News of opinion and analysis

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

Argentina disinflation stalled despite strength of the peso

15-03-2025 10:52 Economists surveyed by Argentina’s Central Bank expect year-on-year inflation to plunge to 23% this year.

Demography should help the US keep China at bay

15-03-2025 07:46 Despite the fact that demography has always been China’s not so secret weapon, in recent years it has become a major problem that seems certain to put a premature end to the imperial dreams of Xi and his immediate successors.

by James Neilson

The Ides of March

15-03-2025 07:21 While conspiracy theories are wildly fashionable in today’s world, accidents can also happen.

by Michael Soltys

Football fans put rivalries aside to stand up for pensioners

13-03-2025 00:39 As this week’s protest against President Javier Milei's government proves, supporters are willing to put aside their differences to fight a perceived injustice.

by Dan Edwards

Exit rigging, enter RIGI

08-03-2025 06:00 Argentina has, many times in its recent past, seen long-term sustainability ruined by short-term objectives.

by Marcelo J. García

Vélez Sarsfield: From success to staggering slump

08-03-2025 06:00 The reigning Liga Profesional champions are sinking without a trace in 2025 with little sign of respite on the horizon for now.

by Dan Edwards

Marcelo Longobardi: ‘Milei’s conduct with journalists identical to Kirchners’

08-03-2025 06:00 Veteran reporter, radio presenter and host Marcelo Longobardi – whose incisive criticism led both the Kirchner and Milei governments to force him off the air – offers a critical analysis of the state of journalism in Argentina.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

Crime fears offer opening to conservative leaders

07-03-2025 18:06 Crime and drug-trafficking surpass corruption and the economy as top issues for Latin American voters, giving hard-on-crime conservatives a boost in the upcoming election cycle.

Trump escalates global trade war, sparking tit-for-tat tariffs

04-03-2025 12:27 Confirmation of the levies lays to rest doubts Trump would actually follow through on his repeated threats to upend global economic ties to counter what he casts as imbalanced trade.

Milei feels the heat of the $LIBRA scandal

01-03-2025 07:18 Milei is doubling down. Not only does he deny any wrongdoing, he’s also trying to push forward with his own agenda.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

‘La ruta del dinero Karina’? Probing the reports of dirty Milei money

28-02-2025 10:00 Javier Milei’s government is undergoing its worst crisis yet, with questions and speculation over ‘Cryptogate’ and reports of shady characters wanting cash for access to the President. Behind the La Libertad Avanza leader, there is one person who runs everything related to him: his sister, Karina.

by Juan Luis González

Hidden by crypto

22-02-2025 06:59 The Once train crash was technically a railway accident far more frequently dubbed a tragedy and a crime in not a few eyes – few transport disasters have been so heavily politicised even if two previous rail accidents had claimed more lives.

by Michael Soltys