Credit Suisse

China’s ongoing economic slump has sparked turmoil on world markets, but it’s been particularly challenging for Brazil, which ships 40 percent of its exports to the country. How much does Brazil stand to gain from a stabilization in Chinese demand? Find out what Credit Suisse Chief Economist James Sweeney had to say at Credit Suisse’s 2016 Latin America Investment Conference about the outlook for China and its consequences for Brazil.  

Rising public debt and a large deficit prompted S&P and Fitch to downgrade Brazilian sovereign debt below investment grade in 2015, and Moody’s is expected to follow suit in the coming months. How much will losing its investment-grade rating really affect the economy? What will it take for Brazil to regain investment-grade status, and how long might that take? Hear economist Norbert Gaillard discuss the ramifications of Brazil’s credit rating at the 2016 Latin America Investment...

Economists and executives at Credit Suisse’s 2016 Latin America Investment Conference agreed that Brazil should make getting its fiscal house in order a top priority as a first step toward re-igniting growth. But that will require a delicate balancing act. Watch the video to hear Mansueto Almeida, a researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Applied Economics (IPEA), explain Brazil’s budget challenges.  

As a country, Brazil has many things going for it: a large economy, a young population, and plentiful natural resources. But if it is to enjoy the economic growth those assets can provide, it needs to make structural reforms that can help close budget deficits, slow the growth in public debt, and remove obstacles to economic growth. Former presidents and central bankers, economists and industrialists, all agreed at the Credit Suisse 2016 Latin America Investment Conference (LAIC) that for...

Brazil has certainly had its share of trials and tribulations lately: The economy is in recession, inflation is on the rise, budget deficits are widening, its sovereign debt rating has been downgraded, and the political environment is challenging. Yet, the country still has a lot going for it. It remains the largest economy in Latin America, and one that is rich in resources ranging from agricultural products to industrial metals. Home to some of the continent’s strongest political...

As soon as the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates in December 2015, market participants wanted to know how soon they’d do it again. After January served up negative economic surprises and volatility in global financial markets, the Fed held its fire at its January 27 meeting. While a March hike seemed plausible just a month ago, Credit Suisse economists say the odds of a first-quarter rate increase have fallen south of 50 percent. June is now the most likely date for the next hike.  ...

China’s ongoing economic slump has sparked turmoil on world markets, but it’s been particularly challenging for Brazil, which ships 40 percent of its exports to the country. How much does Brazil stand to gain from a stabilization in Chinese demand? Find out what Credit Suisse Chief Economist James Sweeney had to say at Credit Suisse’s 2016 Latin America Investment Conference about the outlook for China and its consequences for Brazil.  

The first days of 2016 showed that China hasn’t escaped its 2015 woes. On January 4, new data showed that manufacturing activity slowed for the tenth consecutive month in December, and the ensuing sell-off in the stock market forced Chinese officials to halt trading mid-day. Global markets sank, and another bout of volatility on January 7 forced Chinese officials had to halt trading once again. But all the recent talk of China’s troubles has obscured the fact that the country’s companies...

Good governance pays, even when it slips under the radar.   “Corporate governance is not acknowledged enough when it works well, though it is frequently assailed when it fails dramatically,” says Michael O’Sullivan, Credit Suisse’s Chief Investment Officer, International Wealth Management, in a new report launched in Davos by the Credit Suisse Research Institute.   An independent board, strong controls, transparency and shareholder rights generally increase market value. But...

There’s good reason that financial technology firms – those that provide the tools that allow consumers to save, manage their wealth, access credit, and pay for things – might pique an investor’s interest. The most important one: they have outperformed the S&P 500 for seven of the past nine years. Within the fintech universe, Credit Suisse says that payment firms are the most investable segment, due to the relatively large number of publicly traded companies of all sizes, and also offer...