News of crisis

Pandemic costs sent primary fiscal gap to 6.5% of GDP

23-01-2021 09:59 Fiscal deficit skyrocketed last year to highest since 1993, as the pandemic forced increase in social spending.

UNITED STATES

Biden’s three priorities for South America

23-01-2021 08:39 Newly inaugurated US president’s foreign policy will have three main fronts in South America: environmental protection, the crisis in Venezuela and countering the growing influence of China. Negotiations with the International Monetary Fund will be the first bilateral test for Alberto Fernández.

by Leandro Dario

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Don’t expect ‘carnal relations’ between Alberto and Joe Biden

23-01-2021 08:31 One actor could tilt the scales, though: Pope Francis. Biden is the second Catholic president of the US, preceded by John F. Kennedy. How much will the Peronist leader of the Holy See nudge Biden our way?

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Global pandemic

Desperate search for oxygen in Brazil's crisis-hit Manaus

20-01-2021 08:20 Under an overwhelming heat, dozens of people have been waiting for 12 hours to fill oxygen tanks and try to save the lives of their loved ones in Manaus, a Brazilian city plunged into chaos by the explosion of Covid-19 cases.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Brazil's Bolsonaro backs Trump fraud claim after unrest

07-01-2021 13:31 Election officials, US states and the courts have all dismissed Trump's claims of widespread fraud. But Bolsonaro has shown determination to stand by him to the end.

2020: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

2020: The year that was

02-01-2021 09:27 Economic crisis, rising poverty and unemployment, debt talks, creditors, the IMF, wealth tax, squatters, a police mutiny, the failed appropriation of Vicentin, alleged AFI espionage, ‘lawfare,’ corruption, legalised abortion, diplomacy, disappearances, the death of Diego Maradona… a lot happened in Argentina over the past 12 months, but it was all overshadowed by Covid-19.

by Michael Soltys

EDITORIAL

Good riddance to 2020… ...and hello to a happier 2021?

02-01-2021 08:34 At a stretch 2020 could almost be summarised by one single C-word – next year is a little more difficult, but the midterm elections will undoubtedly be a defining moment.

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: December 19 to 26

26-12-2020 10:49 A collection of the stories that caught our eye this week in Argentina.

by Michael Soltys

A DISASTROUS YEAR

2020 is coming to an end, luckily

26-12-2020 09:24 The spotlight on justice is irreversible and its consequences have defined the year, along with the coronavirus.

by Beatriz Sarlo

MARTÍN GUZMÁN

Should he stay or should he go?

19-12-2020 08:31 The series of reversals of Martín Guzmán’s 2021 policies sends a clear message: austerity will not be tolerated, much less so in an electoral year.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

EDITORIAL

The first year of the rest of a presidency

12-12-2020 09:08 A bigger game-changer than coronavirus could hardly be imagined, but Argentina remains very much the same country behind the face-masks.

BLOOMBERG

Lengthy Covid lay-off ban backfires, postponing job crisis

12-12-2020 08:53 Companies have been banned from firing workers since March, with the prohibition was recently extended into 2021. But many firms have resorted to suspensions, effectively postponing future job cuts.

EDITORIAL

November’s sky is chill and drear

21-11-2020 10:51 With the government falling into line with the quarantine fatigue felt by much of the nation, a vacuum has opened up in the public agenda. There was already plenty of jostling last week to fill it – from both wings of the coalition government.

‘WEALTH TAX’ BILL

‘Wealth tax’ could hit as three times more people than anticipated

21-11-2020 10:06 Tax expert warns bill to impose one-off levy on assets of rich could eventually hit as many as 30,000 people, depending on exchange rate at time it becomes law.

by Fernando Nolé

RECKLESSNESS

Cristina, Macri and Alberto - all of them took on debt

21-11-2020 08:38 Everyone loves to play the blame game, but let’s get one thing straight for the record: former presidents Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Mauricio Macri both took on debt – and so has Alberto Fernández.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

Peru taps third president in less than a week to fill power vacuum

17-11-2020 08:07 Lawmakers on Monday voted in Francisco Sagasti, an elder-statesman legislator with extensive consulting experience at home and abroad to lead a new government by electing him head of congress and new president.

