News of trade

ILLEGAL ESPIONAGE CLAIMS

AFI conducted illegal espionage on more than 400 journalists during Macri era

08-06-2020 00:12 Cristina Caamaño, government-appointed trustee of AFI federal intelligence agency, files complaint alleging officials conducted illegal espionage on 500 journalists, academics and business leaders, including two Buenos Aires Times staffers, during the Mauricio Macri administration's time in office.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

China overtook Brazil as Argentina's largest trading partner in April

04-06-2020 02:23 Argentina recorded a surplus of US$98 million with China in April, compared to a US$351 million deficit in the same month of the previous year, says CERA business chamber.

WORLD THE PANDEMIC: GLOBAL VIEWS

New Pakistani ambassador waits to get to know his new home

16-05-2020 08:36 Buenos Aires has a new diplomat in town – but he’s stuck in the hotel. Pakistani Ambassador Dr Muhammad Khalid Ejaz arrived just days before Argentina entered its mandatory lockdown and, as he tells the Times, he’s eager to get to work and improve bilateral ties.

by James Grainger

Mercosur negotiations

Argentina on board for Mercosur trade talks after 'gradual change in discourse'

10-05-2020 10:00 A teleconference this Thursday assessed the courses of action on the Mercosur negotiations already concluded with the European Union, the ongoing negotiations with Canada, Korea, Singapore and Lebanon, and the deepening of agreements already signed with Israel and India.

Coronavirus pandemic

Local firms reinvent themselves to survive coronavirus pandemic

04-05-2020 12:58 Thousands of companies across Argentina have been left paralysed by the coronavirus pandemic. Many are reinventing themselves during the crisis as they vie to keep their firms afloat.

FUTURE OF MERCOSUR?

EU 'welcomes' Argentina's commitment to Mercosur free-trade deal

28-04-2020 23:58 European Union pleased that Argentina remains engaged in talks over long-awaited free-trade deal, despite decision to withdraw from all future Mercosur trade talks.

MERCOSUR TRADE BLOC

Opposition slams government's decision to pull out of Mercosur trade talks

26-04-2020 09:34 Citing economic policy priorities and the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, President Alberto Fernandez’s administration has withdrawn from ongoing and future talks involving the Mercosur trade bloc.

Bloomberg - Long read

Trump’s oil deal: the inside story of how a price war ended

13-04-2020 16:13 After a week-long marathon of calls between world leaders and video conferences featuring dozens of energy ministers, this is how the 2020 oil price war was finally ended.

Bloomberg

Virus hobbles Argentina's biggest soy exporters – with harvest nearing

24-03-2020 10:59 The world’s biggest exporters of soybean meal and oil are fending off a slew of logistical hurdles as they rush to get ready for the impending harvest in Argentina.

Bloomberg

OAS set for showdown over Trump’s Venezuela policy

20-03-2020 18:28 Luis Almagro's re-election to the head of the Organisation of AmericanStates has effectively turned into a test of the popularity of Donald Trump’s hard-line policy against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Mercosur's integration

'Very important' nations seeking Mercosur trade deals, says Uruguay official

09-03-2020 13:45 Potential trade partners are pursuing regional commercial bloc after a sweeping deal with the European Union showed most of its members are open to business, says Ernesto Talvi.

Drug Trade

US report: Colombia coca production still at record high

06-03-2020 12:07 The Trump administration has encouraged the Colombian government to ramp-up its efforts of curbing production through arial herbicide spraying.

Bloomberg

US dollars can be another obstacle for US-China farm deal targets

05-03-2020 13:37 Crop traders obsessing over the deadly coronavirus in China may be overlooking another key challenge to the Trump administration’s phase one trade deal: the US dollar.

Wine business

Tariffs, coronavirus fears threaten wine show buzz

04-03-2020 12:51 Threatened by Trump's tariffs and the coronavirus epidemic, winegrowers are facing a high level of uncertainty that raises doubts over the future of the industry.

Gruesome discovery

Human remains found at Marcelo Balcedo's property in Uruguay

04-03-2020 12:09 Human remains in a state of decomposition were found at the Punta del Este home of Balcedo, a controversial trade unionist who has been accused of money-laundering, smuggling, and arms-trafficking.

BREXITSHAMBLES

UK rejects EU trade demands, threatens to walk away

27-02-2020 15:14 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government rebuffed EU demands for common trading standards and fishing right, setting out its red lines for trade talks with the European Union.

Free Trade

EU believes Argentina and Mercosur will ratify agreement

26-02-2020 15:17 Brussels maintains that the free trade agreement is "very balanced" and will boost the growth of the economy.

