In November, Brazil’s economic progress paused after three months of decline, posing challenges for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He aims to boost prosperity, but the situation is tough. The central bank’s index, which measures economic activity, showed a tiny increase of 0.01% from the previous month.
This change is smaller than experts predicted. They expected a 0.2% decrease. Compared to last year, the index grew by 2.19%.
Brazil, the biggest economy in Latin America, is dealing with several problems. High interest rates are one major issue.
Also, the growth in spending and farming is slowing down. Unfavorable weather, caused by El Niño, threatens crops across the country.
Retail sales are barely growing. Experts think the economy will grow by only 1.59% this year. This rate is lower than the nearly 3% growth seen in 2023.
The team in charge of monetary policy, led by Roberto Campos Neto, plans to cut interest rates later this month.
They have been slowly reducing these rates, which has brought borrowing costs down to 11.75%.
Last year, the increase in prices was within the central bank’s target. This was the first time since 2020.
However, the main measures of inflation, which ignore unstable items, are not decreasing as quickly as hoped.
The economy is slowing down, as predicted. Therefore, the central bank believes it is important to keep a tight control on money.
President Lula is focusing on sharing economic growth benefits with everyone. He promised “barbecue and beer for all” during his campaign.
But this approach worries investors. They fear he might increase spending to fulfill his promises.
Finance Minister Fernando Haddad is working with Congress. They are looking for ways to increase money coming in and reduce this year’s deficit.
This deficit does not include the cost of interest payments.