As Argentina raised the interest rate to 97% and adopted other measures such as the opening of food imports to control inflation while at the same time further restricting people's access to foreign currency, the “Blue” (a euphemism for “black market”) dollar rose again Monday to AR$ 483, it was reported in Buenos Aires.
Argentine authorities Sunday announced a set of measures to tackle inflation, which include more active involvement in the foreign exchange market. But the most striking of them all was the opening of food imports at zero tariffs to hit local producers who over-benefitted from protectionism.
Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) Friday announced that inflation for the month of April of 2023 was 8.4%, way above all projections. Interannually, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 108.8% and the accumulated variation in the first four months of the year was 32%. It is the highest monthly inflation since April 2002 (10.4%) and the highest year-on-year figure since 1991. Since Alberto Fernández took office in December 2019, prices increased 448%.
Inflation in the US has fallen to 4,9%, in the twelve months to April, according to official figures. That was down from 5% in March and marks the tenth month in a row that price rises have slowed.
According to the Argentine Central Bank's (BCRA) Market Expectations Survey (Relevamiento de Expectativas de Mercado - REM) report published Friday, the panel of economists issuing that document has made an upward correction to their inflation forecasts for 2023, placing it at 126.4%, or 16.4 percentage points above April's projections, while last month's Consumer Price Index (CPI) is believed to be of 7.5%. The National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) will release the official data on May 12.
The blue (a euphemism for black market) dollar went up another AR$S 20 Monday to close at AR$ 462 and somehow match inflation in other items of the country's economy, which it was lagging.
The explosive inflation situation in chaotic Argentina, close to 120% in twelve months, with the CPI at 7,7% in March ( and roaring during the three weeks of April) is showing that the country is incapable of supplying the necessary demand for bills and thus must appeal to the printing in foreign mint houses, of billions of Argentine bills.
According to an ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean: an organization of the United Nations that supports trade and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean) study released Thursday, Latin America's growth for the year 20023 was forecast to be averaging 1.2%.
Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa seems unable to find a way out of the country's current crisis. In this scenario, the blue dollar (a euphemism for black market) rose five more pesos Wednesday to close at AR$ 423 as the Central Bank (BCRA) ended with a negative balance of US$197 million, this bringing a streak of six positive rounds to an end. The country risk remained at 2,474 basis points, according to JP Morgan's index.
Rumors about Economy Minister Sergio Massa's possible resignation, the “blue” (a euphemism for “black market”) US dollar rose again Tuesday against the Argentine peso. President Alberto Fernández was reported to have a name to replace Massa: that of his Chief Advisor Antonio Aracre, who turned in his resignation Tuesday afternoon in a move to appease the markets.