Country Risk Rating

While confidence in the central bank's inflation-fighting credibility is rising following the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB)'s decision on July 23 to raise the Selic rate by 75bps... 2008-07-30

The growing influence of gangs and vigilante groups in Rio de Jainero's favellas (shanty towns) is threatening to undermine the legitimacy of October's municipal elections. Evidence... 2008-07-30

On June 29 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Partido dos Tabalhadores (PT) nominated Marta Suplicy to run for governor of São Paulo in the upcoming municipal poll in October.... 2008-07-03

Rising inflation expectations in Brazil will be a pivotal theme in October's upcoming municipal elections, with a recent Ibope poll showing that 65% of respondents now expect inflation... 2008-07-02

In an emotional address to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in June, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended his government's promotion of ethanol production,... 2008-06-10

The president's chief of staff, Dilma Rouseff, is coming under increasing pressure to clarify her role in the sale of the cargo arm of Brazilian airline Varilog to Varilog Group... 2008-06-10

Brazilian rice producers seem to have succeeded in preventing authorities from extending a suspension on rice exports to the private sector. The government's proposed plans came on... 2008-05-07

We have revised up both our Selic rate and inflation forecasts for Brazil, now expecting the end-year Selic rate to stand at 12.50%, and inflation to reach 4.65% y-o-y. We note that... 2008-05-07

We have revised down Brazil's short-term political risk ratings to 72.1 this month, from 73.3, on the back of growing headline inflation and a recent uptick the monthly unemployment... 2008-04-11

The real is set to remain on an appreciating trajectory this year, although the extent of this strengthening against the dollar will in large part depend on how far the interest rate... 2008-04-10