World Bank economist says U.S. not headed for recession

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The World Bank's chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean said on Monday the United States was headed for a modest slowdown, but there was not enough evidence to suggest the risk of a recession.

Guillermo Perry said during a seminar in Santiago, Chile, that data was mixed but that as a whole the economy was maintaining growth.

"There is not sufficient evidence to affirm that there will be a recession in the United States," he said. "At this time, there are mixed signs, which suggest there could be something of a deceleration (in the United States), but it would be premature to think of a recession."

He said a slowdown would have more of an impact in Mexico and Central America than in the southern cone because the economies of Mexico and Central America are far more linked to the U.S. economy.

The economies of the southern cone, the southern part of South America, have more balanced trade portfolios, with more trade with Europe and Asia.

"Personally, I am very optimistic," he told journalists after the seminar.