Latin America and the Caribbean: Subdued Growth
Economic activity in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to remain in relatively low gear in 2014. The recovery in advanced economies should generate positive trade spillovers, but these are likely to be offset by lower commodity prices, tighter financial conditions, and supply bottlenecks in some countries. Growth in the Caribbean remains constrained by high debt levels and weak competitiveness. Policymakers need to focus on strengthening fiscal positions, addressing potential financial fragilities, and pressing ahead with growth-enhancing structural reforms to ease supply-side constraints.
Economic activity across Latin America and the Caribbean stayed in relatively low gear last year. Full-year growth for 2013 is estimated to have been 2¾ percent, significantly less than the growth rates observed during previous years (Figure 2.6). Weak investment and subdued demand for the region’s exports held back activity, as did increasingly binding supply bottlenecks in a number of economies. Countries with stronger fundamentals were generally affected less by the market pressures in mid-2013 and early 2014 (see Chapter 1). Nonetheless, most currency, equity, and bond markets across Latin America and the Caribbean continue to trade well below the levels of 12 months ago, reflecting tighter external conditions and a reassessment of medium-term growth prospects. Looking ahead, regional growth is projected to remain subdued in 2014, at 2½ percent. The recovery in the advanced economies is expected to generate positive trade spillovers, but these are likely to be offset by the impact of lower commodity prices, tighter financial conditions, and supply-side constraints in some economies. However, there is considerable variation in the outlook for different parts of the region (Table 2.4):
• Growth in Mexico is expected to rebound to 3 percent this year, after an unexpectedly weak growth rate of 1.1 percent in 2013. Several of the earlier headwinds to activity have eased, with fiscal policy shifting to a more accommodative stance and U.S. demand picking up. Headline inflation is forecast to stay close to the upper end of the inflation target range in the near term, as a result of one-time effects of certain tax measures. However, core inflation and inflation expectations remain well anchored. Looking further ahead, Mexico’s ongoing economic reforms, especially in the energy and telecommunications sectors, herald higher potential growth for the medium term.
• Brazil’s economy is expected to remain in low gear, with growth slowing to 1.8 percent in 2014. Weighing on activity are domestic supply constraints, especially in infrastructure, and continued weak private investment growth, reflecting loss of competitiveness and low business confidence. Inflation is expected to remain in the upper part of the official target range, as limited spare capacity and the recent depreciation of the real keep up price pressures. The policy mix has been skewed toward monetary tightening over the past year, with fiscal policy (including policy lending) expected to maintain a broadly neutral stance in 2014.
• Among the other financially integrated economies, Colombia and Peru are forecast to continue expanding at fairly rapid rates. Activity in Chile is projected to moderate somewhat because private investment growth is decelerating markedly, including in the mining sector. In all three countries, domestic consumption remains brisk, supported by record-low unemployment rates and solid growth in real wages. Nonetheless, price pressures are projected to remain contained.
• Activity in Argentina and Venezuela is expected to slow markedly during 2014, though the outlook is subject to high uncertainty. Persistently loose macroeconomic policies have generated high inflation and a drain on official foreign exchange reserves. The gap between official and market exchange rates remains large in both countries, and has continued to widen in Venezuela. Administrative measures taken to manage domestic and external imbalances, including controls on prices, exchange rates, and trade, are weighing further on confidence and activity. Recently, both countries adjusted their exchange rates, and Argentina raised interest rates, but more significant policy changes are needed to stave off a disorderly adjustment.
• Bolivia’s economy expanded strongly last year and is expected to remain above potential in 2014, driven by a sharp increase in hydrocarbon exports and accommodative macroeconomic policies. Growth in Paraguay also rebounded in 2013 as the agricultural sector recovered from a severe drought.
• Growth in Central America is expected to remain broadly unchanged, at 4.0 percent, as the boost from the pickup in economic activity in the United States is offset by fiscal policy tightening in some countries, the effects of a disease on coffee production, reduced financing from Venezuela, and other country-specific factors.
• The Caribbean continues to face a challenging economic environment, marked by low growth, high indebtedness, and financial fragilities. Nonetheless, activity is expected to recover modestly this year in the tourism-dependent economies as tourism flows firm up. Risks to the outlook remain considerable. On the upside, a stronger-than-expected pickup in U.S. growth could lift the region’s exports, although positive trade spillovers would be concentrated in Mexico and a few Central American and Caribbean countries. On the downside, a faster-than-anticipated rise in U.S. interest rates could cause fresh financial headwinds, especially if capital flows were to reverse abruptly. In addition, further downward pressure on commodity prices caused by a sharper-than-expected investment slowdown in China or other factors would be a drag on the commodity exporters in the region. Against this backdrop, policymakers across Latin America and the Caribbean should focus on improving domestic fundamentals to reduce their economies’ vulnerability to external shocks. A gradual reduction in fiscal deficits and public debt levels remains appropriate for countries with large fiscal imbalances, as well as those with limited spare capacity and elevated external current account deficits. Further improvements in the transparency and credibility of fiscal frameworks would also help strengthen investor confidence. In the same vein, it is critical to ensure strong prudential oversight of the financial sector and preemptively address fragilities that could come to the fore if interest rates were to rise sharply or growth to slow further. Exchange rate flexibility has already helped countries adjust to last year’s financial market turmoil and should remain an important buffer in the event of renewed volatility. Meanwhile, monetary policy easing remains the first line of defense against a further growth slowdown in economies with low inflation and anchored inflation expectations. In countries with persistent inflation pressures, which could be exacerbated by further exchange rate depreciation, both monetary and fiscal policy should focus on anchoring inflation expectations. Structural reforms to raise productivity and strengthen competitiveness are also crucial. Above all, the region needs to invest more, and more effectively, in infrastructure and human capital; address obstacles to greater labor force participation in the formal sector; and improve the business and regulatory environment.