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Argentina Keeps Official Dollar Below the Informal 1,500 Mark

The central bank and Treasury are using dollar purchases, dollar‑linked instruments and large peso absorptions to steady the exchange rate while pushing up funding costs.

Overview

  • The official wholesale dollar traded just under the informal 1,500 level on Tuesday, August 4, as the Banco Central resumed net buying (reported at about US$18 million) and reserves recovered above US$49 billion.
  • Authorities have combined visible dollar purchases with sales of dollar‑linked securities and increased short positions in futures to manage expectations of a sharper devaluation.
  • The Treasury has drained pesos through large auctions — one recent licitation absorbed about $3.75 trillion — tightening domestic liquidity and lifting short‑term interest rates.
  • Parallel and financial rates moved closer to the official quote: the informal 'dólar blue' dropped for three sessions while MEP and CCL traded in the mid‑to‑high 1,500s, keeping a persistent premium over the mayorista.
  • Markets watch sustainability: lower seasonal agro export liquidations and external shocks from U.S. data or Middle East developments could test the costly mix of interventions now in use.