Argentine Peso Collapses 29% After Government Lifts Currency Controls
For those interested in a case study of what happens after a dramatic devaluation, you now have front row seats for what is likely to be a 25-30% peso plunge. Grab the popcorn.
That’s what we said on Wednesday evening in “Prepare For Peso Plunge: Argentina Lifts Currency Controls,” after the country’s FinMin Alfonso Prat-Gay announced that, as promised, new President Mauricio Macri would move to unify the official and black market exchange rates in the face of depleted FX reserves and still sky high inflation.
Here’s what the gap looked like as of yesterday:
On Thursday, the move to a float sent the peso plunging by nearly 30%:
Now let’s just hope Macri’s move to negotiate new terms for the $17 billion derivatives book amassed by former central bank governor Vanoli is enough to keep the country from taking a massive hit on its dollar futures.
