The central banks of Argentina and China on Thursday activated a bilateral currency-swap agreement, which meant that the Argentine central bank received an initial tranche of Yuan equivalent to 814 million dollars.
The beginning of a turbulent week for Argentina's money exchange market with the informal or 'blue' dollar climbing to 15,15 Argentine Pesos, while the official rate was up one cent to 8,45 Pesos in Buenos Aires banks and foreign exchange offices.
The Paraguayan currency, Guaraní, is expected to revalue 1.4% against the US dollar by the end of the year becoming one Latam's strongest given its positive macroeconomic indicators. This follows a strong performance during the first half of the year when the price of the dollar in the capital Asunción wholesale money exchanges dropped from 4.450 Guaraní to 4.240, according to private consultants Consensus Economics.
The Argentine Peso at the official exchange rate could reach a depreciation of almost 50% by the end of the year at the current rate of erosion, which is also expected to have a downward impact on the parallel market or 'blue dollar, according to local experts.
The Argentine government is considering different options to contain the current skyrocketing of the US dollar, but according to the financial media there are different positions in the cabinet of President Cristina Fernandez. One of those calls for direct interventions while the other adopts a more passive attitude saying the issue is speculative and ‘marginal’.
The US dollar in the ‘blue’ or parallel market kept climbing in Argentina ending a week of consecutive records reaching on Friday 9.30 and 9.34 Pesos (buying and selling price) 14 cents more than on Thursday. Since the beginning of the year the US dollar has climbed 36.97% while the official rate stands at 5.18 Pesos, with an increase of only 5.3%.
One of Argentina’ leading international corporations, Techint, made public a 200 pages report sent to the Buenos Aires stock exchange with a devastating picture of the country’s economy which “continues in a state of fragility”.
Argentina could require that grains futures be listed in the local Peso currency the head of the central bank said on Friday, a move that traders said would paralyze markets in the leading global food supplier.
Argentina's Peso sank in informal trade on Tuesday due to intense demand for US dollars from anxious savers and holidaymakers dodging the government clamp on international currency purchases.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández insisted Wednesday on the need of saving in Pesos instead of US dollars and announced that she would “pesify” her dollar fixed-term bank deposit, urging her ministers to do the same.