Podcast: pressure from the Lula government on interest rates – Folha – 03/22/2023 – Podcasts

This Wednesday’s (22nd) meeting of the Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is surrounded by great expectations, in the midst of growing pressure from the government to lower the basic interest rate from the 13.75% level.

Since the beginning of the year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has stated that, at this level, the indicator hinders investments that would help in the recovery of the economy. This week, on the eve of the Copom decision, an event at the BNDES became a message center, with economists, politicians and businessmen taking turns on the offensive.

Despite the political pressure, analysts expect the BC to keep the Selic at the level it has been at since last August – and, at most, change the tone in the communiqué that indicates the perspectives for the next meetings.

The context of the definition involves a banking crisis abroad, pressure on inflation in Brazil and the fact that the government has not yet released the proposal for a new fiscal rule; Lula said she will deliver the project after a trip to China next week.

At Breakfast this Wednesday, Bernardo Guimarães, FGV professor and columnist for Sheetexplains market expectations and pressure from the government, discusses the weight of the basic interest rate and analyzes the economic prospects for the country.

The audio program is published on Spotify, streaming service partner of Sheet in the initiative and which specializes in music, podcast and video. You can listen to the episode by clicking above. To access the application, just register for free.

Breakfast is published from Monday to Friday, always at the beginning of the day. The episode is presented by journalists Magê Flores and Gustavo Simon, with production by Carolina Moraes and Laila Mouallem. Sound editing is by Thomé Granemann.