Argentina's central bank said on Monday that it hiked bank reserve requirements by 3 percentage points, following a hike of three percentage points on June 18 as monetary policymakers seek to calm inflation and end a run on the peso currency. The Peso gained 1.9% on Monday against the dollar.
Argentina’s economy shrank in April for the first time in more than a year, government data showed on Tuesday, while the central bank held its policy rate stable at 40% in the first rate decision since a shakeup in its leadership.
Argentine bonds touched their lowest levels of market-friendly President Mauricio Macri's term on Tuesday, but rebounded in a volatile trading session. Meanwhile the country risk (a measure of the difference between its bond yields and those issued by other countries) rose as much as 27 points to a 33-month peak.
Argentine president Mauricio Macri appointed Finance Minister Luis Caputo as president of the central bank on Thursday, after the outgoing head of the bank resigned and acknowledged having lost credibility.
Argentina’s central bank on Tuesday rolled over billions of dollars in short-term debt, providing President Mauricio Macri’s government with a shot of confidence after weeks of economic volatility. In a statement, the Argentine central bank said it refinanced all of the US$ 26 billion of peso-denominated short term bonds that matured on Tuesday. Investors were attracted by renewal rates of 40% for 36-day Lebac and 38% and 38,5% for 90 days and plus, Lebacs.
Argentina’s central bank sold US$1.1 billion in the foreign exchange market on Friday and the peso weakened 2.74% to an all-time closing low of 23.35 per U.S. dollar despite talks aimed at securing an International Monetary Fund financing deal.
Argentina sold US$ 9 billion in a three-part dollar bond issuance that was oversubscribed on Thursday, covering nearly a third of its expected financing needs for 2018 early in the year. Latin America’s third largest economy sold US$1.75 billion in five-year bonds at a yield of 4.625%, US$ 4.25 billion of 10-year bonds at 6% and US$3 billion in 30-year bonds at 7%, the ministry said. It said the yields were the lowest in Argentina’s history.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires Tuesday evening following a two day business promotion visit to Brazil. It will be the first time a leading UK cabinet minister sets foot in Argentina in sixteen years; the last was when ex Prime Minister Tony Blair met ex president Fernando De la Rua in the Iguazu falls in 2001.
Argentina struck an 18-month financing deal worth US$6 billion with six banks on Thursday, Finance Minister Luis Caputo told reporters, saying the government planned to tap international capital markets for US$10 billion in 2017. Sovereign bond issuance will start on Jan. 19, with a sale of US$3 billion to US$5 billion in U.S. dollar-denominated paper.
In his first public comments since his appointment, Argentine Economy minister Nicolas Dujovne told a press conference that his main objective would be to continue with center-right President Mauricio Macri's economic policies.