The international credit rating agency Moody's Friday improved Argentina's long-term foreign and local currency issuer grades from Ca to Caa3 but warned that there are still significant risks to the country's ability to cover upcoming external debt payments.
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team landed in Buenos Aires Wednesday to discuss Argentina's eligibility for a US$ 11 billion new loan to make up for the South American country's currently negative reserves. The mission is headed by the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department Deputy Director Luis Cubeddu.
The US dollar fell Wednesday below R$ 6 following Donald Trump's second inauguration this week in Washington DC, thus reaching its lowest level since November. Meanwhile, the stock market fell for the first time after three straight rises. The commercial dollar closed Wednesday at R$ 5.946 after hitting R$ 5.91 around 2 pm. So far this year, the US dollar went down by 3.79%.
Argentine President Javier Milei said in an interview with Bloomberg in Davos (Switzerland) that if breaking up with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) was a requirement to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, he would not hesitate to do it.
The Focus Bulletin released earlier this week by Brazil's Central Bank (BCB) projected a 5.08% inflation for this year in South America's largest country. The new prediction represented a slight twitch from last week's 5% National Consumer Price Index (IPCA). Meanwhile, Brazil's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - the sum of goods and services produced in the country - is expected to grow by 2.04% in 2025, a slight improvement from 2.02% the week before.
A 15-year-old lad from Cesena, Italy, toyed with merchant ship routes in the Mediterranean after accessing the navigation systems just for fun. Although no material damage was reported, a criminal case has been opened against the teenager, whose parents claimed to be unaware of those activities.
Argentina posted last year its highest nominal trade surplus in two decades, according to a National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) report released Monday in Buenos Aires. The document showed a US$ 18.9 billion positive outcome which contrasted with the US$ 6.925 billion deficit the year before.
Argentine President Javier Milei and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva held a meeting Sunday in Washington DC ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration to discuss the economic situation in the South American country.
By Mohamed A. El-Erian (*) - No country wants external developments to drive up its borrowing costs and weaken its currency, which is what the UK is facing today, together with serious cyclical and structural challenges. But if the British government responds appropriately, recent market volatility might turn out to have a silver lining.
Effective Friday, Argentines will be allowed to fill out price tags in the currency of their choice (most likely US dollars), the Central Bank (BCRA) announced Thursday, in what has been regarded as a first step towards the dollarization of the economy, one of President Javier Milei's electoral promises.