The Latin American Pulse · Thursday, June 18, 2026 · The 60-second read
The bottom line
The Fed turned hawkish, and Wall Street fell. At new chair Kevin Warsh’s first meeting the Fed held rates at 3.75% but signalled a possible hike ahead, lifting its year-end projection to 3.8% and sending the S&P 500 down 1.21% to 7,420 as technology shares led the drop.
Latin America was the calmest corner of the world. The region slipped just 0.20% as a group while its banks rose — Peru’s Credicorp jumped 6.22% — because a higher-for-longer world rewards the banks the region is full of over the expensive tech it is not.
Brazil cut, Argentina climbed. Brazil’s central bank trimmed the Selic to 14.25%, yet the Bovespa slid a third day to 168,454, while Argentina’s Merval rose 1.14% back toward its record.
