The US dollar reached a new record high on Thursday as purchase pressure on the so called “blue” or informal market continues pushing the price which closed 35 cents up at 11.50 pesos for buyers and 11.55 pesos for sellers.
The US dollar in Argentina continued to climb on Wednesday and reached new highs both in the official market and in parallel trading or the 'blue market'. The official rate closed at 6.75 Pesos to the greenback while the 'blue' reached a record 11.25 Pesos (selling price) with a 66.5% gap between both markets.
The newly appointed Argentine Central bank chairman Juan Carlos Fábrega strategy to make the money exchange markets converge does not seem to be working: on Tuesday the 'blue' or parallel dollar soared to a new record, 10.85 and 10.90 Pesos, while the gap with the official rate again climbed to almost 60%.
The US dollar in Buenos Aires reached on Tuesday 10 Argentine Pesos (buying price) and 10.05 pesos (selling price) in the informal market, 15 cents higher compared to its last closing price, pushed by the tourist sector, and as the government crackdown on the so called city “exchange caves” eased up.
Argentina's central bank is currently losing international reserves at an average of 47,5 million dollars per day or 8 million per hour, according to the latest figures on the bank's accounts which is increasingly used by the government of President Cristina Fernandez to honor foreign debt and finance the budget.
Trading of the ‘blue’ or parallel dollar in Argentina remained flat on Monday for a second day following last week’s events when the 10 Pesos barrier was broken and the government reacted with a tax amnesty or whitewashing draft bill promising all dollar assets holders a new clean record and no questions asked if they turn their greenbacks into government bonds or promissory notes.
The administration of President Cristina Fernandez sent on Wednesday to congress the tax amnesty bill to tap undeclared dollar assets, in the country and overseas, generating a cascade of critical reactions from well known economists while the ‘blue dollar’ in the parallel market seemed to ignore the announcements and kept climbing to a new record high.
Argentina Deputy Economy minister Axel Kicillof pledged “to look into” the growing parallel market for the US dollar because it is harming many innocent people who have nothing to do with speculation and claimed that ‘certain economists’ and media are encouraging speculation with the greenback.
Despite the tax amnesty bill and investment options pledged by the government of President Cristina Fernandez, the dollar kept climbing in Argentina. After breaking the key psychological barrier of 10 Pesos to the dollar on Tuesday, the blue dollar which trades on the parallel market climbed again on Wednesday another 37 cents to reach 10.45 Argentine Pesos.
The administration of President Cristina Fernandez announced the drafting of a bill intended to establish a recovery plan for undeclared assets within the country and abroad in order to strengthen the level of foreign reserves of the Central Bank. The government estimates Argentines hold 160bn dollars outside the financial system in the country and overseas.