Home »Money and Banking » World » Latam FX steadies as US-China trade tensions cool
The Mexican peso steadied on Monday after hitting an eight-month low while other currencies in Latin America stabilized as risk assets across the world rebounded on US President Donald Trump signaling a resumption of US-China trade talks. The Mexican peso edged up 0.15% and the trade news offered some relief to investors, helping Mexico's IPC and Colombia's stock index post gains, but Brazil's Bovespa came under renewed pressure.

The Brazilian real fell about 0.6% to hit its lowest level in nearly a year after data showed a current account deficit of $9 billion in July, far wider than the $5.9 billion shortfall forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. Brazil is also facing pressure from world leaders because of a record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest creating an environmental crisis.

European leaders have threatened to tear up a trade deal with South America. On Friday, China and the United States had threatened to slap tariffs on each other's goods and Trump told US companies to look for alternatives to their China operations, raising fears that the drawn-out trade war will tip the world into recession. Trump said on Monday that China had contacted US trade officials overnight to say it wanted to return to the negotiating table.

Copyright Reuters, 2019


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