MONETARY POLICY Argentina raises benchmark rate to 52% as inflation stays hot 16-06-2022 16:54 Central Bank raises benchmark interest rate for the sixth time this year as the government struggles to cool inflation expectations.
Banknotes Pesos get political with new bills featuring ‘national heroes and heroines’ 25-05-2022 15:27 President Alberto Fernández’s government moves to replace endangered wildlife designs introduced by Mauricio Macri administration with historical icons; Three women among those to feature on new banknotes, including Juana Azurduy and Maria Remedios del Valle.
AND THAT REMINDS ME… The maybes of May 14-05-2022 00:01 Today’s anniversary is nowhere in the current agenda with plenty of issues to absorb our attention, yet stopping to recall the Menem years would not go amiss. by Michael Soltys
CENTRAL BANK Argentina's Central Bank raises key rate to 44.5% as inflation heats up 23-03-2022 15:42 Central Bank raises benchmark rate for the third time this year as inflation continues to speed up.
BLOOMBERG Argentina’s Central Bank raises key rate to 42.5% 18-02-2022 03:00 Second rate hike this year; IMF staff have called for interest rates in Argentina to exceed annual inflation.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Inflation reached 3.9% in January, lifting annual rate to 50.7% 15-02-2022 22:08 Consumer prices rose 3.9% in January as inflation accelerated for a second straight month, the INDEC national statistics bureau reported on Wednesday.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Inflation accelerates for second straight month 15-02-2022 21:55 Argentina’s inflation accelerated for the second consecutive month in January as the Central Bank sped up the pace of its controlled currency devaluations.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS Peso weakens against dollar in parallel exchange markets 26-01-2022 18:34 Argentina's currency depreciated even further on parallel foreign exchange markets on Wednesday, hitting a record 221 pesos per US dollar.
BLOOMBERG Argentina asks China to expand yuan swap to strengthen reserves 26-01-2022 13:48 Argentina has already requested the increase and the topic will be discussed next week in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping when President Alberto Fernández travels there for the Winter Olympics, a second person said.
BLOOMBERG Central Bank hikes rate for first time in a year 07-01-2022 01:41 Argentina raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in over a year as it faces calls from the International Monetary Fund to tighten its monetary policy.
BLOOMBERG Argentina pitches its weak currency to attract digital nomads 02-12-2021 14:08 To make up for lost tourism, Buenos Aires wants international remote workers to take advantage of favourable exchange rates.
FINANCIAL TURBULENCE Central Bank reserves at the limit as rumours swirl around Argentina 30-11-2021 21:40 Ecolatina consultancy firm forecasts that Central Bank reserves could end the year lower than in December 2020. Concerns remain about the level of money available to the BCRA, but economists rule out a potential 'corralito.' by Brenda Funes
NEW CENTRAL BANK RESTRICTIONS Kulfas defends new rules: ‘Middle class has many options for the summer’ 28-11-2021 09:08 Productive Development Minister Matías Kulfas becomes the latest government minister to take to the airwaves to defend new Central Bank rules on credit card purchases in dollars.
EXCHANGE CONTROLS Argentina tightens exchange controls to curb outflows of dollars 26-11-2021 03:06 Argentina’s Central Bank publishes two new measures intended to curb access to hard currency amid expectations for a devaluation.
BLOOMBERG Dollar-strapped Argentina eyes help from record grain exports 24-11-2021 17:17 Argentina's bumper wheat and barley crops and high prices are on track to give the government some breathing room with the peso.
FINANCIAL TURBULENCE Blue dollar takes a breather after week of turbulence 12-11-2021 22:04 The so-called ‘Blue Dollar’ fell to 202 pesos per greenback on the last business day before the elections.
Finance & Markets Currency turbulence continues in lead-up to midterms 10-11-2021 22:49 Argentina's currency fell sharply on Wednesday in unofficial exchanges, with the so-called 'blue dollar' selling at an all-time high of 205 pesos.
BLOOMBERG Argentina will let foreign tourists bring in dollars at a lucrative rate 29-10-2021 15:02 Foreigners travelling to Argentina will be able to exchange up to US$5,000 to pesos at the more lucrative MEP (Medio Electrónico de Pagos) rate using a temporary bank account, according to new Central Bank rules.
ECONOMY MINISTER Martín Guzmán: ‘There will be no devaluation’ 25-10-2021 11:02 Argentina’s economy minister plays down rumours of an upcoming devaluation, declares that record US$57-billion IMF credit-line was “a political loan” that helped finance Mauricio Macri’s re-election campaign.
CURRENCY Pre-election jitters send blue dollar, country risk rate soaring 22-10-2021 21:56 Peso weakens in parallel and informal exchange rates, sending JP Morgan ‘country risk’ rate soaring.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Argentina's peso weakens past key level in parallel market 22-10-2021 19:01 Argentina’s parallel exchange rate weakened past a key threshold on Friday, as demand for assets in hard currency climbed ahead of the upcoming midterm elections in November.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Argentines are desperate for dollars as bets on devaluation soar 21-10-2021 14:31 Argentine investors are growing increasingly pessimistic on the peso, betting it’s inevitable the government will be forced to speed up devaluation after November elections.
BUDGET 2022 Argentina's 2022 Budget sees primary deficit falling to 3.3% 16-09-2021 10:24 Budget bill, presented to the Chamber of Deputies just before midnight on Wednesday, forecasts inflation reaching 33% in 2022.
