BRASILIA: The index tracking Latin American assets strengthened on Monday as US President Donald Trump’s announcement he would postpone the deadline for threatened tariffs on the European Union reinvigorated investor sentiment.
MSCI’s gauge for the region’s equities rose 0.7% on the day, following modest gains on Friday.
A parallel index for currencies rebounded by 0.55%, after shedding 0.3% in the prior session, while the dollar index remained under pressure from the previous week.
Trump on Friday unexpectedly called for 50% tariffs on EU goods, saying negotiations with the region had become too sluggish.
On Sunday, he pushed the deadline for tariffs to July 9 from June 1, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the 27-nation bloc needed more time to produce a deal. “In Latam, we are taking all these announcements with a pinch of salt and we know that the volatility and uncertainty are still the name of the game,” said Andres Abadia, chief Latam economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. “The situation can change dramatically from one day to another. So, just remaining cautious at the moment.”
Brazil’s real dipped 0.2% against the dollar. The country recorded a smaller-than-expected current account deficit in April, but also posted a narrower trade surplus. Separately, data showed Brazilian consumers displayed some optimism in May, with the Consumer Confidence Index (ICC) rising by 1.9 points this month to 86.7 points.
The week is full of crucial data releases for Latin America’s largest economy, including gross domestic product figures for the first quarter.
A poll conducted by Brazil’s central bank showed economists hiking their forecast for 2025 GDP growth to 2.14%, up from the 2.02% forecast in the previous week. This upward revision comes as the Central Bank of Brazil has stressed the need for a more restrictive policy amid persistent inflationary pressures and global uncertainties. The bank had raised its interest rates by 50 basis points earlier this month.
Sao Paulo’s stock index was up 0.2%, while Chile’s main index rose 0.4% - the top performer for the day. Chile’s peso rose 0.6%, boosted by higher copper prices. The country is the world’s largest copper producer. Mexico’s peso was flat for the day, ahead of the release of minutes of its May monetary policy meeting later in the week.
The currency has gained about 2.2% so far this month, primarily boosted by elevated oil prices.