Colombia's inflation seen slowing in October, but 2025 forecasts rise
BOGOTA, Nov 1 (Reuters) -Colombian inflation is expected to continue a downward trend in October thanks to declining food and utility prices, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, as analysts trimmed their forecasts for this year but predicted faster price increases in 2025.
Monthly inflation is expected at 0.15% in October, down from 0.24% in September and 0.25% in the same month last year.
Casa de Bolsa's head of economic research Juan David Bellen said that the inflation figure for last month would be slightly lower due to slower increases in prices for rents, utilities and perishable foods.
"In global terms we expect prices to vary a little, the respite that the exchange rate was giving to imported goods is running out and we do not expect to see substantial reversals in those prices in October," Scotiabank's chief economist Jackeline Pirajan.
Slowing inflation has been a main driver behind the Colombian central bank's interest rate cuts that began in December last year. On Thursday, the bank cut the rate by another 50 basis points to 9.75%.
Cumulative 12-month inflation should have landed at 5.70% in October, analysts predicted, down from 5.81% in September but still well above the central bank's 3% target.
They forecast that inflation would end 2024 at 5.51%, down from the 5.60% estimated a month earlier. For 2025, however, they lifted inflation forecasts to 3.81%, from 3.70% previously.
In 2026, inflation is expected to decline to 3.3%.
The central bank's technical team on Thursday cut its inflation forecast for 2024 to 5.3% from a prior estimate of 5.7% in August.
Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Alexander Smith
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