Overview
- Banco Nación’s retail dollar ended at ARS 1,470, up ARS 5 from the prior close, while the wholesale rate hovered near ARS 1,451.
- The blue traded between ARS 1,430 and ARS 1,470 depending on plaza, including ARS 1,450 in Buenos Aires and ARS 1,485 in Córdoba, and some informal dealers said it could open Tuesday below the official rate.
- Financial dollars stayed contained, with MEP around ARS 1,452–1,466 and CCL roughly ARS 1,492–1,505, keeping the gaps with the official rate tight.
- Local assets fell at the start of February as the government arranged SDRs to make a roughly US$820 million payment to the IMF and global risk sentiment weighed on emerging markets.
- The BCRA’s banded float and preannounced reserve purchases remain in force, with February’s band ceiling moving toward about ARS 1,607 and the IMF–BCRA net‑reserves gap (−US$14.1bn vs +US$2.9bn) unresolved ahead of program reviews.