In these times of ultra low interest-rates in the western world anywhere with any sort of interest-rate sticks out. In the case of Argentina an official interest-rate of 60% sticks out like a sore thumb in these times and in economic terms there is a second factor in that it has been like that for a while now. So the impact of this punishing relative level of interest-rates will be building on the domestic economy. Also the International Monetary Fund is on hand as this statement from Christine Lagarde yesterday indicates.
“I commended Minister Dujovne and Governor Sandleris on decisive policy steps and progress thus far, which have helped stabilize the economy. Strong implementation of the authorities’ stabilization plan and policy continuity have served Argentina well, and will continue to be essential to enhance the economy’s resilience to external shocks, preserve macroeconomic stability and to bolster medium-term growth.
“I would like to reiterate the IMF’s strong support for Argentina and the authorities’ economic reform plan.”
The opening issue is that sounds awfully like the sort of thing the IMF was saying about Greece when it was predicting a quick return to economic growth and we then discovered that it had created an economic depression there. Of course Christine Lagarde was involved in that debacle too although back then as Finance Minster of France rather than head of the IMF. Also the last IMF press conference repeated a phrase which ended up having dreadful connotations in the Greek economic depression.
It’s on track as of our last mission which was, you know, in December.
As the track was from AC/DC.
I’m on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I’m on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
So let us investigate further.
Monetary policy
The plan is to contract money supply growth so you could look at this as like one of those television programmes that take us back to the 1970s.
In particular, the BCRA undertakes not to raise the monetary base until June 2019. This target brings about a significant monetary contraction; while the monetary base increased by over 2% monthly in the past few months, it will stop rising from now onwards. Then, the monetary base will dramatically shrink in real terms in the following months.
So you can see that the central bank of Argentina is applying quite a squeeze and is doing it to the monetary base because it is a narrow measure, Actually it explains it well in a single sentence.
The BCRA has chosen the monetary base as it is the aggregate it holds a grip on.
It is doing it because it can. Although I am a little dubious about this bit.
The monetary base targeting will be seasonally adjusted in December and June, when demand for money is higher.
It is usually attempts to control broad money that end up targeting money demand rather than supply. It is being achieved with this.
the BCRA undertakes to keep the minimum rate on LELIQs at 60% until inflation deceleration becomes evident.
Also there will be foreign exchange intervention if necessary, or more realistically there has been a requirement for it.
The monetary target is supplemented with foreign exchange intervention and non-intervention measures. Initially, the BCRA would not intervene in the foreign exchange market if the exchange rate was between ARS34 and ARS44. This range is adjusted daily at a 3% monthly rate until the end of the year, and will be readjusted at the beginning of next year. The BCRA will allow free currency floating within this range, considering it to be adequate.
Finally for monetary policy then monetary financing of the government by the central bank is over.
As it has already been reported, the BCRA will no longer make transfers to the Treasury.
Fiscal Policy
Another squeeze is on here as the BCRA points out.
Finally, the new monetary policy is consistent with the targets of primary fiscal balance for 2019 and of surplus for 2020.
Yes in terms of IMF logic but the Greek experience told a different story. There a weaker economy made the fiscal targets further away and tightening them weakened the economy in a downwards spiral.
So where are we?
The squeeze is definitely as my calculations based on the daily monetary report show that the monetary base has shrunk by just under 4% in the last 30 days. If we move onto the consequences of this for the real economy then any central bankers reading this might need to take a seat as the typical mortgage rate in December was 48%. To give you an idea of other interest-rates then an overdraft cost 71% and credit card borrowing cost 61%.
If we look for the impact of such eye-watering levels we see that mortgage growth was on a tear because annually it is 54% up of which only 0.1% came in the last month. Moving to unsecured borrowing overdraft growth has been -1.2% over the past 30 days but credit card growth has been 3.5% so perhaps there has been some switching.
Economic growth
This has gone into reverse as you can see from this from the statistics office.
The provisional estimate of the gross domestic product (GDP), in the third quarter of 2018, had a fall of 3.5% in relation to the same period of the previous year.
The seasonally adjusted GDP of the third quarter of 2018, with respect to the second quarter of 2018, showed a variation of -0.7%.
So a weaker quarter following on from a 4.1% dip in the second quarter of 2018 which was mostly driven by the impact of a drought on the agricultural sector. Looking back the Argentine economy did recover from the credit crunch pretty well but the recorded dip so far takes us back to 2011 or eight years backwards.
The IMF points out this year should get the agricultural production back which is welcome.
However,
in the second quarter, a rebound in agricultural
production (expected to fully recover the 30 percent
production lost in 2018 because of the drought)
should lead to a gradual pickup in economic activity.
But if we put that to one side there has to be an impact from the credit crunch. Also whilst this is good.
The recession and peso depreciation are quickly lowering the trade deficit.
It does come with something which has a very ominous sign for domestic consumption.
The adjustment mainly reflects
lower imports, reflecting a contraction in
consumption and investment.
Moving to inflation then here it is.
The general level of the consumer price index (CPI) representative of the total number of households in the country registered in December a variation of 2.6% in relation to the previous month.
Comment
There is a fair bit to consider here as we see a monetary squeeze imposed on an economy suffering from a drought driven economic contraction. Also I have form in that I warned about the dangers of raising interest-rates to protect a currency on May 3rd.
However some of the moves can make things worse as for example knee-jerk interest-rate rises. Imagine you had a variable-rate mortgage in Buenos Aires! You crunch your domestic economy when the target is the overseas one.
Interest-rates were half then what they are now and I have already pointed out what mortgage rates now are. As to what sort of a economic crunch is coming the latest from the statistics office looks rather ominous.
The statistics office’s monthly economic activity index fell 7.5% y/y in November after dropping 4.2% in the previous month.
As to the business experience this from Reuters gives us a taste of reality.
Like many small businessmen, Meloni has found himself caught in a vice. Sales from his plant in the town of Quilmes, 30 km (19 miles) outside the capital Buenos Aires, shrank by just over one third last year as Argentina’s economy sank deep into recession…..
Meloni said the plant, which makes fabrics, used to operate 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday but now just operates 16 hours a day, five days a week. Like many other businesses, Meloni advanced the holidays to his roughly 100 employees with the hope that once summer ends in March, demand will pick up.
It is very expensive to make people in Argentina which keeps people in a job (good) but with lower pay from less work (bad) and if it keeps going will collapse the company (ugly).
Back in the financial world I also wonder how this is going?
About a year after emerging from default, Argentina has surprised investors by offering a 100-year bond.
The US-dollar-denominated bond is offered with a potential 8.25 per cent yield.
Podcast
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