Argentina is launching a new microwave imaging satellite to monitor natural disasters and soil moisture, in a long-term bid to bolster the farm sector, an industry that has historically been the backbone of the country’s economy.
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.
Argentina’s central bank now sees the Peso at an equilibrium level, chief Luis Caputo told market participants who attended a meeting with him on Thursday. The statement comes after two days of strengthening by the peso following a rout that sent it to a record intra-day low in late August.
Argentina's budget proposal submitted this week is a key element in the reforms needed for a new loan package for the crisis-hit country, an International Monetary Fund spokesman said Thursday.
The Argentine stock market is booming and on Thursday confirmed its seventh day running increase as investors are flocking encouraged by an imminent accord between the president Mauricio Macri administration and the IMF for a new loan package including reforms and a balanced budget in the next 18/24 months.
Argentina’s central bank sold US$ 261 million in reserves on Tuesday, the monetary authority said in a statement announcing its latest intervention in the foreign exchange market aimed at easing the fall of the local currency.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that a no-deal Brexit on World Trade Organization terms would entail substantial costs for the UK economy. IMF said that all likely Brexit scenarios would entail costs, but a disorderly departure could lead to a significantly worse outcome.
Argentina's peso currency fell 3.51% on Thursday to close at a new record low of 39.9 per U.S. dollar, as market confidence ebbs away despite President Mauricio Macri's efforts to reassure investors. Dollar demand had risen on Thursday due to high liquidity sparked by an auction of treasury notes, traders said.
Officials from the International Monetary Fund are in Argentina as part of talks to strengthen and accelerate a crisis loan package, the global lender said Wednesday. The IMF and Buenos Aires agreed in June on a three-year, US$50 billion rescue lending programme but Argentina has since asked for a more rapid disbursement.
Labor unions and social groups blocked streets in downtown Buenos Aires on Wednesday, with more marches planned over the days ahead over austerity measures proposed by the government and backed by the International Monetary Fund. Protesters are angry about the belt-tightening policies, which are cutting services to low-income Argentines already walloped by inflation of 31 percent and climbing.