Brazil's inflation accelerates to near 5pc in November

: Agriculture, Biofuels, Electricity, Natural gas, Oil products, Petrochemicals
24/12/10

Brazil's headline inflation accelerated to a 14-month high in November, led by gains in food and transportation, according to government statistics agency IBGE.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose to an annual 4.87pc in November from 4.76pc in the previous month, IBGE said.

Food and beverage costs rose by an annual 7.63pc in November, accounting for much of the monthly increase, following a 6.65pc annual gain in October.

Beef costs increased by an annual 15.43pc in November following an 8.33pc annual gain for the prior month.

Higher beef costs in the domestic market are related to the Brazilian real's depreciation to the US dollar, with the exchange rate falling to a record-low R6.11/$1 at the end of November. The stronger dollar leads producers to prefer exports over domestic sales. Beef prices rose by 8pc for the month alone.

Soybean oil prices rose by 27.75pc over the year.

Transportation costs, another major contributor to the monthly acceleration, rose by an annual 3.11pc in November after a 2.48pc gain in October. On a monthly basis, transportation costs rose by 0.89pc in November, reversing a contraction of 0.38pc in October.

Housing costs rose by 4pc over the 12-month period.

Brazil's central bank last month hiked its target rate to 11.25pc, its second increase off a low of 10.5pc between May and September, to try to head off a resurgence in inflation. It was at a cyclical peak of 13.75pc from August 2022 through July 2023 as it sought to tamp down the post-Covid-19 surge in inflation.

Fuel prices rose by an annual 8.78pc in November after a 7.22pc gain in October. Motor fuel costs fell by 0.15pc in November compared with a 0.17pc drop in October — thanks to lower ethanol and gasoline prices. Diesel prices contracted by 2.25pc in the 12-month period.

Power costs slowed to an annual 3.46pc in November following a 11.58pc gain in October. Electricity prices contracted by a monthly 6.27pc after a decrease in power tariffs on 1 November.

Monthly inflation slowed to 0.39pc in November from 0.56pc in October. The central bank's inflation goal for 2024 is 3pc, with a margin of 1.5pc above or below.

By Maria Frazatto and Lucas Parolin

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