Argentina

Argentine central banker admits contagion effect

ARGENTINA - Aldo Pignanelli, the president of the Argentine Central Bank (BCRA), said Friday that the Argentine crisis, which has been dubbed the "tango effect", has spread to Brazil and Uruguay, adding that the local banking and foreign exchange system…

IMF News Brief

NEWS BRIEF - IMF Managing Director Kohler Welcomes Independent Advisors' Report on Argentina, 29 July.

Speech by Anne Krueger, Dep MD of the IMF, 17 July

SPEECH - In a speech titled 'Crisis Prevention and Resolution: Lessons from Argentina' Krueger said "We have seen some welcome progress in key policy areas, including satisfactory amendments to the insolvency law and the repeal of the economic subversion…

IMF-experts: Argentina crisis bottoming out

ARGENTINA - The four monetary experts chosen by the IMF believe Argentina may have touched bottom after four years of recession and see potential for an export-led recovery, an official briefed on the talks said on Thursday.

Sources challenge role of IMF led Argentina panel

ARGENTINA - Insiders close to the talks currently being held suggest the real purpose of the panel of wise men picked by the IMF to help Argentina is not to give economic advice but rather to decide how to allocate the huge losses incurred by Argentina's…

Argentine rescue

FEATURE - Next week, four wise men are off to Buenos Aires. Their mission is to help Argentina's government and the International Monetary Fund to reach agreement on a programme of economic recovery. If they are to succeed, they must inject a sense of…

Think tank recommends orderly change in Argentina

ARGENTINA - Argentine authorities must take care to avoid a chaotic and unpredictable restructuring of the country's fragile financial system, local economic think-tank Fundacion Capital (FC) said in a report on the financial system.

IMF mission to Argentina seeks account access bar

ARGENTINA - The IMF will hold up disbursement of 9.5 bln usd in aid unless the government denies bank depositors any access to their accounts, government officials said after a federal judge found the ban unconstitutional.

Argentine central bank may issue up to 7 bln pesos

ARGENTINA - The central bank's new chairman, Aldo Pignanelli, has drafted a new monetary plan under which the central bank will issue up to 7 bln pesos to rescue commercial banks experiencing liquidity problems, newspaper Clarin reported.

Aldo Pignanelli named new Argentine cb president

ARGENTINA - Argentina's President Eduardo Duhalde has appointed central bank vice-president Aldo Pignanelli as chairman of the bank after Mario Blejer resigned on Friday, the government said in a statement. Pignanelli has been vice-president since March…

Figures show Argentina's economy shrinking

ARGENTINA - Argentina's economy shrank 16% during the first three months of this year the government has revealed, plunging the country ever deeper into a recession that has now lasted for three-and-a-half years.

Argentina pledges not to use reserves to repay IMF

ARGENTINA - Economy minister Roberto Lavagna has assured the IMF technical mission currently visiting the country that central bank reserves will not be used to pay back loans from the IMF and the Inter-American Development Bank which are due to mature…