The Brazilian central bank's weekly survey of private economists last year foresaw cuts in June 2023, but a recent survey pushed the forecast back to November. The central bank's poll of traders now expects cuts won't come until May, likely making Chile the first mover. "We've had a quite a few hawkish comments from central banks across the region, pushing back against the idea of rate cuts," she added. That gives central banks the message that it's not quite time to think about a more relaxed monetary policy," he said. Political unrest in Peru may have also moved back the goalpost for cuts, with the central bank warning that protests have caused supply chain disruption and impacted consumer prices.

---