May 12, 2014, 08:15:00 AM
SAO PAULO–Economists presented mixed signs regarding their outlook for Brazil’s economic performance, increasing their estimates for the country’s economic growth for this year, but reducing their view for next year, a weekly central-bank survey published Monday showed.
The 100 respondents in the survey increased their outlook for the country’s 2014 economic growth to 1.69% from 1.63%, but for next year they reduced their forecasts to 1.90% from 1.91%.
Meanwhile, economists raised their view for the country’s industrial-production expansion for this year to 1.24% from 1.21%, while they cut their view for next year to 2.37% from 2.65%.
Economists reduced their estimates for Brazil’s inflation at the end of this year to 6.39% from 6.5% and maintained their view at 6% for next year.
Respondents kept their view for the Selic interest rate at the end of this year at 11.25% and for next year at 12.25%.
The Brazilian real is expected to end this year at 2.45 to the U.S. dollar, according to the survey.
The forecast for the trade surplus this year was kept at $3 billion, while the current-account deficit view was raised to $80 billion from $78.60 billion.