Argentina

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 06:37 UTC

  Judge Griesa lifts freeze on Argentine funds to help with planned “debt swap”

  

  A New York State Judge lifted a freeze on Argentine Central Bank accounts held in the US Federal Reserve, Argentina's Finance secretary told reporters on Thursday. The freeze has been imposed on request from investors holding defaulted Argentine sovereign bonds.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 12:12 UTC

  Argentina vows to press on with debt swap of defaulted bonds

  

  Argentina vowed on Wednesday to press on with a debt swap targeting 20 billion US dollars in defaulted bonds in spite of the political turmoil. The announcement had an immediate reaction in the stock market and Argentine bonds.

• Thursday, January 14th 2010 - 04:53 UTC

  Mrs. Kirchner resuscitates ghosts from the 2001/02 default crisis

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Wednesday again attacked the opposition and called for “reflection” from all those sectors involved in the dispute over Central Bank reserves to avoid repeating the “errors of the past”.

• Wednesday, January 13th 2010 - 12:16 UTC

  Argentine central bank reserves dispute adds another player: New York Judge

  

  Argentina’s central bank reserves dispute suffered an expected escalation when on Tuesday Judge Thomas Griesa from New York State placed an embargo on Argentine central bank accounts held in the United States, following a lawsuit filed by investment funds (or “vulture funds”).

• Wednesday, January 13th 2010 - 08:41 UTC

  Mujica in Argentina to discuss agenda of “mutual interest issues”

  

  Uruguayan president elect Jose Mujica travelled Tuesday to Buenos Aires to hold a meeting with her Argentine peer Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and other officials, confirming his promise that “we need a healthy and strong relation with Argentina”.

• Wednesday, January 13th 2010 - 08:29 UTC

  Brazilian industry calls for end of “strategic patience” trade policy with Argentina

  

  Brazil’s strongest manufacturing organization (and lobby) is considering the possibility that the country “ceases to be tolerant” towards Argentine trade restrictions and consider the possibility of withdrawing from Mercosur.

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 17:35 UTC

  Dispute over Argentine Central Bank reserves faces long judicial dispute

  

  Argentine Federal Judge María José Sarmiento postponed Monday her ruling over the use of Central Bank currency reserves to meet 2010 debt payments by turning the government's 'appeal on grounds of unconstitutionality' into an ordinary trial.

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 17:33 UTC

  FT: In the path to prosperity Argentina tripped with the Kirchners

  

  The Financial Times, a reference for global finances, has published an editorial comment highly critical of Argentina’s presidential Kirchner couple and their latest attempt to keep their cash-strapped administration afloat: getting hold of Central Bank reserves to pay debts and recover long lost international creditworthiness.

• Tuesday, January 12th 2010 - 17:19 UTC

  Martin Redrado, from “golden boy” to centre stage

  

  Martin Redrado the Argentine reinstated Central Bank president who dared defy the all powerful presidential Kirchner-couple is a low profile liberal economist who became involved in politics with former president Carlos Menem.

• Monday, January 11th 2010 - 13:05 UTC

  Argentina says that import licences saved over half a million jobs

  

  Argentina’s Production Ministry has revealed documents indicating that some 542,370 job posts were saved by the application of non-automatic import licences. Some 21,510 jobs were saved by anti-dumping measures, which led to the protection of 563,880 jobs through the prohibition of mass importation of low-cost products.