Argentina’s central bank is setting a price floor under the volatile peso in hopes to avoid a sharp plunge in the currency after an opposition-won presidential election last Sunday shifted the country firmly back to the left.
According to estimates among analysts, the Argentine Peso's production will be around $ 300,000 million for the remainder of the year, estimating inflation for 2020 even higher than this year. 80% of that issuance corresponds to the last month of the year, breaking the objective that the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) of “zero-emission” had set and jeopardized the exchange control as it works since August.
Latin American currencies ended on a high note on Friday against a weaker dollar after robust U.S. jobs data painted a brighter picture for global growth and gave the U.S. central bank more reason to stay on its dovish path.
Argentina’s peso fell back on Friday afternoon to post a record low close, giving up earlier gains after a tumultuous week that saw the currency battered to its weakest ever level and local debt pummeled as anxious investors fled.
Argentina lived on Thursday another day in which the dollar rebounded and the country risk exceeded 1000 points. President Mauricio Macri criticized the short-term view of the markets and the Central Bank (BCRA) had to intervene by positioning the interest rate at 70% and diverting the futures market to contain the demand on the currency, preventing it from reaching the maximum accorded of 51.45 pesos.
Buenos Aires was still shaking around noon Monday from the weekend's Libertadores Cup fiasco. President Mauricio Macri was publicly addressing the issue for the first time at a press conference escorted by Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Justice Minister Germán Garavano. And with the spotlight there, the US dollar crept back up against the Argentine peso after a two-month nadir, closing at AR$ 39.9 per 1 US dollar at the end of the business day.
Argentina’s peso rallied for a third straight day on Wednesday, after high-interest short-term debt issued by the central bank soaked up liquidity, a strategy that has raised concern about the sustainability of the country’s program.
The he Argentine peso climbed more than 4% on Monday trading on the back of a debt sale by the central bank aimed at mopping up excess liquidity and signs that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is solidly behind the administration of president Mauricio Macri.
The International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, speaking at a news conference in New York alongside Argentine Economy Minister Nicolas Dujovne, said IMF was “significantly frontloading” disbursements under the program adding the Argentine central bank had agreed as part of the deal to allow the peso currency to float freely and would only intervene in the foreign exchange market in extreme circumstances.
The Argentine Peso reacted strongly against the US dollar on Thursday following on an abundant private supply of greenbacks to satisfy demand, which kept the Central Bank out of the market for the first time since the beginning of the month. The dollar fell 2.8% and ended trading below 39 Pesos.