Brazilian markets rallied on Thursday as the central bank’s unanimous decision to raise interest rates — and a statement viewed as hawkish — signaled its commitment to getting inflation back to target, Bloomberg News reported. The real trimmed gains after climbing as much as 1.2% versus the dollar, and swap rates jumped, after central bank officials raised the benchmark rate by 25 basis points late Wednesday, just hours after the Federal Reserve delivered its first cut in four years.

Argentina's economy likely shrank 1.4% in the second quarter versus a year earlier, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, the fifth such decline as a recession deepens under a tough austerity drive by libertarian President Javier Milei, Reuters reported. That median GDP estimate from 15 analysts polled by Reuters for the April-June period would follow a 5.1% year-over-year contraction in the first quarter. The official data is released on Wednesday. Milei's cost-cutting has hurt economic activity and pushed up poverty and unemployment.

Brazilian airline Azul has moved closer to clinching a new deal with lessors as the company offers them equity to pay off some $600 million in debt, Reuters reported. Shares in the carrier jumped over 20% in Friday trading after Reuters first reported on the progress in negotiations. Azul's shares had slipped over 40% since August on media reports that it was considering filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggles with its debt load. The company has said it is focused on direct talks with creditors.

A recent flurry of judicial and economic rule changes has served as a reminder of just how unpredictable operating in Latin America can be, denting the region’s appeal for foreign investors already weary after years of sub-par returns, Bloomberg News reported.

Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said the government is worried a resurgence in extreme weather will spur inflation as central bankers are expected to lift the interest rate starting next week, Bloomberg News reported. The nation’s persistent dry spell can stoke food and energy price increases, Haddad told reporters in Brasilia on Wednesday. At the same time, such cost rises are not easily controlled with borrowing cost hikes, he said. “The central bank has the technical framework to make the best decision,” Haddad said.

Argentina's monthly inflation rate stood at 4.2% in August, official data published on Wednesday showed, rising from last month and surpassing analysts' forecasts, while Argentines tighten their wallets to deal with spiraling costs, Reuters reported. Inflation in the 12 months through August reached 236.7%, still the highest level recorded in the world. Analysts had hoped for a slight monthly slowdown to 3.9%, which would signal progress for the government of libertarian President Javier Milei, which has been focused on taming runaway prices.

The board of ailing state-owned company Petroleos del Peru submitted its resignation on Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported. “As several days have passed without the government making a statement, the directors appointed by the general shareholders meeting, unanimously, have presented our resignation,” the members said in a statement.

Brazil’s annual inflation eased roughly in line with expectations in August, offering limited relief to a central bank that’s under pressure to lift interest rates to contain above-target price increases, Bloomberg News reported. Official data released Tuesday showed prices rose 4.24% from a year earlier, just below the 4.27% median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. On the month, inflation stood at -0.02%. The robust pace of growth in Latin America’s largest economy has investors betting that a hike to the benchmark Selic from its current level of 10.5% is imminent next week.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. are laying the groundwork for a swap that will help Ecuador manage its debt financing costs in exchange for a pledge to protect part of the Amazon rainforest, Bloomberg News reported. The two investment banks are preparing a deal ahead of formally engaging with potential investors for the transaction, said the people who asked not to be identified discussing private talks. The Nature Conservancy, a non-governmental organization, will be an adviser on the deal.

In just a little over a decade, Nu Holdings Ltd. has gone from an obscure fintech startup in Sao Paulo to the most valuable bank in all of Latin America. It’s been a dizzying ascent, powered by a business model that Brazil’s uber-conservative banking titans never had much of a stomach for: lending to low-income families. Growth keeps coming at a breakneck pace — some 60% of all Brazilian adults now have Nubank’s app on their phone — and investors keep frantically bidding the stock higher, Bloomberg News reported.