Market turbulence Argentina, always playing on ‘hard mode’ 18-06-2022 08:00 Just like during the Mauricio Macri days, a series of external shocks coupled with domestic weakness have made us aware of a troubling thunderstorm on the horizon. by Agustino Fontevecchia
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.
END OF AN ERA Mercado de Liniers cattle market closes after 122 years of trading 13-05-2022 16:51 Traditional Mercado de Liniers cattle market, in the heart of Buenos Aires, finally closes its doors ahead of its move to Cañuelas.
BLOOMBERG Volatility roars back to Argentina's FX market on commodities drop 27-04-2022 20:26 Volatility has come roaring back to Argentina’s currency market.
BLOOMBERG YPF leads emerging-market bond gains 31-03-2022 13:29 Only 14 months ago YPF was a nightmare for investors. Now, the state-run oil company is producing the best fixed-income returns in all of emerging markets.
BLOOMBERG War turns Argentina's shale boom dream into gas-buying nightmare 28-03-2022 13:10 Despite huge shale-gas deposits, Argentina is competing for shipments of liquefied natural gas – its timing could scarcely be worse, as prices have skyrocketed.
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.
Agriculture Argentina intervenes in wheat market to quash food inflation 03-03-2022 15:04 Argentina has intervened in the local wheat market to guarantee supplies to local millers and keep prices of commodities low.
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.
Bloomberg Argentine traders bail on devaluation bets, buy inflation bonds 19-01-2022 14:53 Traders are rapidly scaling back purchases of local dollar bonds and instead are plowing money into inflation-linked bonds, a better haven as they see it as consumer prices soar at an annual pace of more than 50 percent.
Lithium in Latin America Chile awards two multi-million dollar lithium contracts 12-01-2022 21:58 Chile shunned two of the world's biggest lithium producers when awarding extraction contracts worth a total of US$121 million to a local firm and a Chinese company, the country's minerals ministry said Wednesday.
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 Cannabis price drop creates opportunity for Paraguay 03-01-2022 12:36 As cannabis starts to behave more like an agricultural commodity, there’s a race to find the best growing climate at the lowest cost. In South America, a new candidate is emerging: Paraguay.
LEFTIST ELECTED PRESIDENT Chile stock market plummets in response to Boric's election win 20-12-2021 11:40 Chilean stock market and peso takes a beating after leftist leader Gabriel Boric is elected the country's youngest-ever president-elect.
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
CRYPTOCURRENCIES Cryptocurrencies: Argentina as a Bitcoin farmer 05-11-2021 17:44 A well-known Canadian company is bringing its Bitcoin ‘farms’ to Argentina. A look at the local temptations favouring this mining business. by Mariana Sidoti Gigli
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.
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.
LITHIUM IN LATIN AMERICA Chile offers incentives to miners to take on more lithium projects 14-10-2021 22:34 Chile is offering new contracts to tap the world’s biggest reserves of lithium in a effort to reclaim market share as demand for the battery metal surges.
Bloomberg Argentina’s 120-year-old cattle auction is leaving Buenos Aires 10-10-2021 09:30 In late December, the Mercado de Liniers, a sprawling open-air cattle market built in 1901, is slated to hold its final auction in front of what is certain to be a teary-eyed crowd.
Lithium Lithium prices are soaring, sparking more deals for key battery metal 07-10-2021 08:23 Lithium is having a moment -- and record prices won’t deter the flurry of deals for the key battery metal.
INTERVIEW / PERIODISMO PURO Javier Milei: ‘The more people are against the ropes, the more they will embrace freedom’ 25-09-2021 11:02 In a feature-length interview, economist Javier Milei discusses his stunning PASO primaries result, political origins and experience with psychotherapy. by Jorge Fontevecchia
ELECTIONS 2021: PASO PRIMARIES Milei wins 13% of vote in City PASO, taking Avanza Libertad into third 13-09-2021 16:00 Candidates from the Avanza Libertad have hailed their party’s results in the PASO primaries, which saw the libertarian alliance finish third in the City and fourth in Buenos Aires Province.
BLOOMBERG In home of Malbec, eyes turn toward idled US$5-billion potash mine 09-09-2021 14:52 Mendoza Province in talks with some of world’s top producers of potash to revive Río Colorado mine.
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 Colombia gets a leg up in global marijuana export market 09-08-2021 14:50 Colombia is already world renowned for its coffee beans and flowers. Now, a new decree could make it a a major exporter of marijuana as well.
New era in Peru? Peru's currency plummets amid political uncertainty 30-07-2021 17:29 Peru's currency fell to a record low against the US dollar on Friday as the Lima stock exchange dropped more than six percent amid uncertainty over the next finance minister.
