Economy

The Banco Central de Costa Rica (BBCR) held its policy rate at 5.0% in December for the seventh straight month. This decision was based on dynamic, but stable growth in credit to the... 2012-01-10

Inflation came in at 7.3% y-o-y in November, though it slowed slightly from 7.7% y-o-y in October, continuing to moderate from its August 2011 high. Inflation was driven by food prices,... 2012-01-10

Panama's economic activity index (IMAE) continued to perform strongly in October 2011, growing by 8.4% y-o-y. The index averaged growth of 8.7% y-o-y between January and October. This... 2012-01-10

We see Panama's balance of payments position as precarious in 2012, with a widening current account deficit funded increasingly by short-term financial inflows rather than more stable... 2012-01-10

BMI View: We expect that expenditure will continue to outstrip revenue in El Salvador in 2012, as increased spending on security will offset any additional gains from recent reforms... 2011-12-29

BMI View: We expect Guatemala's current account deficit to widen substantially in 2012 on the back of a sharp deterioration in the country's goods trade account. While the financial... 2011-12-23

We believe Nicaragua's economic growth will remain modest in the coming years, in line with our forecasts for real GDP growth to come in at 3.3% y-o-y in 2011 and 2012. This will come... 2011-12-13

BMI View: Credit conditions in Guatemala continue to tighten, with the average lending rate climbing to 13.5% as of October. Thus far September's policy rate hike from 5.0% to 5.5%... 2011-11-28

BMI View: Consumer price inflation continued to decline in October, coming in at 4.9 y-o-y, up just 0.2% m-o-m. Given that this level sits comfortably within the central bank's targeted... 2011-11-28

BMI View: The Honduran consumer price index (CPI) rose by 5.9%y-o-y in October 2011, its lowest level in 2011, and we expect further slowing through 2012. In the first 10 months... 2011-11-28