8M Rally 'We will be a tsunami' – Green tide fills streets surrounding Congress on 8M 09-03-2024 19:48 Thousands of women of all ages demonstrated near Congress to make their slogans against sexist violence heard. by Sabrina Chemen
IMPACT OF AUSTERITY Financing the fiscal surplus: Stories behind reduction in state spending 08-03-2024 08:52 Argentina recorded its first monthly budget surplus in nearly 12 years in January, President Milei’s first month in office. But according to one analysis, a third of those spending cuts came from a refusal to update pension payments for inflation. A look at the faces behind the figures. by Agustina Bordigoni
#8M: WOMEN'S RIGHTS Feminists ready to rally for rights in face of Milei pushback 06-03-2024 09:37 International Women’s Day takes place this week and feminists across Argentina are ready to take to the streets to highlight the food crisis, the right to abortion, the pay gap, gender violence and much more. by Ashton Goren
War in Middle East Mediators seek Gaza truce as United States calls for 'immediate ceasefire' 04-03-2024 13:04 Mediators in Cairo push towards a Gaza truce after the US, Israel's top ally, stepped up pressure for a halt in fighting and more aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory.
ECONOMIC CRISIS Multiple demonstrations in Argentina to claim food aid 23-02-2024 17:49 Thousands of people marched on Friday across cities in Argentina to demand extra ood aid for soup kitchens and to reject severe austerity policies.
LIVING WITH POVERTY ‘Comedores’ in crisis: Emergency food aid at risk from cuts 15-02-2024 16:30 Milei government’s move to suspend aid to soup kitchens and introduce a new system to ‘cut out the middleman’ damages emergency food assistance efforts. by Agustina Bordigoni
POVERTY More hunger, less money: Soup kitchens count rations 15-02-2024 00:33 At community meal centres across Argentina, a dual crisis is biting: the influx of ever more hungry mouths to feed during an economic crisis, and a decision by President Javier Milei's new government to freeze their aid.
IMF DEBT PROGRAMME IMF authorises US$4.7 billion loan tranche, says Milei will remove currency controls 01-02-2024 18:25 International Monetary Fund signs off on fresh loan disbursement and reveals Argentina will lift currency controls this year – though it warns political and social unrest may lie ahead.
BOOKS & LITERATURE Is Argentina’s publishing industry at risk of extinction? 22-01-2024 08:05 The abrupt fall of demand from the domestic market, disproportionate increases of the price of paper and fuel, deferred payments in a context that is virtually hyperinflationary, the opening of imports and books on sale, the possible repeal of the Law for the Defence of the Book Industry, a lack of state purchases… a potent cocktail is attacking the entire ecosystem of Argentine books. by Gonzalo Santos
GRIPPED BY CRISIS In danger of extinction? Middle class slammed by crisis and austerity measures 16-01-2024 17:16 The removal of subsidies, rising rent and the increased costs of prepaid healthcare schemes and private schools are slamming the middle class, specialists warn. March will be a difficult month with the start of classes and the billing of basic public services shooting up. by Agustina Bordigoni
HOUSING CRISIS Tenants in Buenos Aires 'desperate' amid inflation and housing crisis 15-01-2024 15:09 Argentina's housing crisis, set against a backdrop of 211% inflation per annum, with rent charges soaring and prices increasingly set in dollars, is leaving tenants feeling helpless.
ARMED FORCES Military issue: The trauma affecting Argentina and its Armed Forces 01-01-2024 01:25 In countries such as Brazil, the United States or Israel, entering the military is often a prestigious and profitable career path, one frequently chosen by individuals across different social classes and strata. But in Argentina, where the shadow of the dark era of the 1976-1983 dictatorship looms large, mistrust of the military remains high. by Sabrina Chemen
CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING Uruguayans pile into Argentina to spend record US$1 billion 30-10-2023 11:11 Uruguayans are taking advantage of Argentina's deep economic crisis with food, vacations and shopping costing a fraction of the price back home.
ECONOMY & SOCIETY Trash is a lifeline for ‘los cartoneros,’ Argentina’s army of recyclers 20-10-2023 10:52 Argentina’s ‘cartoneros’ emerged in 2001, when the country experienced the worst economic, social and political crisis in recent history. Today, more than 150,000 people face the daily struggle of recycling rubbish in a nation stricken by crisis.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Recession, inflation, devaluation: Economic troubles in 5 charts 19-10-2023 13:46 Argentina’s next president will take over in the middle of a financial emergency — which is par for the course in one of the world’s most dysfunctional economies.
BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE Ex-Soros partner surfs Argentine crisis with real-estate empire 03-10-2023 12:43 Eduardo Elsztain avoided speculative investments in stocks, bonds and derivatives as he built up his empire over the last 30 years. Now his real-estate company IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones is booming, even as Argentina enters recession.
Living with inflation The Odyssey: Making it to the end of the month amid runaway prices 07-09-2023 12:56 Six Argentines share tips on living with inflation and coping with escalating prices. Recipes for trying to reach the end of the month are very varied, ranging from cutting back on car insurance, not buying clothes, wrapping up to save on gas or disposing of assets to cover debts. Many employees, including skilled workers, don’t manage to reach the end of the month, or at least not without taking on a little debt. by Agustina Bordigoni
DANCE & CULTURE In inflation-hit Buenos Aires, tango enthusiasts sway the blues away 06-09-2023 09:36 Many milongas have had to close amid spiralling inflation, but the biting economic crisis cannot keep tango enthusiasts from heading to the capital's dance halls.
ECONOMIC CRISIS Poverty bites in the Conurbano, but demands go beyond economic 09-08-2023 10:43 Argentina’s economic crisis spares no-one in Greater Buenos Aires. The youngest are the hardest hit. Across the Conurbano, demands are high, but local campaigners say the problems run deeper than soaring prices. by Ludmila Di Grande
BOOKS & LITERATURE Inflation woes reach book publishers as the price of paper surges 27-05-2023 06:31 Small publishers at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair discuss the challenges of coping with runaway inflation; Resistant readers help literary houses to survive crisis. by Api Dhadda
EDITORIAL April showers bring no May flowers 20-05-2023 07:00 There can be no doubt that inflation is public enemy number one.
FIFA U20 WORLD CUP Government creates US$50-million workaround for U-20 World Cup 19-05-2023 13:29 Just two days before the kick-off of the Under-20 World Cup, Argentina's government creates exceptional one-off exchange rate for the import of football equipment.
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Peronism’s identity crisis 06-05-2023 06:29 What is under discussion is much more than a candidacy. It is the search for a new leader who, on their own and without intermediaries, is competitive enough to assume power and unify Peronism. by Gustavo González
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Out of the pink (house) and into the blue 29-04-2023 06:55 In a country where the urgent almost invariably displaces the important, Alberto Fernández’s premature entry into “lame duck” status has had immediate consequences. by Michael Soltys
EDITORIAL Bucking the trend or a new weight for the peso? 29-04-2023 05:41 The giddy oscillations of parallel exchange rates and the relentless acceleration of prices are moving too fast to leave any margin for gradualism, thus making shock treatment inevitable.
BLOOMBERG – FEATURE Argentina cracks as peso plunge raises risk of messy devaluation 28-04-2023 12:39 Argentina is moving closer to a breaking point as the government’s desperate measures fail to halt a plunge in the peso, raising the risk of a currency devaluation.
BLACK TUESDAY Massa’s disobedience, Kirchnerite fury and inflation fears 26-04-2023 11:05 Economy Minister Sergio Massa will force a political debate in the wake of exchange rate crisis. Kirchnerism once again points finger at agricultural producers. by Ariel Maciel
Oil corruption Venezuela's oil minister resigns over graft probe 21-03-2023 12:24 Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami resigned on Monday after prosecutors opened a corruption investigation into officials at the state oil company PDVSA.
ANALYSIS Panic in Silicon Valley 18-03-2023 03:12 The global economy has stepped on another landmine. Increased instability will hurt Argentina, as it did after 2008. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Inflation Rises Inflation hit 94.8% in 2022, highest rate in 32 years 12-01-2023 17:34 INDEC reveals that prices increased by 5.1% in December, continuing the general downward trend but accelerating slightly from the preceding month.
Politics in Venezuela Venezuelan opposition dissolves Guaido's 'interim government' 31-12-2022 09:08 Venezuelan opposition on Friday dissolved the "interim government" led by Juan Guaidó, once the popular and internationally recognized face of the drive to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
EXCHANGE MARKET Argentina’s black-market peso slumps to record ahead of holidays 29-12-2022 15:33 Argentina's black market exchange rate plunged to a record low this week, with the blue dollar hitting 357 pesos per greenback.
