News of opinion and analysis

'Pepe' Mujica: Happiness, wisdom and generosity

Yesterday 14:06 If wisdom is the fruit of age, then José ‘Pepe’ Mujica lived long enough to share quite a bit. He was generous with it too, not wanting to take to the grave what had cost him so dearly to learn. During an eventful life, he learned that happiness doesn't come by way of sickle, chainsaw or hammer.

by Mónica Martin

How Milei keeps peso strong ahead of midterm vote

14-05-2025 12:00 President Milei's government doubles down on a strong peso strategy, making it the cornerstone of his midterm election campaign.

Milei looks like a one-trick pony

10-05-2025 07:45 Chainsaws are great but they can maim or even kill users who are too weak or too clumsy to handle them properly.

by James Neilson

Milei: Hate, peace, Popes and social media

10-05-2025 07:21 The Milei administration built its strength on synthetic power and effectively navigated the first part of the presidency. With the campaign fully underway, La Libertad Avanza will once again rely on their not-so-secret weapon.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Experts say Argentina’s dollar thirst could open door for illegal funds

06-05-2025 12:26 Experts raise concerns about legal and tax consequences of using undeclared money after Economy Minister Luis Caputo urged Argentines to take their dollars out and "remonetise" the economy – without having to answer questions.

by Eugenia Muzio

Postcards of a crisis: youth unemployment and working into old age

06-05-2025 12:20 According to data from Argentina's Human Capital Ministry, 19.4% of young people aged 18 to 24 are unemployed. Meanwhile, greater numbers of older adults are continuing to work into their later years, or looking for work, out of necessity.

by Agustina Bordigoni

The great debate

01-05-2025 09:39 The absurd multiplicity of 17 list-heading candidates for 30 City Legislature seats can be boiled down into a triangle of the PRO, libertarian and Peronist blocs, although this does not necessarily translate into only three candidates since others stand to make inroads.

by Michael Soltys

Chinese business interests await gesture from Milei towards Xi

01-05-2025 09:18 Over-enthusiasm for the United States has damaged links with China, hampering political moves towards investment and trade agreements. A presidential trip to the Asian power is the key to smoothing the acrimony.

by Eugenia Muzio

Truth or dare? Tariffs or closure of economies

28-04-2025 15:43 Confusing an algebraic exercise of hypothetical theoretical equilibrium by transforming it into economic policy can only occur in a poorly prepared mind, or perhaps one trapped in a swarm of cognitive biases.

by Martín A. Morgenstern

Divided right bolsters Peronism in City as Karina’s strategy put to test

28-04-2025 14:24 Polling firms put the Peronist ticket led by Leandro Santoro ahead in Buenos Aires City. Battle between Manuel Adorni and Silvia Lospennato will set tone for electoral year.

by Giselle Leclercq

The shepherd who lost his country

26-04-2025 05:00 Argentina electing Milei, just as an Argentine was running the Vatican on a unifying message, is as if John Paul II had seen his Polish compatriots vote for a version of Joseph Stalin, rather than Lech Wałęsa.

by Marcelo J. García

Francis: The most important Argentine in history

26-04-2025 05:00 Monarchs, heads of state, religious leaders and the Catholic faithful will descend on the Vatican today in huge numbers as the world bids a final farewell to Pope Francis, the Flores-born kid who ascended to one of the powerful positions in the world.

by James Grainger

A political Pope – probing Francis’ ties with Argentina’s presidents

23-04-2025 11:52 The man formerly known as Jorge Bergoglio recognised himself as being a political figure, long before his arrival in Rome. He once declared: "Christians should not be apolitical." A look at his links with Néstor Kirchner, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Mauricio Macri, Alberto Fernández and Javier Milei.

Malaysia’s capital control (cepo) success – a journey beginning in Buenos Aires

19-04-2025 06:03 Malaysia’s success highlights the importance of policy credibility, clarity of purpose and exit strategy in the use of capital controls.

First day of the rest of the year

19-04-2025 06:00 Economists have hailed the exit from the cepo as a milestone but this columnist hesitates to consider it an electoral game-changer – there is both too much and too little time for that.

by Michael Soltys

Trump’s China trade war is forcing Latin America to pick a side

15-04-2025 14:02 Intensifying battle between world’s two largest economies has left governments grappling with the reality that their days of doing big business with Beijing without serious blowback from Washington are numbered.

Trump, Milei and how to lose the trust of markets and voters

12-04-2025 05:37 Trump stepped back from the edge, at least momentarily, even though he is keeping his finger on the trigger.​​

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Careful Javier, the ‘caste’ smells blood

12-04-2025 05:29 Legislators who had until now been cooperative or aloof toward confrontation with Milei are changing their tune, in line with what they hear from their constituencies.

by Marcelo J. García

IMF deal fine print could disrupt China swap renewal

10-04-2025 05:36 In June, the grace period China granted Javier Milei expires. Washington is already pressuring Buenos Aires over the currency swap, with US$6.5 billion remaining frozen.

by Eugenia Muzio

Milei needs rush of soy dollars to calm peso sell-off in Argentina

09-04-2025 17:42 Like his predecessors, President Javier Milei is depending on the soy harvest to manage one of the word’s most volatile currencies.

Midterms North and South

05-04-2025 06:48 Midterm results have tended to be adverse in both the United States and Argentina, from a government standpoint. In the former, a mere two of those 10 contests have gone the way of the presidential party – in the latter, the margin is narrower.

by Michael Soltys

Sailing blithely into the maelstrom

05-04-2025 06:15 Like Donald Trump with his error-prone minions, Javier Milei is accompanied by an entourage which includes far too many individuals who are unsuited for high office.

by James Neilson

Latin Americans split on retaliation as Trump’s tariffs loom

01-04-2025 12:19 Half of Mexicans, Argentines and Brazilians want their governments to retaliate to Trump’s tariffs, with slightly smaller shares of Colombians and Chileans saying the same.

Who’s who: The candidates heading lists for Buenos Aires City midterms

30-03-2025 10:01 Main candidates are already defined for the Buenos Aires City midterms in May – Silvia Lospennato, Leandro Santoro, Manuel Adorni, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Ramiro Marra are the names that head the highest-polling options.

Argentina says its new IMF programme will total US$20 billion

27-03-2025 15:00 The economy minister added that funds combined from the IMF, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and regional bank CAF would put Argentina’s Central Bank reserves near US$50 billion.

How many dollars does Luis Caputo need to reach the midterms?

27-03-2025 00:39 The market is spotlighting fresh funds. The blend could be a bargaining-chip for exchange rate intervention. Central Bank reserves back to levels of late 2023.

by Eugenia Muzio

Autumn is coming for Javier Milei

22-03-2025 07:41 Last week, we discussed how an electoral agreement with the governor of Chaco signalled a possible pattern. This week, Chaco Governor Leandro Zdero received a 120-billion-peso transfer from the federal government. Just don’t tell the IMF.

by Marcelo J. García

Political hegemony turning to pathetic circus

22-03-2025 07:14 Market jitters have pushed the government into a defensive posture, in which Economy Minister Luis ‘Toto’ Caputo appears to have involuntarily flamed the fans of devaluation.

by Agustino Fontevecchia