GUEST VOICE

China and Argentina’s marriage of convenience

22-02-2020 11:12 Research shows that Argentina has entrenched its historic role as a raw material exporter, with little respect for environmental norms.

ARGENTINA & CHINA

Alberto Fernández eyes China in bid to alleviate Argentina’s debt crisis

22-02-2020 10:39 With money tight and funding scarce, President Alberto Fernández is looking east – a move that could see key infrastructure projects restarted and a bolstering of Central Bank reserves.

by Fermin Koop

BLOOMBERG

Argentina's beef exports to China stumble due to coronavirus

18-02-2020 12:21 South American meat exporters are seeing a sharp slowdown in trade with the Asian nation as the coronavirus disrupts shipments. One industry leader says exports have almost ground to a halt.

Bloomberg

Diplomatic dance: Solá heads to Brazil for meeting with Bolsonaro, Araujo

12-02-2020 08:15 Foreign minister hoping his Brazilian counterparts are also looking to turn a page, as region's top economics seek to heal diplomatic wounds.

TRADE WAR

French wine exports to US plunge in wake of Trump tariffs

07-02-2020 12:59 US President Donald Trump imposed punitives tariffs on Europe agriculture as a result the litigation between the aeronautic giants Boeing and Airbus. Since then, French wine imports into the US have been cut almost by half among others European delicacies.

TRADE WAR

China to halve tariffs on $75 Billion US goods

06-02-2020 12:58 Punitive Chinese duties on American goods that were adopted from September 1 last year will be lowered, in their phase-one trade deal, as Beijing tries to contain a health crisis that threatens to slow domestic growth with repercussions around the world.

EU DEPARTURE

Brexit deal cleared by EU Parliament; UK set to leave Friday

29-01-2020 16:02 Legislators approve withdrawal agreement that will end the 47-year membership of Britain. EU parliament will soon shrink by 73 members.

TRADE WARS & TARIFFS

Trump extends US aluminum, steel tariffs for some imported products

27-01-2020 13:50 Decision comes almost two years after administration implemented tariffs on imports of foreign raw steel and aluminium, saying they threatened viability of domestic industries.

EUROZONE

ECB's Lagarde sees ebbing risks to eurozone, vows climate action

23-01-2020 16:25 European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday said risks to the eurozone economy had become "less pronounced" in the wake of a US-China trade truce even as US President Donald Trump reignited a trade spat with Europe.

TRADE TENSIONS

Mercosur braces for change amid calls for new trade rules

18-01-2020 09:19 Regional trade bloc faces uncertain future, with Argentina now in the minority and Uruguay and Brazil seeking the right to secure trade deals outside the bloc’s remit

by Fermin Koop

Bloomberg

Brazil looks to India as trade with Argentina deteriorates

15-01-2020 23:26 Brazil sees a huge potential for its exports of food and commodities, and a chance to increase its US$7 billion in annual bilateral trade with India to US$25 billion in the next few years.

BLOOMBERG

Top Trump official says no decision yet on steel tariffs

10-12-2019 18:33 Trump’s top economic adviser says administration hasn’t made a decision about re-imposing steel tariffs on Brazil and Argentina, even though the US president said last week the duties were “effective immediately.”

ARGENTINA-BRAZIL RELATIONS

Daniel Scioli: I’ll de-escalate tensions with Bolsonaro

10-12-2019 10:49 Argentina's next ambassador to Brazil vows support for Lula will not ruin the relationship between the two countries, as both nations will aim for a pragmatic relationship.

by Perfíl/ Rosario Ayerdi

MERCOSUR SUMMIT

Tensions loom large at Macri's final Mercosur summit

05-12-2019 18:14 Macri bids farewell to Mercosur at summit in Brazil, with regional bloc reeling from US steel and aluminum tariffs and tensions between Bolsonaro and Alberto Fernández.

FUTURE OF MERCOSUR?

Changing Mercosur bloc meets in Brazil after US tariffs blow

05-12-2019 07:26 Focus of bloc's 55th summit – the last for President Mauricio Macri – looked set to be the arrival of Alberto Fernández in office. The Mercosur now has more immediate concerns: Donald Trump.

Bolivia Election Crisis

Bolivia arms 'anti-terror' group to 'dismantle' foreign groups 'threatening' country

04-12-2019 11:21 The new interim government of right-wing president Jeanine Añez has denounced foreign influence in the country since taking power, naming Colombians, Argentines, Peruvians, Cubans and Venezuelans at different times.