Political crisis in Venezuela Decision on future of Venezuela's opposition 'government' postponed 29-12-2022 14:14 Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó puts off decision on whether his "interim government" should be dissolved.
NEW YEAR APPROACHES World economy faces more pain in 2023 after a gloomy year 27-12-2022 09:56 International Monetary Fund expects the world economy to expand in 2023, with growth of 2.7%. The OECD is forecasting 2.2% growth.
Bloomberg World Cup win could bring GDP boost to France or Argentina 16-12-2022 14:26 Argentina is better placed than France to reap the economic benefit that typically comes from winning the World Cup, says one academic.
FOREIGN POLICY Peru political crisis threatens to widen Latin America rifts 15-12-2022 16:40 President Dina Boluarte's administration says it has received the backing of governments in Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay and Costa Rica, underlining split over Peru's political crisis in the region.
POLITICAL CRISIS IN PERU Mexico, Argentina, Colombia slam Peru’s treatment of Castillo 14-12-2022 10:30 Mexico, Argentina and Colombia throw support behind Pedro Castillo, Peruvian leader impeached last week, adding a new twist to the crisis that has paralyzed swathes of the country and left several protesters dead.
Political relativity Time slows down in the Argentina of the Fernandezes, Massa & Macri 12-11-2022 07:09 Over the last few months, it’s felt as if time has slowed down in Argentina, once again. by Agustino Fontevecchia
As I see it Time is fast running out 12-11-2022 07:04 Argentina’s unhappy plight owes much to the ruling class’s strong adherence to the fixed-term political system which is enshrined in the Constitution. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Storms amid a drought 12-11-2022 06:17 In the context of a lethal global cocktail being compounded by so many urgent socio-economic problems here, it seems incredibly absurd that judicial issues should continue to dominate the local political agenda.
As I see it Getting ready for hard times 29-10-2022 06:00 The long-predicted but frequently postponed crack-up seems to have arrived. by James Neilson
BRITISH POLITICS Challenges await new UK PM Sunak, fifth Tory leader in six years 27-10-2022 15:20 Arrival of 42-year-old in office, youngest PM of modern times, cheers up Conservatives – but Labour senses weakness.
BRITISH POLITICS Sunak names team of familiar faces to steer UK through crisis 27-10-2022 02:29 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak named an experienced Cabinet to lead the UK through what he called a “profound economic crisis,” only to face immediate criticism for reappointing a series of scandal-hit former ministers to senior government jobs.
BRITISH POLITICS Incoming PM Sunak inherits UK economy in crisis 24-10-2022 14:31 Britain's next leader inherits a UK economy that was headed for recession even before the recent turmoil triggered by Liz Truss.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS British pound collapse erodes international trust in UK 28-09-2022 23:41 The UK thought it had the trust of markets — until it didn’t. Now homeowners and businesses will likely have to pay the price.
PROFILE Liz Truss's political 'journey' reaches Downing Street 08-09-2022 01:25 The UK's new prime minister, Liz Truss, takes power as a traditional, low-tax Conservative eurosceptic promising to turbo-charge economic growth. Her position is the polar opposite of how she started out.
British politics New UK PM Truss promises to ride out economic storm 08-09-2022 01:01 Incoming British Prime Minister Liz Truss begins to set out plan to tackle soaring energy bills, as she tries to head off intense pressure of a cost-of-living crisis.
INTERVIEW / PERIODISMO PURO Eduardo Levy Yeyati: ‘Devaluation is political kryptonite’ 02-09-2022 12:00 Economist, public policy specialist and dean of the Government School of Torcuato Di Tella University Eduardo Levy Yeyati on the challenges facing Sergio Massa and Argentina’s economy. by Jorge Fontevecchia
Food Security Wind blows in favour of Argentina’s GM crops 24-08-2022 15:18 Genetically modified crops, which have for years been heavily criticised by environmentalists, are benefitting from new technological developments and health and safety approvals overseas.
Deposit decline Argentines withdraw US$1 billion from bank accounts amid turmoil 23-08-2022 21:23 More than US$1 billion of dollar deposits have been withdrawn since former economy minister Martín Guzmán resigned in July.