BRASILIA, Jan 13 Reuters The Brazilian central bank39;s economic policy director said on Monday the country39;s fiscal outlook still requires attention, even though the 2024 primary budget target had likely been met by the government.

Speaking on a live broadcast hosted by Bradesco Asset Management, Diogo Guillen highlighted uncertainties regarding the achievement of fiscal targets in the coming years and analysts39; projections pointing to a rising debt trajectory.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad had previously said that the government likely ended last year with a deficit of 0.1 of gross domestic product GDP, within the zerodeficit goal that had a tolerance margin of 0.25 of GDP either way.

According to Guillen, a less uncertain but more adverse scenario allowed the central bank to signal 100basispoint interest rate hikes at each of its next two policy meetings through March.

It was one of the main messages we conveyed, he said.

Guidance is set, we will continue to monitor activity, inflation data, impact on projections, he added.

In December, policymakers accelerated the tightening cycle with a 100basispoint increase that brought the benchmark Selic rate to 12.25.

Looking ahead, Guillen said it is important to assess the impact of U.S. Presidentelect Donald Trump39;s policies on the economy, including how they will affect the exchange rate, expectations, and inflation dynamics in Brazil.

While acknowledging those were critical topics to monitor, given their…