Economy

Brazil's labour market has undergone a remarkable improvement over the past few years, with the end-2007 unemployment rate reaching an all-time low of 7.4% and average wage growth... 2008-02-07

Brazil's trade surplus dropped sharply to US$944mn in January as import growth far outstripped export growth. A 62.5% y-o-y decline in the trade surplus can in part be attributed... 2008-02-07

Amendments to the Brazilian banking sector's regulatory framework and a more hawkish-sounding central bank present key risks to loan growth in the medium term and could weigh on the... 2008-02-06

A surge of capital inflows into Brazil in 2007 goes some way to explain the massive accumulation of international reserves last year. The full year reserve figure of US$180.3bn (bang... 2008-01-08

The Brazilian consumer is spending freely and is confident about the country's future prospects, according to recent economic data released by statistical agency IBGE. The accompanying... 2007-11-30

As we prepare to enter 2008, it is becoming increasingly transparent, in our view, that the Brazilian external accounts are undergoing a transitional phase. In this article, we attempt... 2007-11-29

BMI View: The Brazilian real has started to feel the brunt of heightened global volatility. With risk aversion hitting home and investors looking to reduce their exposure in high-yielding... 2007-11-28

BMI View: With the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) on hold at 11.25% and sending hawkish signals, the question on our minds is 'how long before the easing cycle recommences?'.... 2007-10-31

BMI View: Brazil is seeking to create a sovereign wealth fund, which could occur by as early as next year. Such a move would coincide with the recent trend, which has seen countries... 2007-10-22

According to central bank data, inflows to Brazil in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) continue to surprise on the upside. In September, FDI inflows came in at US$1.5bn,... 2007-10-19