LatinNews Daily - 24 March 2026

*Brazil’s central bank (BCB) has published the latest edition of its Focus bulletin, a weekly survey containing the projections of private sector economists and analysts, which showed an annual inflation forecast of 4.17% for 2026, while the country’s benchmark interest rate (Selic) is projected to close this year at 12.50%. This latest inflation forecast marks an increase from the 4.10% projection in the previous week’s bulletin and from the 3.91% forecast from one month earlier. As of February, Brazil’s annual inflation rate stood at 3.81%. Meanwhile, the Selic forecast has also been increasing in recent weeks. The previous week’s Focus bulletin showed a projection of 12.25%, and one month earlier market experts predicted that the Selic would close 2026 at 12.13%. The benchmark interest rate is currently set at 14.75%, after the BCB’s monetary policy committee (Copom) made a rate cut of 25 basis points in its meeting last week.