Indicators

Chile’s Economic Activity Disappoints, Supporting Rate Cuts

  • Activity contracts 0.2% on month, rises 2.3% on year in August
  • Central bank cutting key rate to steady uneven activity

Chile's services declined 0.6% on the month in August, the central bank reported.

Photographer: Martin Berbetti/AFP/Getty Images
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Chile’s economic activity unexpectedly contracted in August on a decline in services, corroborating the central bank’s message that more interest rate cuts are on the way.

The Imacec index, a proxy for gross domestic product, fell 0.2% on the month, matching the worst estimate in a Bloomberg survey of analysts that had a median forecast of 0.3% growth. From the year earlier, activity gained 2.3%, the central bank reported Tuesday.