Brazil's XP joins growing group predicting interest rate hikes through next year
BRASILIA, Aug 19 (Reuters) -Brazilian brokerage XP XP.O on Monday joined the growing ranks of economists forecasting an interest rate hike cycle beginning at the central bank's next policy meeting in September.
"The (monetary policy committee) Copom has emphasized its data-dependent stance. And recent indicators suggest that monetary policy is not sufficiently restrictive," XP economists led by Caio Megale wrote in a note to clients.
XP expects the rate hike cycle to start with a 25-basis-point increase at the Sept. 17-18 meeting, followed by two 50-basis-point hikes by the end of the year, and a final 25-basis-point rise in January 2025, bringing the Selic basic interest rate to 12% from the current 10.5%.
Financial institution ASA predicts the same trajectory, Fabio Kanczuk, ASA's chief investment officer and a former economic policy director at the central bank, told Reuters.
He expects that, after these adjustments, policymakers will "pause to assess."
Bets on a rate hike cycle have been bolstered by a tougher stance from the central bank, particularly led by monetary policy director Gabriel Galipolo - who is seen as a likely successor to Governor Roberto Campos Neto, whose term ends in December.
In the past two weeks, Galipolo has highlighted that, in his view, the balance of risks to inflation is asymmetric and tilted to the upside, and that a rate hike is on the table if necessary - a message reinforced by Campos Neto himself.
In late July, policymakers kept borrowing costs unchanged for the second consecutive time but raised the tone of inflation concerns.
Although a weekly central bank survey of over 100 private economists, released on Monday, still shows the median forecast for rates remaining steady at 10.5% by year-end, interest rate futures BCBWATCH pointed to a 92% probability of a 25-basis-point hike in September, with the remaining 8% indicating a 50-basis-point increase.
Reporting by Marcela Ayres; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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