This issue: The most important facts of the week. The pension reform whip list. How Brazilian markets performed. Brazil’s debt ceiling and possible government shutdown. (This newsletter is for platinum and gold subscribers only. Become one now!)
The week in review
GDP. On Thursday, the government released the Q1 2019 GDP figures, showing a 0.2% retraction. The Brazilian economy has reached a point where the pension reform alone will no longer be enough to push through a recovery. Brazil needs an agenda that creates investments—especially in infrastructure. But for that to happen, the government would need to invest time and effort into building a clear set of rules to offer companies regulatory stability and legal certainty—which experts complain is not happening.
Stimulus. After Brazil’s lackluster GDP figures, the government is preparing a stimulus package: allowing workers to withdraw money from their severance fund. If Congress approves the move without too many delays, it could inject roughly BRL 20bn (according to the most realistic estimates) into the economy by Christmas.
Pension reform. The Special House Committee analyzing the pension reform has received 277 amendment proposals from...