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.
PHOTO FEATURE Liniers cattle market: last memory of a rural Buenos Aires 26-07-2021 08:00 Liniers cattle market prepares to close its doors, ahead of move to Cañuelas, after more than a century in Mataderos.
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%.
Stock Market US stocks fall amid worries over growth, Delta strain 08-07-2021 11:53 Wall Street stocks tumbled, threatening global growth due to bond yields and increasing prevalence of the Covid-19 Delta variant.
Startups Venture capital surge delivers record for 'unicorn births' 08-07-2021 11:41 According to a report by US-based firms, startups globally raised $156 billion between April and June, the highest level in a decade for the second quarter.
BLOOMBERG Peak meat? High prices and plant-based trends threaten demand 01-07-2021 08:32 Demand for meat is waning across the globe in what could signal the start of a new broad shift away from animal protein.
Bloomberg Argentines hedge against yet another inflation spiral 15-06-2021 17:46 Amount of money placed in mutual funds that invest in inflation-linked debt in Argentina has leaped 40% in just 30 days, far outstripping any other type of fund.
Economy World Bank forecasts 'modest recovery' for Latin America and Caribbean 09-06-2021 14:51 Latin America and the Caribbean will have "modest economic recoveries" in 2021, the World Bank has warned. Argentina's economy forecast to rebound 6.4% this year.
Cryptocurrency Bitcoin sinks and approaches US$30,000 08-06-2021 17:00 The price of bitcoin fell sharply on Tuesday by 8.6% to a value of $31,501, a level not seen since mid-May, dragging other cryptocurrencies in its wake.
Bloomberg Argentina seeks winter LNG boost as shale gas dreams falter 12-04-2021 11:19 Argentina is poised to more than double its purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the spot market this winter, in a bid to avoid a deficit.
MERCOSUR AT 30 Highlights (and low points): Mercosur turns 30 27-03-2021 08:49 A free-trade agreement with the European Union which has yet to be implemented, an imperfect common external tariff, mounted with great difficulty – these factors and others mark the 30-year history of Mercosur, a mosaic of successes and inconclusive challenges.
JOBLESSNESS 220,000 registered jobs lost in 2020, concludes study 15-03-2021 15:52 A study by the Ecolatina consultancy firm has found that approximately 220,000 officially registered jobs were lost in Argentina last year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing economic crisis.
ECONOMIC PLANS Guzmán: ‘Austerity is not the way to go’ 13-02-2021 09:01 At a talk hosted by Brown University, Argentina’s economy minister says the nation has a “thin corridor through which the economy has to transit,” as speculation grows over debt talks with the International Monetary Fund. by Jonah Shrock
TELECOMMUNICATIONS Telefónica sells mobile masts in Europe, Latin America for 7.7 billion euros 13-01-2021 10:13 Spain’s Telefónica to sell its telephone masts in Europe and Latin America to US-based telecom infrastructure firm American Towers Corp for US$9.4 billion in cash.
Bloomberg Argentina goes all-in to cut record gap with parallel peso 12-11-2020 16:42 Argentina is resorting to all necessary means to reduce the gap between its official and parallel exchange rates.
FINANCIAL TURMOIL Economy Ministry to halt Central Bank advances until end of 2020 03-11-2020 12:53 Economy Ministry says it will not ask the Central Bank for temporary advances of cash in November and December and would target local capital markets for financing instead.
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.
IN FOCUS Economy Ministry takes steps to relieve pressure on currency markets 21-10-2020 18:59 Economy Ministry unveils new measures designed to reduce the pressures on volatile currency markets and ward off devaluation.
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.
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 Miguel Pesce: ‘A dollar at 130 pesos would inflict unbearable levels of poverty’ 26-09-2020 08:45 Following a week of difficult announcements, Central Bank chief Miguel Pesce sits down for a feature-length interview to explain the government’s logic in what he describes as “very arduous situation, aggravated by the action of speculators.” Nevertheless, Pesce remains optimistic over 2021 growth, lower inflation and export possibilities. by Jorge Fontevecchia
Coronanomics Zoom stock surges, market value tops Boeing, Starbucks 01-09-2020 22:26 Zoom's market value is now higher than US$129 billion. The company reported explosive growth during the second quarter as more people paid for subscriptions, giving them more control over virtual meetings.
ECONOMIC POLICY Central Bank optimistic over post-bond swap future 25-08-2020 19:20 Central Bank Governor Miguel Ángel Pesce says closure of the debt swap deal would relieve pressures on exchange markets and improve economic expectations.