GUEST VOICE The challenge of reducing the gap between exchange rates 04-09-2021 10:39 Continuing the current chasm is a recipe threatening economic revival and halting investments. by Miguel Kiguel
IMF BOOST IMF’s special drawing rights gives boost to Central Bank reserves 23-08-2021 21:42 International Monetary Fund boost of special drawing rights lifts Argentina's Central Bank reserves to highest amount in almost three years.
BLOOMBERG Argentina tightens capital controls ahead of midterm elections 13-08-2021 14:11 Regulators tighten screws on so-called blue-chip operations, where investors buy assets in pesos and sell them abroad in dollars to obtain foreign currency.
BLOOMBERG Central Bank sells dollars for first time since April 03-08-2021 14:53 Central Bank sells greenbacks for the first time in three months, amid electoral nervousness and high inflation.
Bloomberg Government speeds up money printing ahead of election 28-07-2021 17:00 Central Bank was printing money for the Treasury at the fastest pace so far this year in July.
AND THAT REMINDS ME… Mightier than the dollar 24-07-2021 00:34 The successive fates of the austral and convertibility would suggest that Argentina’s currency is like Icarus – the closer it flies to the sun, the harder the economy crashes. by Michael Soltys
exchange rate Blue dollar rises to 185, highest price since October 23-07-2021 19:25 Argentina’s currency continues to depreciate in parallel exchange markets; Informal ‘blue’ dollar rate has risen by 17 pesos so far in July.
Bloomberg Not even 50% inflation will make Argentina boost interest rates 23-07-2021 16:47 Central Bank rules out increasing interest rates for the foreseeable future, even as currency pressures mount and annual inflation climbs above 50%.
BLOOMBERG Argentina slows peso devaluation in an attempt to curb inflation 01-07-2021 07:55 Policy makers see slower peso depreciation, managed by the Central Bank in a so-called 'crawling peg,' as a key tool to curb rising inflation expectations.
BLOOMBERG Argentina’s peso mess is delivering windfall profits to brokers 14-04-2021 15:12 In Argentina, financial markets are all but dead. From stocks to bonds to traditional foreign-exchange venues, trading volumes are razor thin. Except, that is, in one unusual corner.
BLOOMBERG - ANALYSIS Argentina resorts to unorthodox tools to fight 40% inflation 17-03-2021 13:24 Argentina is once again turning to a combination of unconventional policy tools to curb inflation, which is expected to near 40 percent this year.
DEBT RESTRUCTURING Bondholders: ‘Argentina desperately needs agreement with the IMF’ 20-02-2021 08:18 Private bondholders group, who previously agreed to restructuring, accuse government of dragging its feet in talks with IMF to “continue its unsustainable policies even longer."
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Balancing the budget, a dubious aim in an electoral year 30-01-2021 08:38 Economy Minister Martín Guzmán’s plans could collide with government aspirations for a good result in the 2021 midterms.
DEBT RESTRUCTURING Adherence to domestic debt swap deal rises to 99.49% 29-11-2020 23:29 Government announces that adherence to its offer to restructure US$41.7 billion in bonds issued under local jurisdiction has risen to 99.49 %.
BLOOMBERG Argentina gives Templeton, Pimco chance to trim peso holdings 09-11-2020 18:04 Argentina is giving some of its largest bondholders the chance to trim their holdings in one of the world’s worst-performing currencies, offering to swap their local peso securities for dollar-denominated assets.
BLOOMBERG Argentina turns to orthodox policy signals to ease dollar craze 06-11-2020 09:12 After tightening capital controls several times, Argentina's government has surprised investors by altering its tack in what appears to be an incipient effort to restore confidence.
BLOOMBERG Argentina can avoid a devaluation, says Domingo Cavallo 30-10-2020 14:35 Former economy minister Domingo Cavallo tells Bloomberg in an interview that it’s still possible to avoid a one-off devaluation of the peso.
BUSINESS Covid and Argentina drag Telefónica to 160-million-euro 3Q loss 30-10-2020 01:07 Company’s third-quarter write-down illustrates depth of Argentina’s economic crisis, reports Bloomberg.
THE WEEK What we learned this week: October 17 to 24 24-10-2020 08:30 Headlines and stories that caught our eye over the last seven days in Argentina.
ARGENTINA ON THE RUN The peso's got a fever and the only prescription is more dollars 24-10-2020 08:08 Whereas classical economic theory suggests that markets create efficient prices through a cumulative aggregation of information, thus allowing market players to accede to perfect information, the current situation in the City Porteña is one of absolute price opacity. by Agustino Fontevecchia
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.
FINANCIAL TURMOIL Guzmán: 'There will be no devaluation' 24-10-2020 05:44 Economy minister says currency will depreciate ‘hand-in-hand with inflation,’ as blue dollar soars to close at record high of 195 pesos per greenback.
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.
Exchange rate Fernández says no devaluation of peso on the way 14-10-2020 08:09 Argentina’s government is not going to devalue the peso, President Alberto Fernández said Tuesday night amid widespread speculation on the issue.
Financial turmoil Fernández: Currency market is messy, it needs order 11-10-2020 17:22 In the wide-ranging interview with El Cohete a la Luna, president says Argentina's currency market is messy and must be “ordered.”
BLOOMBERG Argentina’s currency woes show no sign of easing 10-10-2020 08:31 Argentina’s hodge podge exchange rate regime is running out of steam.
Bloomberg Government to devalue peso faster while it fights reserves drop 01-10-2020 23:09 The Central Bank will end a policy of “uniform devaluation” and allow greater volatility, according to a statement sent by the institution led by Miguel Pesce after hours Thursday.