Latin American Pulse for Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Executive Summary
Bolivia counted 67 simultaneous road blockades on Tuesday as the Central Obrera Boliviana strike entered its second week.
Bolivia counted 67 simultaneous road blockades on Tuesday as the Central Obrera Boliviana strike entered its second week and President Rodrigo Paz Pereira called protesters to dialogue against an interannual inflation of 14 percent, the worst in four decades. In Caracas, the Asamblea Nacional voted unanimously to expand the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia from 20 to 32 magistrates.
In Bogotá, the Consejo de Estado publicly rebuked President Gustavo Petro after suspending his pension decree, drawing a “bloqueo institucional” response.
The hemisphere fractures along three axes today: the Andean street is back in Bolivia and Cuba, the post-Maduro institutional reset advances in Caracas, and Brazil’s macro absorbs both.
01 Bolivia: 67 Blockades and 14 Percent Inflation Deteriorating
The Policía Boliviana counted 67 puntos de bloqueo nationwide on Tuesday as the Central Obrera Boliviana indefinite strike combined with an evista “Por la vida y para salvar Bolivia” march from Caracollo toward La Paz. President Rodrigo Paz Pereira issued a video call for dialogue.
Annual inflation reached 14 percent through April, the worst in four decades. The government airlifted 10,000 kilograms of beef to La Paz to ease shortages.
COB demands include salary increases and the repeal of Ley 1720.
02 Venezuela: TSJ Expanded to 32 Magistrates Watch
The Asamblea Nacional approved by unanimity on Tuesday a reform expanding the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia from 20 to 32 magistrates, with the Sala Constitucional growing from 5 to 7 and the remaining chambers from 3 to 5 each. Deputy Nicolás Maduro Guerra, son of the captured former president, defended the reform publicly, while Asamblea president Jorge Rodríguez coordinated the legislative push.
The move is the first major TSJ-level institutional change under acting president Delcy Rodríguez, sworn in January 5 after Operation Absolute Resolve.
Live Market IntelligenceLatin America — Cross-Market Board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Latin America — Cross-Market Board
-2.22%
170,331
-2.22%
67,349
-1.37%
10,317
-0.42%
3,174,702
+0.33%
2,238.99
-1.13%
34,836.62
+0.71%
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBOV | 170,331 | -2.22% | +23.84% | 174,198 | 174,192 | 170,008 | — |
| IPSA | 10,317 | -0.42% | — | 10,360 | 10,524 | 10,295 | 847,194,470 |
| IPC MEX | 67,349 | -1.37% | +17.16% | 68,286 | 68,332 | 67,198 | 64,837,565 |
| MERVAL | 3,174,702 | +0.33% | +49.26% | 3,164,196 | 3,204,341 | 3,155,418 | — |
| COLCAP | 2,238.99 | -1.13% | — | 9.04 | 9.05 | 9.02 | 4,133 |
| BVL PERÚ | 34,836.62 | +0.71% | — | — | — | — | — |
| USD/BRL | 5.05 | -0.38% | -10.50% | 5.07 | 5.08 | 5.03 | — |
| EUR/BRL | 5.87 | +0.68% | -8.42% | 5.83 | 5.91 | 5.87 | — |
| USD/MXN | 17.29 | -0.30% | -10.08% | 17.34 | 17.35 | 17.26 | — |
| USD/CLP | 895.21 | -0.06% | -4.73% | 895.73 | 896.93 | 888.80 | — |
| USD/COP | 3,564 | -0.65% | -13.58% | 3,587 | 3,572 | 3,548 | — |
| USD/PEN | 3.40 | -0.14% | -4.29% | 3.40 | 3.42 | 3.40 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,437 | -0.17% | +21.30% | 1,439 | 1,442 | 1,435 | — |
| USD/UYU | 40.36 | +1.76% | -1.99% | 39.66 | 40.36 | 40.27 | — |
| USD/PYG | 6,037 | +1.68% | -23.52% | 5,937 | 6,095 | 6,037 | — |
| USD/BOB | 6.86 | +1.82% | +1.81% | 6.74 | 6.86 | 6.85 | — |
| USD/DOP | 58.00 | +0.52% | -0.80% | 57.70 | 58.21 | 57.87 | — |
| USD/CRC | 456.90 | +3.01% | -8.22% | 443.54 | 456.90 | 456.90 | — |
03 Colombia: Petro vs Consejo de Estado Deteriorating
The Consejo de Estado suspended Decreto 415 on Monday, halting the transfer of pension contributions to Colpensiones, then issued a direct public statement on Tuesday assuring pensions are safe. President Gustavo Petro responded Tuesday evening with the phrase “bloqueo institucional” and a renewed mention of an asamblea constituyente.
Senator Paloma Valencia and Juan Daniel Oviedo launched a 2026 presidential ticket the same day around a “Plan 30-30” promising 30,000 new police and 30,000 military personnel.
04 Brazil: Crime Plan and Sub-USD-50 Tariff Constructive
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched the Programa Brasil Contra o Crime Organizado on Tuesday with BRL 1.06 billion in direct 2026 budget plus a BRL 10 billion credit line, structured across four pillars: financial asphyxiation, prison system, homicide clearance, and arms trafficking. The same evening, Lula signed the MP zeroing the taxa das blusinhas for sub-USD-50 international purchases, effective today. Petrobras posted Q1 net profit of BRL 32.6 billion with a record JCP dividend of BRL 9.03 billion.
