The Argentine powerful teamsters union will be holding their first political rally in downtown Buenos Aires this Wednesday in a clear defiance of President Mauricio Macri's policies to combat inflation, launch the economy and attract foreign direct investors. Hugo Moyano a member of the unions' umbrella organization has promised to convene some 300.000 workers and has anticipated that any incidents will be the responsibility of the government.
The Wall Street Journal has published a piece on the political situation of Argentine president Mauricio Macri, battling inflation, an undelivered electoral pledge, and allegedly very much aware of a long standing spell: no non Peronist president has been able to complete the mandate for which he was elected.
Consumer prices in Argentina rose 24.8% in 2017 after a sharp 3.1% increase in December, government data showed on Thursday, well above the central bank's target range for annual inflation of 12-17%t. The monthly reading, which was above median expectations in December of 2.5%.
Argentina’s central bank cut its policy rate to 28% from 28.75%, two weeks after relaxing its 2018 inflation target, the bank said on Tuesday. The bank’s first rate cut in 14 months came after a December 28 news conference announcing an official inflation target for this year of 15%, up from the bank’s previous target range of 8% to 12%.
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%.
Argentina changed its inflation target for 2018 to 15%, up from the central bank’s previous goal of 8-12%, Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne said on Thursday, raising expectations for interest rate cuts. The government will postpone by one year its goal of lowering inflation to 5%, pushing it back to 2020, Dujovne said.
Argentina's inflation rate will likely end the year above 21%, Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne told reporters on Thursday. The government previously estimated that consumer prices in Latin America's third-biggest economy would rise 17% in 2017.
An IMF visiting team in Buenos Aires concluded its annual review of Argentina's economy and praised the efforts of President Mauricio Macri's nearly two-year-old government to transform the economy saying it has yielded significant gains, but also warned that risks remain.
Argentina's central bank raised its policy rate to 28.75% on Tuesday, up from 27.25% previously, as inflation expectations rise, the monetary authority said in a statement. It was the bank's second consecutive hike after a long period of holding the rate steady.
Argentina's main state-run bank said it lowered its headline interest rates for loans to businesses on Monday amid expectations that inflation will begin to slow in Latin America's third-largest economy, a move that will help put credit back within firms' reach. Banco Nacion, the country's largest financial institution and which also acts as a development bank, set its annual nominal reference rate for business loans at 27%, down from 32%.