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Argentina’s Central Bank Extends Reserve Rebuild as Mideast Shock Hits Markets, Mexican Peso Tops 18 Per Dollar

The phase‑4 plan has logged 43 straight positive FX sessions with more than $3 billion in purchases to rebuild reserves above $46 billion.

Overview

  • The BCRA bought $3.003 billion year to date through early March, marking 43 consecutive sessions with a positive FX balance and lifting gross reserves to about $46.0 billion.
  • Authorities set a 2026 purchase goal of at least $10 billion, expandable to $17 billion depending on market conditions under the phase‑4 framework.
  • Dollar buying is financed with peso issuance that the Treasury absorbs via local debt, alongside a 5% daily cap of MLC volume and direct off‑market deals to moderate monetary effects.
  • Despite reserve accumulation, Argentina’s wholesale dollar closed near ARS 1,416 and the retail rate around ARS 1,435, with the blue dollar near ARS 1,395–1,415.
  • A sharp escalation in the Middle East strengthened the US dollar and lifted oil above $100, pushing the Mexican peso to a weekly loss near 3.25%, a break above 18 per dollar, and the BMV’s worst week since 2022 with a 5.71% drop.