05 Argentina: Adorni Survey Hit, IPC Binary Thursday Watch
A UBA/OPSA Psychology Faculty survey conducted May 8 to 10 confirmed the Adorni patrimony case has weakened President Javier Milei’s voter base. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich publicly demanded a patrimonial declaration from Chief of Cabinet Manuel Adorni.
INDEC releases April’s IPC on Thursday at 16:00, with the BCRA REM consensus at 2.6 percent against March’s 3.4 percent, which would deliver the first sub-3 percent print in more than 12 months. The Cámara de Diputados holds four pedidos de informes on Adorni the same day.
06 Cuba: 61 Percent of Island Without Power Deteriorating
The Unión Eléctrica reported on Tuesday that 61 percent of Cuba would lose power at peak demand, with generation capacity at 1,290 megawatts against demand of 3,250 MW, leaving a deficit of 1,960 MW. Havana suffered blackouts of 18 consecutive hours on Monday, while other provinces exceeded 20 hours.
Eight of the country’s 16 thermoelectric units are offline due to faults or maintenance; diesel-fueled generation motors have been idled since January under the United States oil blockade.
07 Ecuador: Decreto 370 Renewal Decision Watch
The Secretaría General de Comunicación de la Presidencia formally denied on Tuesday a social-media post claiming the curfew had been extended to May 31 and shifted to 21:00. Decreto 370, signed April 28, runs through May 18 with hours of 23:00 to 05:00 across nine provinces and four cantons. Ecuador has accumulated 869 days under estado de excepción since President Daniel Noboa took office. A renewal or replacement decision is expected this week.
08 LATAM Macro: IPCA at 0.67 Percent, Sheinbaum on Homicides Holding
The IBGE reported Brazil’s April IPCA at 0.67 percent against 0.88 percent in March, with 12-month accumulated inflation at 4.39 percent. In Mexico City, President Claudia Sheinbaum reported daily intentional homicides have fallen 40 percent from September 2024 to April 2026 and that 2,337 clandestine drug laboratories have been dismantled.
SRE Undersecretary Roberto Velasco confirmed Mexico rejected a US extradition request for Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. Banco do Brasil reports Q1 2026 results after the close today.
09 Regional Diplomacy: Paraguay-China, Panama-SICA, Nicaragua-Russia Holding
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Paraguayan leaders of acting as “peones de las fuerzas independentistas de Taiwán” following President Santiago Peña’s May 7-10 state visit to Taipei. President José Raúl Mulino of Panama backed a SICA decision-making reform replacing consensus with qualified majority of 75 percent.
Russia’s Federation Council ratified a wide-ranging military cooperation framework with Nicaragua. Honduras reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a USD 245 million disbursement at end-June.
What to Watch
What does Bolivia’s 67-blockade day mean for the Paz Pereira program?
The Pulse Dossier opens with an editor’s leader on the three-axis fragmentation thesis, then dives deep into Bolivia as Deep Dive country with scenarios through May 31, the Venezuela TSJ commission map, Colombia’s institutional-stress positioning calls, and the full country-by-country forward calendar. PDF download, today’s edition.
Today’s Standalone Coverage
The Rio Times has published the following standalone articles that build out the country-level picture behind today’s Pulse.
BrazilRussia Now Supplies 81 Percent of Brazil’s DieselUSD 1.43 billion in Russian diesel imports rewires Brazil’s downstream.
ArgentinaMerval Reverses Below 2.75M, CPI Binary in 48 HoursTraders position for Thursday’s INDEC print.
ArgentinaArgentina Beef Exports Hit USD 1B in Q1 2026First-quarter shipments up 54 percent year-on-year.
ChileChile IPSA Back at 50-Day CloudBenchmark tests support against a June BCCh rate-cut bid.
MexicoMexico Captures Cartel del Noreste Cell LeaderArrest follows the Sheinbaum homicide-data presentation.
MexicoPemex Supplier Crisis DeepensA jailed admiral reactivates the contractor-pay narrative.
RegionalLatin America Drives Global Oil Supply Growth in 2026Brazil, Argentina, and Guyana lead non-OPEC supply growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many blockades does Bolivia currently have, and what are protesters demanding?
The Policía Boliviana counted 67 simultaneous road blockades on May 12, 2026. Protesters from the Central Obrera Boliviana, the CSUTCB peasant confederation, and evista sectors demand salary increases, the repeal of Ley 1720, and the stabilization of fuel supply. Inflation reached 14 percent annually through April, the worst reading in four decades.
What was Brazil’s IPCA inflation rate for April 2026?
The IBGE reported April IPCA at 0.67 percent, a deceleration from 0.88 percent in March. Twelve-month accumulated inflation stood at 4.39 percent, with all nine categories posting positive variations, led by Food and Beverages at 1.34 percent. The print falls within the Banco Central’s tolerance range of 1.5 to 4.5 percent.
When does Argentina release its April inflation data?
INDEC releases the April IPC on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 16:00 Buenos Aires time. BCRA’s REM market consensus stands at 2.6 percent against March’s 3.4 percent, which would deliver the first sub-3 percent monthly print in more than 12 months. The Cámara de Diputados is also scheduled to consider four pedidos de informes on Chief of Cabinet Manuel Adorni the same day.