FACTBOX-Brazil moves to shield people, economy, markets from coronavirus

Brazil's government and central bank have entered crisis-fighting mode as they battle to limit the coronavirus outbreak's impact on public health, businesses and financial markets. The measures below, some enacted and others proposed, aim to compensate workers and firms, pump liquidity into the banking system and ensure markets operate as smoothly as possible.

CENTRAL BANK The central bank has pledged "to deploy its arsenal of monetary, exchange rate and financial stability policies" to fight the crisis. Its actions include:

-Increasing the pace of rate cuts, lowering the benchmark Selic rate by 50 basis points to a record low 3.75%. -Calling for emergency powers allowing it to make sweeping purchases of "public or private financial assets", including government bonds - a big step towards "quantitative easing," analysts say.

-Ramping up intervention in the foreign exchange market as the real hit a record low 5.25 per dollar and traders reported liquidity drying up. So far this year, it has sold $12 billion of reserves in the spot market, $14 billion in repurchase auctions and $10.5 billion in currency swaps. -Opening a $60 billion swap line with the U.S. Federal Reserve that will be in place for at least six months, allowing the central bank to access dollar liquidity at favorable rates.

-Repurchasing Brazilian dollar-denominated sovereign bonds from domestic financial institutions. So far, $2.9 billion has been purchased, out of a potential stock of up to $31 billion. -Injecting up to 1.2 trillion reais of liquidity into the economy – some 16.7% of GDP – through loans to banks backed by their securitized credit portfolios (670 billion reais) and corporate bonds (91 billion reais), and through halving reserve requirements for long-term deposits (203 billion reais).

The National Monetary Council, which includes the economy minister and central bank president, has also supported banks by letting small lenders raise 200 billion reais through special long-term deposits backed by the Credit Guarantee Fund. FISCAL STIMULUS

The government has proposed fiscal measures protecting the most vulnerable and safeguarding jobs, amounting to about 270 billion reais, or 3.6% of GDP, according to JP Morgan. The figures remain unclear. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes has said total measures announced so far amount to 5% of GDP, but he also said this week they come to around 800 billion reais, which would be over 10% of GDP.

What is more certain: little of that comprises new spending. Most involves guarantees, bringing forward social assistance payments, deferring corporate taxes and making it easier to access workers' severance funds. Lower house speaker Rodrigo Maia has proposed that Brazil spend up to 400 billion reais ($76 billion) in emergency funds, creating a "war budget" under which ordinary fiscal rules will not apply. Guedes says this "war budget" would be worth 2.6% of GDP and could grow.

The government has scrapped its 2020 fiscal deficit goal of 124 billion reais and now says it will be around 350 billion reais, or 4.5% of GDP. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimate the deficit will ultimately exceed 8% of GDP. STATE, MUNICIPAL AID

The federal government has also put forward a plan to help states and cities with 88 billion reais in loans, transfers and debt freezes to cope with public health and economic pressures. ($1 = 5.25 reais)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)