Colombia’s economy blew away forecasts as it grew at the fastest pace in more than a century last year, driven by a rebound in consumer demand after pandemic curbs were eased, and soaring prices for the nation’s oil, coal and coffee, Bloomberg News reported. Gross domestic product expanded 10.6% in 2021, the nation’s statistics agency said Tuesday. That’s the fastest pace since at least 1906, according to data compiled by the central bank. GDP grew 10.8% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, surprising all 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg whose median forecast was for growth of 9.3%.

Peru's economy is expected to have stayed above pre-pandemic levels in December and January, due to the recovery of internal demand and a record in exports, despite lower mining output after recurring social conflicts, the central bank said Friday, Reuters reported. "The economy is recovering, the output gap is closing, but it would still be below its potential," said Adrián Armas, manager of economic studies at the Central Bank, citing the bank's December and January advance indicator reports.

Economic activity in Brazil rose 4.5% in 2021, a central bank index showed on Friday, rebounding from a record downturn the year before, when the coronavirus pandemic ravaged Latin America's largest economy, Reuters reported. The IBC-BR economic activity index, a leading indicator of gross domestic product (GDP), grew a seasonally adjusted 0.33% in December from November, and rose 1.3% from December 2020. Brazil's GDP shrank 3.9% in 2020, its worst year on record. The Economy Ministry has estimated GDP growth of 5.1% in 2021, while the central bank has forecast 4.4% growth.

Chile’s central bank head Rosanna Costa ruled out an emergency meeting to address the high January inflation numbers and warned of higher interest rates at the next policy meeting in March, according to La Tercera, Bloomberg News reported.

The owner of two strategic soy crushing plants in southern Brazil has appealed to the country’s antitrust body for a probe into a signed supply deal between U.S.-based grains trader Bunge and brewer Cervejaria Petropolis which is leasing the facilities, Reuters reported. In documents filed with regulator CADE late on Monday, the plants owner Imcopa said the deal falls foul of antitrust laws because the parties involved were already working together to implement it before they sought CADE’s approval.

Brazil's central bank still has further interest rate hikes to make as inflation remains in double digits, Monetary Policy Director Bruno Serra said on Wednesday, reinforcing policymakers' will to extend aggressive monetary tightening, Reuters reported. During an online event hosted by Modalmais bank, Serra said that considering current risks, especially those related to the country's fiscal prospects, 2023 inflation is now seen above the target, forcing authorities to keep a hawkish stance. "The battle is still far from won, we still have double-digit inflation.

Colombia launched a series of measures seeking to curb the fastest inflation in five years, largely from increases in food prices, the nation’s finance minister said, Bloomberg News reported. Minister Jose Manuel Restrepo announced a package of measures after inflation accelerated in January, more than doubling its 3% target. Restrepo spoke on Sunday alongside the agriculture and transport ministers, among other high-level officials, after a meeting with President Ivan Duque, according to a video from the administration.

The International Monetary Fund is focused on getting Argentina to make economic changes to curb runaway inflation and wants a plan to increase tax revenue and improve public spending in a staff-level agreement with the nation, Bloomberg News reported. The IMF recognizes that the program being worked out after an initial understanding was reached last week needs to have broader support from society, a lesson learned from the deal that collapsed in 2018, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Thursday.

Ecuador expects to pull together a trade deal with China at the end of this year and will begin formal debt re-negotiations with the Asian country, Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso said on Saturday, after a Beijing visit with his counterpart Xi Jinping, Reuters reported. China became Ecuador's top lender over the last decade, with millions of dollars in long-term credit tied to the handover of crude oil, large investments in hydro-electric and mining projects and other loans. "In China we had a productive meeting with the President Xi Jinping," Lasso posted on Twitter.

Peru’s inflation slowed more than expected in January as transportation prices fell, providing a welcome relief to the central bank which faced in 2021 the fastest rise in prices in 13 years, Bloomberg News reported. Annual inflation slowed to 5.68%, compared with the 5.99% median forecast of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Consumer prices increased 0.04% from December, the national statistics bureau reported Tuesday. Prices for food, energy and fuel surged in Peru and across Latin America last year as the pandemic and lockdowns spurred supply-chain snarls and shortages.