Citi Mexico Survey expects Banxico hold, USD/MXN ending 2026 at 17.90

Citi Mexico released the Expectations Survey on Monday, in which the central bank polled 35 economists to gather their forecasts for monetary policy, the USD/MXN exchange Rate, inflation expectations, and economic growth.

Citi’s survey shows that the majority of the economists polled expect monetary policy to remain steady at 6.50%. Seven of those 35 expect the next movement to be a rate hike, and six expect a cut further ahead. The rest expect policy to remain steady.

The USD/MXN exchange rate is expected to end at 17.90 in 2026, unchanged. For 2027, the consensus suggests a depreciation of the Mexican Peso (MXN), with the exchange rate seen at 18.50, with expectations of trading within a range of 17.40-19.95.

Regarding inflation expectations for July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is projected at 3.13% YoY, down from 3.37% in the previous survey, while core CPI is seen at 3.94% YoY, lower than the previous survey's 4.03%.

For the medium term, CPI is projected to end at 4.02% YoY, down from 4.09%, while Core CPI, the component, is expected to drop from 4.10% to 4%.

The Mexican economy is projected to grow 1.2% in 2026, up from 1.1% in the last survey, while for 2027, the projections show the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ending at 1.8%, unchanged from the previous survey.