OBELA Analysis

Despite the change of government in the U.S., the policy and actions taken with respect to Chinese technological containment remain intact, and international pressure continues to prevent Chinese companies from installing their digital transition technology.

The technology war and U.S. fears have had a marginal impact on the Asian giant's relations with Latin America. Some countries have bowed to Washington's pressure against the use of 5G, but most continue to negotiate its implementation.

The challenges that Latin America must overcome to put this technology into operation relate to the lack of infrastructure and the size of the investment.

Global inflation is rising rapidly in a year of uneven growth rates, higher than estimated in the US and the European Union (EU), and lower for all but the Asian economies.

The question is why inflation is being discussed when consumer price indices in the US and EU are stable, and what effect these discussions have on international interest rates.

To counteract the inflations produced by these causes, central banks are preparing to readjust interest rates, which are currently at their lowest real levels in decades.

Latin American economies continue to recover thanks to the momentum of external and domestic demand. In some countries, both engines are warming up in coordination, while in others, the external one recovered faster. In several countries in the region, fiscal policies were implemented to reactivate domestic demand. 
GDP is returning to its pre-pandemic levels thanks to the impulse of the main trading partners of Latin American countries and the price of raw materials, and to the support in monetary transfers to families and companies. 
According to IMF estimates, Latin America's GDP will decrease 8.3% in 2020, while South America 8% and the Caribbean Basin 9.9% will be the most affected. Growth in 2021 will be higher in the southern countries than in the Basin, 3.8% and 3% respectively. With the return of international trade, the speed of recovery depends on domestic demand.