The Argentine government approach to the power challenge from strong unions has managed so far to have several of its leaders indicted for money laundering, fraud, racketeering and widespread corruption, including one who is jailed in neighboring Uruguay and which the Argentine justice expects to extradite.
Nearly 200 phantom workers at Argentina's parliament have been caught in a crackdown on employees who only show up sporadically for their jobs, it has been reported. According to La Nacion, the Argentine Congress implemented a new attendance control system for employees two months ago, and it has already caught 190 who had not shown up for long periods without a good explanation.
Argentina sold US$ 9 billion in a three-part dollar bond issuance that was oversubscribed on Thursday, covering nearly a third of its expected financing needs for 2018 early in the year. Latin America’s third largest economy sold US$1.75 billion in five-year bonds at a yield of 4.625%, US$ 4.25 billion of 10-year bonds at 6% and US$3 billion in 30-year bonds at 7%, the ministry said. It said the yields were the lowest in Argentina’s history.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday raised its outlook for Argentina’s economic growth to 2.8% in 2017, up from 2.5% seen in October, while keeping its forecast for 2018 growth steady at 2.5%.
Merval, the benchmark stock market index in Argentina, ended Thursday's last trading session of 2017 above the 30,000-point barrier for the first time in history. The index rose 2.84% to 30,024.24 after the local government increased the inflation target for the next couple of years, but reinforced its commitment to lower fiscal deficits in the future.
Argentina’s Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to the government’s tax reform and 2018 budget plan, part of President Mauricio Macri’s push to cut business costs and attract investment to Latin America’s No. 3 economy.
Credit risk rating agency Moody's expects Argentina's economic recovery to continue in 2018 and 2019, helped by the reforms advanced by the Mauricio Macri's administration in the last two years.
Argentine president Mauricio Macri in Brasilia expressed full solidarity with the Venezuelan people, called for human rights respect and freedom for the political prisoners held by the regime of president Nicolas Maduro.
Mercosur is the most isolated and protectionist block in the world, said Argentine president Mauricio Macri on Thursday during a meeting with Argentine media, in Brasilia, in the framework of the current presidential summit during which the six-month rotating chair of the group will passed from Brazil to Paraguay.
Merval, the main index of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, rose 1.51% Thursday, closing at 28,494.01 points - close to exceeding the maximum of the year, by 28,500 points. The Argentine stocks were driven by the approval of the pension and tax reforms passed this week in the House of Representatives.