYSIS Argentina is buckling under strain of US$174-billion debt mountain 10-02-2023 14:36 Cut off from global credit markets, Argentina’s government is selling ever more local currency bonds, amassing a debt load that already totals 33 trillion pesos and is rising almost exponentially.
BRAZILIAN ECONOMY Brazil holds rates and sounds the alarm on rising inflation bets 02-02-2023 00:03 Brazil’s Central Bank kept its key interest rate unchanged and expressed concern about the costs of taming rising inflation expectations that have been fuelled by tensions with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s new government.
INTEREST RATES Central Bank poised to hold the key rate at 75% into next year 30-11-2022 08:34 Central Bank tracking suggests monthly inflation could slow to about 5.5% in November, down from 6.3% in October.
economy Central Bank hikes interest rates to 75% as inflation nears 100% 15-09-2022 23:17 Central Bank boosts benchmark Leliq rate by 5.5 percentage points to 75% in a bid to prop up its currency and curb inflation.
INTEREST RATES Central Bank set to hike rates again on price spike 01-09-2022 01:54 Central Bank set to increase benchmark Leliq rate again next month as annual inflation rises above 70%.
CENTRAL BANK Argentina raises key interest rate to 69.5% in biggest hike since 2019 11-08-2022 16:40 Argentina’s Central Bank raises benchmark Leliq rate in largest hike in almost three years, signalling a more aggressive stance against surging inflation.
BLOOMBERG Central Bank holds key rate at 52% amid faster inflation 15-07-2022 13:11 Decision to maintain the key rate at 52% takes financial markets by surprise.
COLOMBIA ELECTIONS 2022 Jubilant Gustavo Petro elected Colombia's first leftist president 20-06-2022 14:35 Ex-guerrilla Gustavo Petro elected Colombia's first ever left-wing president after defeating millionaire businessman rival Rodolfo Hernández in run-off.
Latin America Ex-guerrilla takes on maverick in race to be Colombia's president 18-06-2022 01:20 A former leftist guerrilla and a millionaire businessman will go head-to-head on Sunday hoping to become the new president of Colombia.
Colombia Election 2022 Colombians set to vote in high stakes presidential run-off 17-06-2022 18:22 Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential run-off. Opinion polls have leftist Gustavo Petro and businessman Rodolfo Hernández neck-and-neck.
MONETARY POLICY Argentina raises benchmark rate to 52% as inflation stays hot 16-06-2022 16:54 Central Bank raises benchmark interest rate for the sixth time this year as the government struggles to cool inflation expectations.
WORLD ECONOMY How do interest rates affect the real economy? 16-06-2022 12:42 Faced with the highest inflation in four decades, central banks in the United States, eurozone and UK are hiking interest rates in order to contain inflation.
COLOMBIA ELECTIONS 2022 Colombian outsider makes run-off with real shot at presidency 31-05-2022 11:18 Rodolfo Hernández, who was little known at the start of the year, surged into Colombia’s presidential run-off – and he now has a real chance at winning against leftist rival Gustavo Petro.
BLOOMBERG Colombia’s number one banker has no fear of leftist front-runner 19-05-2022 08:00 Luis Carlos Sarmiento Gutiérrez would figure to be one of the people fretting the most about the looming election of the first left-wing leader in Colombia’s modern history. But, at least publicly, he betrays little angst about the outcome of the vote this month.
BLOOMERG Central Bank raises key rate to 49% as inflation jumps 12-05-2022 20:19 Central Bank to raise interest rates for the fifth time this year in a bid to keep up with rising inflation.
BRAZILIAN ECONOMY Brazil hikes key interest rate 10th straight time 04-05-2022 21:13 Brazil's Central Bank raises key interest rate for the 10th straight time, trying to tame surging inflation that has proved tough to slow for policy makers.
BLOOMBERG Central Bank raises key rate to 47% as inflation soars 13-04-2022 20:52 Central Bank raises interest rates for the fourth time this year after inflation data shows prices increasing at the fastest monthly pace in 20 years.