Mexico inflation slows to six-year low as Banxico holds rates

August 7, 2026 8:50 AM EDT

FILE PHOTO: A man walks past a market stall selling fruits and vegetables, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Mexico's annual ‌inflation slowed in ​July ​to its lowest level in more than six years, data from statistics agency INEGI showed on Friday, a day ‌after the central bank held interest rates steady even as ⁠it expects price pressures to continue to ease.

• Annual inflation in Latin America's second-largest ‌economy hit 3.12% last month, ‌INEGI said, down from 3.37% in June and the lowest since May 2020.

• The reading matched expectations from economists in a Reuters ​poll and remained within the Bank of Mexico's (Banxico) target range of 3%, plus or minus one percentage point.

• The data came ⁠after Banxico on Thursday kept its benchmark interest rate at 6.5%, extending a pause that began ​in June, saying that both headline and core inflation were still expected to decline over its forecast horizon but ​at a slower pace than previously ‌anticipated.

• Headline inflation is expected to converge to 3% in the fourth quarter of 2027, according to the bank.

• "The ⁠key story here is that disinflation remains on track, but the final stage is likely to prove gradual," Pantheon Macroeconomics' chief Latin America economist Andres ⁠Abadia said in a note to clients.

• "Nothing in today's report changes our policy outlook. ​Inflation continues to evolve broadly in line with Banxico's expectations, supporting the board's decision to remain on hold," he added.

• According to INEGI, consumer prices in ‌July rose 0.03% from the previous month, matching economists' forecasts.

• Core inflation, which strips out some volatile food ‌and energy prices, hit 3.95% in the 12 months through July. On ⁠a monthly basis, core prices ‌rose 0.23%. Economists in ​the Reuters poll had expected readings of 3.94% and 0.22%, respectively.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo. Editing by ‌Mark Potter)



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