Brazil inflation picks up in mid-October with higher electricity costs

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Inflation in Brazil accelerated in the month to mid-October, as higher electricity costs pushed consumer prices up in Latin America's largest economy.

Prices as measured by the IPCA-15 index rose 0.54% in the month to mid-October, up from 0.13% in the previous month, government statistics agency IBGE said on Thursday.

Economists polled by Reuters were expecting a 0.50% rise.

In the 12 months to mid-October, inflation stood at 4.47%, up from the 4.12% seen the month before and above the 4.43% forecast by economists.

The main impact on inflation in the month to mid-October came from residential electricity prices, which rose 5.29%.

Food prices also picked up, with a 0.87% increase on a monthly basis.

Electricity costs had already pushed inflation higher in Brazil in September amid a major drought, reinforcing expectations of further interest rate hikes by the country's central bank.

The monetary authority's rate-setting committee, known as Copom, kicked off an interest rate-hiking cycle last month with a 25 basis point increase and signaled more tightening ahead.

"With comments from BCB (Banco Central do Brasil) policymakers warning about strong services inflation and unanchored inflation expectations, a step up in the pace of rate hikes from 25 bp to 50 bp is looking increasingly likely," said Kimberley Sperrfechter, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.

(Reporting by Luana Maria Benedito; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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