Latin American Pulse for Thursday, November 12, 2026
Executive Summary
Latin America's mood: a papal welcome in Lima, fuel anger in Chile, farm-loan fears at Banco do Brasil and a proposed cut for Mexico's election agency.
Rio Times · Latin America
Key Facts
—Brazil Wary: Banco do Brasil profit fell 66.5% and its CFO blamed some farm borrowers
—Mexico Confident on paper, tense underneath: a proposed budget cut for the election agency
—Argentina Cautious: the government held its economic line as the pope left, while investors quietly bought protection against a peso fall
—Chile Angry: truckers called an indefinite strike over fuel prices, and northern regions joined
—Colombia Braced: another US$200 million World Bank quake loan under study, a Bogotá triple shooting and a 64% profit fall at Celsia
—Peru Joyful: crowds greeted Pope Leo XIV and President Keiko Fujimori in Lima
Latin America felt two things at once on Wednesday: the warmth of a crowd welcoming Pope Leo XIV in Lima, and the worry of a region asking who pays for fuel, farm loans and quake repairs.
The Continent’s Mood Today
Latin America woke on Thursday split between a crowd and a bill. The crowd lined the road in Lima for the pope; the bill landed in Santiago, Bogotá and Brasília.
Peruvians lined the papal route on Wednesday. Elsewhere the headlines were about who pays: for fuel, for bad farm loans, for rebuilding after earthquakes.
Brazil – Profits Slip and Farm Loans Sour
Banco do Brasil reported a 66.5% fall in third-quarter profit, and its CFO, Marco Geovanne Tobias da Silva, pointed at borrowers. ‘Uma parte do agro não quer pagar o Banco do Brasil’, he told InfoMoney: part of agribusiness does not want to pay the bank.
That sentence stings in a country that sells soy and beef to the world. It suggests the farm boom has left some growers with debts they will not or cannot settle.
Live Market IntelligenceLatin America — Cross-Market Board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Latin America — Cross-Market Board
+0.42%
172,060.43
+0.42%
72,419.39
+0.73%
10,552.02
-0.43%
2,848,945
—
2,486.39
-1.65%
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 172,060.43 | +0.42% | +9.07% | 171,336.99 | — | — | — |
| IPSA | 10,552.02 | -0.43% | — | 10,597.22 | 10,650 | 10,506 | — |
| IPC MEX | 72,419.39 | +0.73% | +11.95% | 71,893.88 | 72,937 | 71,868 | 170,120,058 |
| MERVAL | 2,848,945 | — | -10.97% | 2,859,051 | — | — | — |
| COLCAP | 2,486.39 | -1.65% | — | — | — | — | — |
| USD/BRL | 5.58 | -0.01% | +5.92% | 5.58 | 5.58 | 5.58 | — |
| EUR/BRL | 6.18 | +0.09% | +1.32% | 6.18 | 6.19 | 6.18 | — |
| USD/MXN | 18.61 | -0.09% | +1.58% | 18.63 | 18.63 | 18.58 | — |
| USD/CLP | 982.08 | -0.22% | +4.96% | 984.23 | 986.76 | 981.63 | — |
| USD/COP | 3,288 | +0.40% | -12.49% | 3,274 | 3,288 | 3,280 | — |
| USD/PEN | 3.41 | -0.03% | +3.34% | 3.41 | 3.41 | 3.41 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,544 | -0.11% | +9.51% | 1,546 | 1,544 | 1,544 | — |
| USD/UYU | 40.52 | +3.70% | +3.21% | 39.07 | 40.52 | 40.52 | — |
| USD/PYG | 6,174 | +1.84% | -11.06% | 6,063 | 6,174 | 6,174 | — |
| USD/BOB | 11.63 | +0.92% | +72.70% | 11.52 | 11.63 | 11.63 | — |
| USD/DOP | 60.48 | +0.13% | -4.90% | 60.40 | 61.08 | 60.48 | — |
| USD/CRC | 446.01 | +1.66% | -8.99% | 438.71 | 446.01 | 446.01 | — |
| USD/GTQ | 7.64 | +3.18% | +1.98% | 7.40 | 7.64 | 7.64 | — |
Mexico – Calm Surface, Nervous Politics
Mexico looks steady from the outside, but politics is heating up ahead of the 2027 midterm vote. President Claudia Sheinbaum backed a proposed budget cut for the election agency, calling its request inflated while saying the 2027 midterm vote must be guaranteed.
Mexicans still remember that clean elections were a hard-won reform.
Argentina – Holding the Line
Argentina’s government defended its economic plan on Wednesday, the day Pope Leo XIV left the country. Presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier said the ideas of liberty are compatible with Catholic ideas.
Argentines know how quickly calm can end. A consultancy study reported by the Rio Times found that investors are buying protection against a peso fall before the 2027 presidential election.
Chile – Anger at the Pump
Chile’s mood turned on fuel. Truckers rejected the government’s measures on Monday and called an indefinite strike, and northern regions joined on Tuesday.
For many Chileans, a petrol price is the quickest way to feel the state.
Colombia – Braced for Bad News
Colombia is counting costs. The government is studying another US$200 million loan from the World Bank, the global development lender, to pay for earthquake reconstruction.
In Bogotá, three men were shot dead outside a home on Tuesday evening, and Celsia, a power company, reported a 64% fall in quarterly profit after a blast hit one of its plants. In a country that has rebuilt before, the mood is tired determination.
Peru – A Welcome and a Passport Stamp
Pope Leo XIV landed at the Callao air base on Wednesday and was greeted by President Keiko Fujimori. He then rode the popemobile into central Lima, where crowds lined the route.
Peru has had years of unstable politics, so a day of shared joy mattered. Lima’s Wong parade also returned after seven years.
The Shared Mood
Across the region, one question runs under every headline: who pays? Brazilian farmers, Chilean drivers and Colombian quake victims each feel the bill, and each looks to the state.
The pope’s crowds show the other half of the mood. People here still gather in numbers when they believe in something, and on Wednesday that was a visitor, not a budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mood in Latin America today?
Mixed: joy in Peru over Pope Leo XIV’s visit, anger in Chile over fuel prices, and worry in Brazil and Colombia over costs.
What is happening with fuel prices in Chile?
Truckers rejected the government’s measures on Monday and called an indefinite strike, and northern regions joined on Tuesday.
Why did Banco do Brasil’s profit fall?
Profit fell 66.5% in the third quarter, and its CFO said part of the farm sector does not want to pay the bank.
Sources: Rio Times reporting, 9 to 11 November 2026
Connected Coverage
Brazil Stocks Rise 0.4% as Petrobras Drops | Brazil Market Report, Nov 11
Mexico Stocks Hit Record High as Peso Holds | Mexico Market Report, Nov 11
Colombian Peso Slips Near 3,300 per Dollar | Colombia Market Report, Nov 11
Argentina Debt Risk Falls After Holiday | Argentina Market Report, Nov 11
Chile Stocks Slip 0.4% as Peso Steadies | Chile Market Report, Nov 11
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error