PERUVIAN POLITICAL CRISIS

Merino resigns as Peru president after five days in power

15-11-2020 17:59 Peru's interim leader Manuel Merino resigned on Sunday, just five days after taking office, sparking wild street celebrations in the capital Lima after protests against his rule.

PERUVIAN POLITICAL CRISIS

Peru's new leader faces calls to resign after three protesters killed

15-11-2020 08:16 Lawmakers call for the "immediate resignation" of interim president Manuel Merino, after a violent crackdown on protests against his new government left at least three dead and more than 60 injured.

US ELECTION 2020

Biden heralds shift in Washington's strategy toward Venezuela

15-11-2020 08:03 Democratic leader's arrival in the White House could help pave the way for a political solution to crisis in Venezuela, with use of sanctions against social administration in Caracas likely to be more targeted.

PERUVIAN POLITICAL CRISIS

Peru's Congress to retry president for impeachment

03-11-2020 10:45 Peru's Congress on Monday voted to try again to impeach President Martín Vizcarra for alleged "moral incapacity" after he survived a first attempt weeks ago.

BARCELONA PRESDENT

Bartomeu resigns as Barcelona president, says club in for Euro Super League

27-10-2020 18:17 Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as Barcelona president on Tuesday, along with his board of directors, and left with a bombshell admission that he had accepted a proposal for the club to play in "a future European Super League."

ANALYSIS

When nobody wants pesos: currency meltdown upends business

24-10-2020 05:51 Argentina’s battle to control its currency is upending its economy, wreaking havoc on everything from household finances to the production and sale of common goods.

BLOOMBERG

Creditors blast Argentina for post-restructuring bond blow-up

22-10-2020 22:22 Argentina Exchange Bondholders group and the Argentina Creditor Committee rip government for mismanaging the economy, saying country is headed for disaster just seven weeks after restructuring US$65 billion in debt.

56th IDEA colloquium

Fernández rules out devaluation, bank-deposit freeze at IDEA

17-10-2020 10:13 Peronist leader sticks to his guns over government policies, telling business leaders that his government is “convinced that this is the path.”

PERONIST LOYALTY DAY

Peronistas vs Camporistas

17-10-2020 08:44 Ahead of today’s historic 75th Peronist Loyalty Day, the movement’s various strands seem more concerned with jostling for space than making the most of a historic opportunity to overcome polarisation.

by Gustavo González

BOLIVIAN ELECTION

Economic headache awaits victor in Bolivian election

14-10-2020 23:27 Bolivians go to the polls to elect a new president on Sunday, in the midst of the country's biggest economic crisis for 40 years.

FINANCE

Analysts keep eye on reserves as uncertainty pushes blue dollar to 160

10-10-2020 10:05 Central Bank buys dollars for first time since mid-September, as uncertainty pushes blue dollar sky-high.

IMF TALKS

Fernández, Georgieva ‘confident’ Argentina will seal new IMF deal

10-10-2020 10:01 Officials on both sides say all the right things as first visit of IMF mission team passes off without incident. Kristalina Georgieva says Fund has "no intention of putting pressure on Argentina at this time."

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: October 3 to 10

10-10-2020 09:56 Our pick of the stories from the last seven days in Argentina.

EDITORIAL

Uncertainty amid the malaise

10-10-2020 09:41 Burning as all these problems are, literally so in the case of the fires and metaphorically in the case of the economic and monetary crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, none of them are really being faced by a government seeking or obsessed with another agenda.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Coalitions or collisions?

10-10-2020 09:27 It’s too early to tell if this stress will snowball into a breakdown leading to, say, a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle sponsored by the Kirchnerites, forcing out members of the president's inner circle.

by Martín Gambarotta

FOREIGN (AND DOMESTIC) POLICY

Venezuela: Argentina's old/new problem

10-10-2020 09:07 It doesn’t really matter whether Cristina is calling the shots, whether her henchmen are acting independently, or if Alberto is acting out of his own accord, trying to please his vice-president and keep his coalition united. The end result is the same: increased uncertainty, which ultimately feeds Argentina’s risk thermometer: the dollar-peso exchange rate.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

THE WEEK

What we learned this week: September 26 to October 3

03-10-2020 09:40 The pick of stories that caught our eye over the last seven days.

