SAO PAULO, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Private-sector economists polled weekly by Brazil’s central bank lowered their estimate for the country’s benchmark interest rate at the end of 2026, now expecting one additional 25-basis-point cut.
• According to the Focus survey published on Monday, they now forecast the key Selic rate to end the year at 13.50%, down from 13.75% in the previous poll.
• The central bank last week cut interest rates by 25 basis points for a fifth straight meeting, to 13.75%, and kept its options open ahead of next month’s presidential election.
• Latin America’s largest economy has been showing firmer signs of a slowdown, while inflation has eased.
• Economists kept their end-2027 Selic forecast at 12%.
• IPCA inflation index seen ending 2026 at 4.92%, up from previous estimate of 4.90%; end-2027 inflation forecast unchanged at 4.30%.
• Brazil’s central bank targets inflation at 3%, plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.
(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
