(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Peru has quietly turned into one of Latin America's inflation outliers. In November, consumer prices in Lima were just 1.37% higher than a year earlier, almost at the floor of the central bank's 1%–3% target range and far below the levels that still haunt many neighbors.

Month-on-month, prices rose only 0.11% after a 0.10% drop in October, leaving inflation so far this year at about 1.26%. Last year ended at 1.97%, and the central bank expects something near 1.7% for the full year.

Behind those calm numbers, there is a very concrete story about what families see at the market. The statistics office reports that“Food and non-alcoholic beverages” – the heaviest item in the basket – rose 0.41% in November.

Restaurant and hotel prices increased 0.19%, transport 0.18%, and several other categories moved slightly higher.

At the same time, housing-related costs, including electricity, gas and other utilities, fell 0.37%, and communications prices dropped 0.75%, helping keep the overall index under control.



The detail shows why the average figure feels different from the weekly grocery bill. Some fish prices jumped sharply, with bonito up more than 50% in the month and other species like jurel and caballa also more expensive.

Certain peppers, herbs and ready-made sauces posted double-digit increases. Yet many fruits and vegetables, including passion fruit, lemons, potatoes and tomatoes, actually became cheaper.
Peru Shows the Power of Quiet, Rules-Based Stability
The macro picture is calm, but the individual shopping basket remains volatile. Monetary policy is the other half of the story. The Central Reserve Bank of Peru has held its reference rate at 4.25% for a second month, after a steady sequence of earlier cuts from much higher levels.

It now sees this rate as roughly neutral – neither stimulating nor choking the economy – with core inflation near 1.8% and one-year inflation expectations anchored close to 2.2%.

In other words, the bank tightened early, resisted pressure for easy money, and is now enjoying the reward of low, stable prices. That matters far beyond Lima.

Peru is the world's third-largest copper producer, with output of roughly 2.6 million tonnes last year and plans to reach about 2.8 million tonnes. Mining investment is expected to exceed $4.8 billion this year.

For investors, a big commodity exporter that combines copper, cautious technocrats and low inflation is attractive: it means a more predictable currency, fewer rate shocks and a better environment for long-term projects.

The risk today is not runaway prices but the uneven squeeze of specific foods and services on modest wages. For the wider region, Peru is a reminder that boring, rules-based policy can deliver stability – while more interventionist experiments elsewhere are still paying for past excesses.

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