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Argentine minister 'satisfied' with the market response on first day without the dollar clamp

Friday, December 18th 2015 - 09:14 UTC
Full article 31 comments
”We are satisfied with the result as there were almost no sales in the retail market” and the Central Bank did not sell dollars either, underlined Prat-Gay. ”We are satisfied with the result as there were almost no sales in the retail market” and the Central Bank did not sell dollars either, underlined Prat-Gay.
The only “active” marketplace was the wholesale segment with few buyers where the dollar price stood at 13.60 Pesos The only “active” marketplace was the wholesale segment with few buyers where the dollar price stood at 13.60 Pesos

Argentina's Finance Minister Alfonso Prat Gay said on Thursday that the first day in the market without the dollar restrictions imposed by the previous administration, had been positive and as they had planned or expected. Compared to the previous multi-tier system, the dollar appreciated in the range of 25% against the Peso in the unified market.

 “We are satisfied with the result as there were almost no sales in the retail market” and the Central Bank did not sell dollars either, underlined Prat-Gay.

The only “active” marketplace was the wholesale segment with few buyers where the dollar price stood at 13.40 pesos while in the retail segment “there were almost no transactions.”

“There were more sellers than buyers” the day after the government lifted the currency controls, Prat Gay told reporters specifying agro exporting firms “didn’t sell what they had planned.”

In effect agro exports firms have promised daily sales of up to 400 million dollars, but on Thursday, ”they only operated in the range of 45 million“

Anyhow, ”how long has it been since the Central bank did not lose reserves?, asked Prat Gay to financial reporters. He added that the absence of buyers can be attributed to the fact that many companies are over-bought.

Besides ”today was not a normal day because the futures market did not operate and banks were processing all the new rules (referred to the end of the dollar clamp and other restrictions). But our assessment of the day is that buyers were absent, not the people willing to sell dollars“.

When the minister was asked if 13.50 Pesos could be taken as a reference price for the US dollar, Prat Gay said ”we are going to feel comfortable when we have brought inflation down, which is our main objective, and then the exchange rate will fluctuate at the level it finds an equilibrium, and we will have to get used to that“.

Prat-Gay also revealed that the fiscal deficit is in the range of 7% of GDP, but ”we need to make an inventory before we advance. Once this is clear and so is the objective inflation, we will discuss it at an social-economic roundtable”.

Categories: Economy, Politics, Argentina.

Top Comments

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  • Moderator

    Smart guy...

    Dec 18th, 2015 - 10:43 am 0
  • Marti Llazo

    Article: “Compared to the previous multi-tier system, the dollar appreciated in the range of 25% against the Peso in the unified market.”

    It wasn't the dollar that “appreciated.” This reflects the usual sort of distorted argento-centric thinking. It was the ARS that was in de facto devaluation. The dollar value in other markets was fairly stable. It was the recognition that the previous government-controlled exchange rate and value of the ARS were laughably false and contrived, the perfect metaphor for Peronism.

    Dec 18th, 2015 - 11:46 am 0
  • ElaineB

    You are right, the Argentine peso devalued by around 30%. The dollar was made stronger against other currencies because of the rise in interest rates in the U.S.. Interest rates in the US have been at 'emergency levels' for the last eight years because of the economic crisis the Democrats inherited from the Republicans. It has been a long slow struggle to get the US economy in a more healthy condition. The stronger dollar is not good news for emerging markets like Brazil.

    Dec 18th, 2015 - 12:26 pm 0
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