PERIODISMO PURO | INTERVIEW

Moisés Naím: 'Argentina is a world champion in political necrophilia'

03-10-2020 08:59 Arguably Venezuela’s most influential intellectual speaks about the crisis facing his country and the lessons it could teach other nations in the region: not to fall for the facile discourse of charlatans and to pay attention to sleeping authoritarianism in society.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

SPANISH FOOTBALL

Lionel Messi says it’s time for Barcelona to unite

30-09-2020 14:09 Lionel Messi wants to put his dispute with Barcelona behind him and called for the club and its fans to unite.

Political turmoil in Peru

Peru police search homes of officials in impeachment case

13-09-2020 09:26 Police in Peru raid homes of key government officials as part of an investigation into allegations President Martín Vizcarra obstructed a graft probe.

Political turmoil in Peru

Peru in renewed political turmoil as Vizcarra faces impeachment

13-09-2020 09:16 Some of Peru's lawmakers are calling for the dismissal of President Martín Vizcarra based on audios in which he is heard coaching two officials close to him for a congressional investigation into corruption.

DEBT DEAL DONE

Creditors overwhelmingly back government’s debt restructuring offer

05-09-2020 10:24 Argentina wins "massive" bondholder support to restructure overseas debt, exchanging 99% of debt held under international law.

AS I SEE IT

Down with development

05-09-2020 09:39 Alberto and the people surrounding him are determined to solve the country’s socioeconomic problems by levelling down, taking as much as they can from the more productive parts of society and giving it to the millions who rely on handouts.

by James Neilson

Argentine superstar

Lionel Messi confirms in interview he will stay at Barcelona

04-09-2020 13:39 Messi confirms he will stay at Barcelona, insisting he could never go to court against "the club of his life" and letting rip at Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu.

CRISIS IN VENEZUELA

Venezuela's Maduro pardons dozens of political opponents

31-08-2020 23:11 Venezuelan government pardons more than 100 people, including dozens of political opponents who are in prison, have taken refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country.

RALLY IN ROSARIO

Newell’s Old Boys fans dream of an unlikely Messi homecoming

28-08-2020 00:17 Messi’s surprise decision to leave Barcelona has sparked unlikely dreams among the residents of Rosario that he may return to play to Argentina to play with Newell’s Old Boys.

MESSI: END OF AN ERA

Top European clubs circle as Messi calls time at Barcelona

26-08-2020 09:14 Lawyers for Argentine star sends club a fax confirming Messi's desire to rescind his contract by triggering a release clause, sending shockwaves throughout the world of football.

ARGENTINE SUPERSTAR

From Ballon d'Or to abject humiliation: why Messi seeks pastures new

26-08-2020 09:08 Barcelona have insisted in the past they had plans for coping with Messi's retirement, whenever it came, but the truth is their number 10 is irreplaceable.

Political controversy

Duhalde widely criticised after suggesting 'coup d'état' may be on cards

25-08-2020 22:00 Sparking outrage and controversy, former president queries if there will be midterm elections next year, anticipating a coup d’état since "Argentina is the world champion of military dictatorships." Politicians and human rights leaders condemn comments.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Protest or PRO test?

22-08-2020 10:10 The uproar surrounding the court system reform is another test of the national government's resolve.

by Martín Gambarotta

DEBT RESTRUCTURING

Creditors reiterate support for debt swap

22-08-2020 10:05 Ad Hoc Group of Argentina Exchange Bondholders says members will be entering Argentina’s debt swap proposal to the tune of almost US$5 billion on Monday.

AS I SEE IT

The opposition takes to the streets

22-08-2020 09:58 These days demonstrators are well-behaved men and women who wear facemasks not for fear of getting recognised by the cops, but because they have no desire to get infected by the coronavirus.

by James Neilson

JUDICIAL REFORM

Opposition applies pressure ahead of judicial reform battle

22-08-2020 09:53 Juntos por el Cambio calls on Fernández administration to withdraw its judicial reform bill, which is set to enter Congress next week.