Weak growth in Brazil seems to be coming to an end, but there are still looming risks in the shape of inflation, credit risk and competitiveness, according to the latest outlook published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, on Tuesday.
The central bank remains independent and the current interest-rate cutting cycle is driven by specific economic factors, not pressure from President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s central bank President Alexandre Tombini said in an interview in the Sunday edition of O Estado de S. Paulo.
Brazil's Central Bank Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) reaffirmed the likelihood it will continue to cut rates and at the same time perhaps put into question its commitment to the 4.5% inflation target for 2013, according to the quarterly inflation report released Thursday morning.
Brazil’s Central bank on Wednesday surprised analysts by accelerating the pace of interest rate cuts, bringing borrowing costs to 9.75%, below 10% for only the second time on record as it seeks to revive growth.
With Brazil’s benchmark interest rate at 11.75% and prospects of further increases Latin America’s largest economy poses a challenge to economists and analysts. The answers are not only economic but also political.