Argentine bond prices fell on Thursday and the country risk soared to levels not seen since 2005 after the government announced plans to extend maturities on an estimated US$ 100bn in debt, raising fear of a full-blown financial crisis.
United States said on Wednesday it expects to continue with the solid association with Argentina, 'whoever is the candidate that the Argentine people elect as their next president', on 27 October according to a source from US State Department Western Hemisphere Affairs.
Argentina will negotiate with holders of its sovereign bonds and the International Monetary Fund to extend the maturities of its debt obligations, as a way of ensuring the country's ability to pay, Treasury Minister Hernan Lacunza said on Wednesday.
Argentina’s peso was battered on Wednesday as the central bank sold US$ 367 million of its dollar reserves in a second consecutive day of heavy intervention aimed at controlling the currency’s fall. Likewise the country risk rose 135 basis points to 2,125, its highest in 14 years, before partially recovering, according to the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Plus.
Argentine President Mauricio Macri said that monthly inflation would accelerate to 3% in August following a slump in the peso, as the central bank intervened heavily in the market on Tuesday to prop up the local currency.
Tens of thousands of Argentines jammed streets in the capital Buenos Aires and other cities on Saturday to show support for conservative President Mauricio Macri, who is facing a tough fight heading into general elections in October in a country beset with economic challenges.
Argentine presidential candidate Alberto Fernández said on Thursday that no one wants a default for the country and he's ruling it out if elected. The center-left candidate appeared to be trying to calm investors who reacted to his strong finish against conservative President Mauricio Macri in an initial round of voting by battering Argentina's stocks and currency.
Argentina will not allow a chaotic fall in the peso and will use its dollar reserves to bolster the currency against political uncertainty that has swept the country since the Aug. 11 primary election, Treasury Minister Hernan Lacunza said on Wednesday.
Argentina could be downgraded again by Fitch Ratings if further weakness in the Peso boosts the risk of default, the agency’s head of sovereign ratings said in an interview. Argentina has issued billions of dollars worth of bonds denominated in U.S. currency.
Argentina's new finance minister made stabilizing the country's battered currency his top priority on Tuesday, while still pledging to meet commitments made to the International Monetary Fund, which is sending a team to Buenos Aires.