(MENAFN- The Rio Times) The Chilean peso is back near 960 per dollar this morning, a level it defended late Tuesday even as the U.S. Dollar Index hovered around 99.

The support act is copper: prices remain close to recent highs near $5.00 a pound, giving Chile's currency a tailwind strong enough to offset a firmer dollar. That's the headline. The story behind it is a tug-of-war between global forces and Chile's own policy cycle.

The Central Bank's rate cuts-now at 4.75%-have reduced the peso's carry, leaving it more exposed to swings in the world's two dashboards that matter most for Chile: copper and the dollar.

When copper is buoyant, CLP can hold its ground; when the dollar climbs and metals wobble, the shield thins. Markets are now in“prove it” mode ahead of September inflation due today.

A hotter CPI would revive talk that the cutting cycle might slow, typically peso-positive but equity-unfriendly. A softer print would ease pressure on households and rates, but-if copper dipped-could also make CLP more sensitive to a strong dollar.



Equities reflect that hesitation. Santiago's IPSA slipped fractionally Tuesday to about 8,829, extending a gentle pullback from early-September highs.

Momentum gauges have cooled: on the daily chart, RSI sits mid-40s and MACD is fading; on the 4-hour chart, a mild down-channel has formed since late September. Stabilization likely needs either a benign CPI, a softer dollar, or another leg up in copper.



Technically, USD/CLP is coiling. On 4-hour charts the pair has compressed between roughly 957 and 963 in a Bollinger squeeze with flat momentum-conditions that often precede a break.

The daily view echoes that compression. A sustained push above 963–967 would target the 970s; a decisive close below 955 would reopen 950–945.

For readers outside Chile, the takeaway is simple but consequential: a commodity-linked currency is trying to balance a strong global dollar with unusually supportive copper prices, while domestic inflation will decide whether that balance holds or tips.

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