Brazil, After a Long Battle, Approves an Amazon Dam
3 de junho de 2011Comissão deverá acelerar mudanças na Constituição para reforma política
7 de junho de 2011Economists slightly lowered their forecast for Brazil’s benchmark inflation index this year to 6.22 percent from 6.23 percent previously, according to a weekly central bank survey published on Monday.
Economists forecast growth of 4 percent in Latin America’s biggest economy this year, the same as in the previous survey.
Brazil’s economy grew 7.5 percent last year, one of the most robust rates among major economies. But analysts say last year’s rate is unsustainable, and the government has used a number of measures to slow the economy this year to prevent overheating.
The survey’s predictions represent the median forecast of analysts polled by the central bank at about 100 financial institutions.
Economists fretted earlier this year that Brazil’s central bank had not done enough to contain consumer prices, but signaling by policymakers that the country could see a “prolonged” period of tightening has helped calm markets somewhat. The bank is targeting a benchmark inflation rate of 4.5 percent this year, plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The institutions surveyed in the poll kept their forecast for 2012 inflation unchanged at 5.1 percent.
At 6.51 percent through April, 12-month inflation is running above target, despite a cumulative 125 basis points of interest-rate hikes by the central bank this year to 12 percent. The bank is expected to hike the Selic lending rate to 12.25 percent on Wednesday.
The Selic interest rate should end the year at 12.5 percent, economists said, dipping to 12.25 percent in 2012.v
