Inflation in Argentina reached 0.7% in May compared to the volume reported in the previous month, the Indec national statistics bureau announced on Wednesday. The official rate is less than half what was presented on Tuesday by opposition lawmakers, which they assured reached 1.5% and 23% in the last twelve months.
Argentine opposition lawmakers reported Tuesday that the inflation rate reached 1.5% in May, according to the estimates provided by eight censored economic consultants. They added it was their duty to inform about data which “the government tries to hide from public opinion”.
The candidacy of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner “is headed towards a predictable scenario” assured Buenos Aires province Governor Daniel Scioli in an interview he granted to Ambito Financiero's new TV show, “Ambito de debate”.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has signalled that it will raise interest rates next month, from 1.25%. Earlier on Thursday, the ECB kept rates unchanged for the second month in a row, after increasing them in April for the first time in almost two years.
Argentina’s organized labour leader Hugo Moyano admitted Wednesday that “inflation in Argentina is a problem”. He also said that, despite the several criminal cases open against him, he is not afraid of going to jail.
Brazilian inflation slowed to its lowest level in eight months in May as fuel costs dropped. The sharp drop in the monthly inflation reading provided relief to policymakers who have battled surging prices this year with three interest rate hikes, public spending cuts and steps such as credit curbs to take steam out of the economy.
Consumer prices in Uruguay rose sharply again in May, led by steep increases in prices at restaurants and hotels, for housing and for health costs accumulating 8.53% in the last twelve months and 4.34% in the five months of 2011.
Roubini General Economics, RGE, founded by Nouriel Roubini the economist described as Dr. Doom for having predicted long before his peers the US financial and mortgage crisis said the Uruguayan government must apply additional measures to higher rates and bank reserves, to help contain inflation.
Argentina’s former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez warned that the government is “not looking at the economy as it should” and is risking “all the good things that have been done so far”. He was also very critical of Economy minister Amado Boudou.
Argentina posted a primary budget surplus 1.97 billion Pesos (455 million US dollars) in April, up 4.8% from the 1.88 billion Peso surplus a year earlier, the government said on Thursday.