TRANSITION 2019

Influential agricultural leader: Macri 'wasn't what we expected'

03-12-2019 08:30 Carlos Iannizzotto, president of one of Argentina's largest agricultural cooperatives, Coninagro, reflects on how the industry fared under outgoing president Mauricio Macri – and ponders what lies ahead under Alberto Fernández.

TRUMP TRADE WARS

Argentina, Brazil debate response as Trump re-imposes steel, aluminium tariffs

02-12-2019 22:24 Government says in a statement it is considering "joint action" with Brazil, after US President Trump accuses two nations of currency manipulation and declares he’ll slap tariffs on their steel and aluminium imports in retaliation.

TRUMP TRADE WARS

Bolsonaro under fire after Trump slaps tariffs on Argentina, Brazil

02-12-2019 17:50 Bolsonaro’s attempts to gain goodwill from the US president seem to have failed, as Trump accuses both Brazil and Argentina of currency manipulation and introduces new tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Mercosur

Fernández promises 'pragmatic ties' with Brazil and Mercosur

29-11-2019 18:34 President-elect optimistic over Argentina-Brazil relations on Thursday after Brasilia says it has "no problems" with incoming leader. After a turbulent campaign, both sides have agreed to maintain "pragmatic" relations with each other.

Mercosur 'Braxit'?

Brazil's economy minister: We have 'no problem' with Alberto Fernández

27-11-2019 12:43 At a conference in Washington, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes pours cold water on renewed speculation that Brazil could leave the Mercosur trade bloc when Alberto Fernández takes office.

Bloomberg

Bolsonaro's son calls for 'pragmatism' towards Argentina

21-11-2019 16:48 His approach varies greatly from that of his father, who has publicly eschewed the upcoming presidency of Argentina's Alberto Fernández

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Economy in mind, Bolsonaro changes tack and cozies up to China

13-11-2019 12:38 Gone is last year’s fiery campaign trail rhetoric about China being a rapacious power intent on exploiting Brazilian resources. China is, after all, Brazil’s biggest trading partner.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TELLS CGT

Alberto Fernández: 'The labour movement is part of my government'

08-11-2019 17:11 Argentina's next leader praises Perón at umbrella union group's headquarters as he attends meeting and calls on union leaders to back his social-economic pact.

PRESIDENT-ELECT IN MEXICO

Fernández, López Obrador talk up trade ties and regional cooperation

05-11-2019 11:28 Leaders of Argentina and Mexico say they see the world in a similar way, with president-elect saying the two are seeking to restore "the equilibrium and social equality lost in Latin America" in recent years.

Bloomberg

Nancy Pelosi on governing during Trump's impeachment process

01-11-2019 19:03 In an exclusive roundtable interview with Bloomberg editors and reporters, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi discusses health care, China, global trade and, of course, impeachment.

ELECTION 2019

Embattled farmers eye presidential vote with apprehension

16-10-2019 19:38 Farmers are bracing for the possible return of interventionist policies if the Peronist ticket headed by Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner wins the October 27 ballot.

BLOOMBERG

Is the world economy sliding into first recession since 2009?

15-10-2019 09:11 The global economy is wobbling and whether it topples over is the big question in financial markets, executive suites and the corridors of power.

UNIONS AND LABOUR

With Fernández present, Yasky's CTA approves reunification talks with CGT

04-10-2019 08:58 Presidential frontrunner Alberto Fernández attends meeting in Lanús, at which CTA members vote to back opposition and open talks with CGT with view to reunification, nearly three decades on from split.

by Aurelio Tomás

BLOOMBERG

Uruguayan beef battling to stay competitive amid crisis in Argentina

27-09-2019 09:33 Beef is Uruguay’s top export by value, with shipments rising six percent to US$1.27 billion through mid-September, although volumes have barely risen.

EU-MERCOSUR TRADE DEAL

Austria rejects EU-Mercosur trade deal over Amazon fires

19-09-2019 09:49 Key committee in Austrian Parliament rejects draft free-trade agreement between EU and Mercosur over concerns about fires in the Amazon.

'Braxit'?

A Latin American Brexit? Analysing Brazil’s threat on Mercosur

16-09-2019 07:30 Jair Bolsonaro has said Brazil could leave Mercosur if Argentina, the second-largest economy in the customs union, pivots to the left after presidential elections in October. But how feasible is such a break?

Bloomberg

Argentine bondholders pull out old guidebook to flee country

08-09-2019 08:55 “Many investors thought Argentina was on its way to becoming Chile or Colombia – stable, investment grade,” said Leo Chialva, a partner at Buenos Aires-based consulting firm Delphos Investment. “Those large funds are horrified by the latest measures.”