Brazil's economy will contract 0.5% in 2015 and inflation will climb to 7.9%, ending the year far outside the tolerance range, the Central Bank admitted on Thursday in its latest quarterly inflation report.
Central Bank President Alexandre Tombini sees the bright side of the international trend that is causing many others a headache, because the country is a net petroleum importer.
President Dilma Rousseff said in a letter to investors that one of the main priorities of her second term will be to put Brazil's fiscal accounts in order, sending a strong message that her administration will adopt more market-friendly policies.
Brazil's central bank on Wednesday raised its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 11.75%. The rise came on the back of a one quarter point rise just over a month ago which was the first since April and in the wake of populist Dilma Rousseff's re-election as president, who last week appointed a new finance team to tackle rising inflation.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff finally announced on Thursday the appointment of Joaquim Levy, as her next Finance minister who is also known as the 'scissors man', who pledged more realistic fiscal targets and promised more balanced economic growth.
Brazil and Uruguay as of next December will be able to use local currencies in bilateral trade, disregarding appealing to US dollars, based on the agreement signed last Friday between the central bank presidents of the two countries, Alexandre Tombini (Brazil) and Alberto Graña (Uruguay).
In a surprise move and in divided vote (5 to 3), Brazil's central bank monetary board, Copom, decided to raise its benchmark Selic rate by 25 basis points to 11.25%. A majority of economists and analysts anticipated that the bank would opt to keep rates unchanged.
Brazil's consumer confidence deteriorated sharply in August to its lowest level in more than five years, the think tank FGV said Monday. The consumer confidence index fell to 102.3 from 106.9 in July. The score was the lowest since April 2009, when it was 99.7. In July, the index had risen strongly from April's 103.8.
With less than two months to the crucial 5 October presidential election, Brazil's Central Bank continued to battle economic turmoil increasing the credit available for commercial loans in the hope of boosting the country’s stagnant growth figures.
Brazil is far from stagflation, central bank chief Alexandre Tombini said on Tuesday, forecasting the economy will pick up speed and inflation will ease in coming months. In similar terms Economy minister Guido Mantega said the economy should pick up in the second half of the year after a slow start and hit more reasonable growth levels in 2015.