Chile: gearing up for a rate cut?
Is Chile edging closer to a rate cut?
Disappointing GDP data lately have certainly increased the chances. Chile’s growth – much lauded by a centre-right government bent on delivering a better performance than under the leftist coalition that ruled Chile for 20 years – has suffered a hiccup lately, fuelling expectations that a rate cut was nearing. Continue reading »
Despite inflation, Chile sticks with its interest rates
Chile’s latest monetary policy report (IPoM) from the Central Bank (BCCh) paints a rosy picture to end the year on – more inflation and less growth in 2013. That’s nice. Continue reading »
Chile GDP: buoyant domestic economy but clouds gather overseas
The Central Bank of Chile has announced year-on-year GDP growth of 5.7 per cent in the third quarter, beating consensus forecasts of 5.4 per cent. Domestic demand drove GDP growth despite external factors that are proving to be a drag on the economy. Continue reading »
Chile: following Colombia and Brazil?
Colombia on July shocked the market with an interest rate cut (its first in two years) because of expectations of lower growth ahead. Will Chile follow suit this month?
Bold moves have been something of a hallmark of Chilean central bank monetary policy in the past, but as things stand, the odds are that the bank will sit out on a cut and leave its key policy rate at 5 per cent for a seventh straight month. Continue reading »
LatAm rates: playing wait and see
The sense of uncertainty in the global economy is palpable, and rightly so. China is slowing – no one is sure by how much; Europe’s sovereign debt crisis is going from bad to worse – but no one knows how much worse it will get; and the US is still just muddling through.
So what’s a central banker in Latin America to do? Judging by the raft of rates decisions and minutes out this week – many of the region’s policy makers are happy taking the wait-and-see approach. Continue reading »
Chile rates: holding tight
Brazil wants to cut interest rates more; Colombia has increased rates three times in the last four months. But Chile looks likely to sit on its hands for now.
That is the signal from the minutes of the February meeting, released on Wednesday, in which it explained its decision to weigh, but reject, a 25 basis point cut from the current 5 per cent. Continue reading »
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