.jpg)
- Mexican Peso losses steam as USD/MXN paired earlier losses.
- Banxico’s split decision to cut rates to 11.00% provides a nuanced outlook, contributing to the Peso’s resilience.
- Mexico’s economic performance shows contraction in January and high inflation data.
- Banxico underscores a data-dependent approach, aiming for a 3% inflation target by the second quarter of 2025.
The Mexican Peso was subdued on Friday against the US Dollar (USD) after both central banks, the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of Mexico (Banxico), decided to respectively hold and cut interest rates amid their separate disinflation evolutions. Nevertheless, the emerging market currency stood afloat, perhaps on the Banxico vote split, providing a more balanced tone at the Governing Council. The USD/MXN trades at 16.74, virtually unchanged.
Economic data from Mexico revealed on Friday that the economy shrunk in January from December, while the mid-month inflation report rose above estimates on a monthly basis and in the 12 months to March.
Elsewhere, Banxico’s decision to lower interest rates was not felt by the USD/MXN exchange rate, although the interest rate differential between the Mexican Central Bank and the Fed contracted. Banxico’s Governing Council reduced the main reference rate to 11.00%, though they emphasized that it would be data-dependent in future monetary policy meetings.
The Bank of Mexico expressed that policy remains restrictive, that the disinflation process would continue, and expects to reach its goal of 3% in the second quarter of 2025.
Daily digest market movers: Mexican Peso strengthens despite rate differential reduction
- Inflation in Mexico exceeded estimates of 4.45%, increased by 4.48%, while core figures jumped above the consensus of 4.62% YoY and rose by 4.69%, revealed the National Statistics Agency (INEGI) on Friday. Besides that, Economic Activity plunged -0.6% MoM, below estimates of a 0.3% expansion, and slowed compared to December, below estimates of 2.6%, down to 2%.
- The outlook in Mexico suggests the economy is stagnating. A weak retail sales report, private spending falling sharply, and a contraction in economic activity justified Banxico’s rate cut. Nevertheless, they face stubbornly stickier inflation, keeping policymakers on their toes.
- Mexico’s retail sales fell by 0.6% MoM in January, missing estimates of 0.4% expansion but better than December’s data. Yearly figures plummeted from -0.2% to -0.8 %, smashing projections for a 1.2% expansion.
- Aggregate Demand rose by 0.3% QoQ in Q4, up from 0%. On an annual basis, it decelerated from 2.7% to 2.6%.
- Private Spending on a quarterly basis slowed from 1.2% to 0.9%. On a yearly basis, it improved from 4.3% to 5.1%.
- Traders are digesting the latest monetary policy decision by the Federal Reserve, which held rates unchanged and maintained their projections for three 25 bps rate cuts toward year end. Despite revising the federal funds rate (FFR) level upward to 3.9%, the Fed’s decision was perceived as dovish.
- After the Fed’s decision, money market traders see a 73.2% chance of the Federal Reserve cutting rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
Technical analysis: Mexican Peso treads water as USD/MXN accelerates to 16.80
The USD/MXN daily chart suggests that buyers are losing momentum, with the pair posed to test lows last seen in 2015. Buyers’ failure to conquer the 17.00 figure following Banxico’s rate cut suggests supply is higher than demand. In that scenario, the exotic pair’s first support level would be the current year-to-date low of 16.64, followed by last year’s cycle low at 16.62 and October 2015’s of 16.32.
For a bullish scenario, traders must reclaim the current week’s high of 16.94, ahead of the 17.00 figure. Up next lie key dynamic resistance levels like the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 17.01, the 100-day SMA at 17.11 and the 200-day SMA at 17.20.
USD/MXN Price Action – Daily Chart
Banxico FAQs
The Bank of Mexico, also known as Banxico, is the country’s central bank. Its mission is to preserve the value of Mexico’s currency, the Mexican Peso (MXN), and to set the monetary policy. To this end, its main objective is to maintain low and stable inflation within target levels – at or close to its target of 3%, the midpoint in a tolerance band of between 2% and 4%.
The main tool of the Banxico to guide monetary policy is by setting interest rates. When inflation is above target, the bank will attempt to tame it by raising rates, making it more expensive for households and businesses to borrow money and thus cooling the economy. Higher interest rates are generally positive for the Mexican Peso (MXN) as they lead to higher yields, making the country a more attractive place for investors. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken MXN. The rate differential with the USD, or how the Banxico is expected to set interest rates compared with the US Federal Reserve (Fed), is a key factor.
Banxico meets eight times a year, and its monetary policy is greatly influenced by decisions of the US Federal Reserve (Fed). Therefore, the central bank’s decision-making committee usually gathers a week after the Fed. In doing so, Banxico reacts and sometimes anticipates monetary policy measures set by the Federal Reserve. For example, after the Covid-19 pandemic, before the Fed raised rates, Banxico did it first in an attempt to diminish the chances of a substantial depreciation of the Mexican Peso (MXN) and to prevent capital outflows that could destabilize the country.
