For the second time this year, Costa Rica's Central Bank escaped binging on dollars in the exchange market, according to information released by the finance company Aldesa.

The financial institution has been forced most weeks to absorb dollars, preventing the colón from bouncing below the established lower exchange limit.

A flood of dollars in the Costa Rican market pushes up the value of the colón, something the Central Bank tries to control by purchasing those dollars and issuing colones.

That action, however, tends to increase inflation – something the Central Bank has committed to controlling for 2008 – fueling speculation that the bank will choose to lower the bottom limit on the exchange rate instead.

In 2008 alone, the Central Bank has purchased $1 billion off the exchange market. That marks a steep increase over 2007, when it bought roughly $1.4 billion the entire year.