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☆ Pressure mounts on German government to find way out of budget hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The court ruled the budget manoeuvre was incompatible with the debt restrictions enshrined in Germany's constitution. The pressure is even more intense as talks for next year's budget are on the final stretch. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the government has already imposed a freeze on most new spending commitments on ministries. "German industry is looking at the current political situation with the greatest concern," said Siegfried Russwurm, president of the BDI industry association. One obstacle to reforming the debt brake, which restricts Germany's structural budget deficit to the equivalent of 0.35% of gross domestic product, has been Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Siegfried Russwurm, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Miranda Murray, Alex Richardson Organizations: Finance, Climate, Europe's, Social Democrat, Greens, Free Democrats, Fund, Reuters, Ukraine, Greens Economy, U.S, Intel, European, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, reallocating, Berlin, Ukraine

Their options include drawing up a supplementary budget for 2023 and suspending Germany's self-imposed debt brake before reinstating it for next year. "Our goal is to discuss the budget quickly but with due care," said a joint statement of ruling party lawmakers. The delay has heightened uncertainty about spending in all areas of the German economy and meant the 2024 budget might not be concluded before the end of the year. "I firmly assume that the commitments for Intel and TSMC will remain," a government source said, adding: "This is very important to the chancellor, as well as to the economy minister." This will happen in the course of next early 2024 and we will see how far hydrogen is available," CEO Miguel Lopez said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Olaf Scholz's, Scholz's, Siegfried Russwurm, TSMC, Scholz, Miguel Lopez, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Victoria Waldersee, Andreas Rinke, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, Alex Richardson, Christina Fincher Organizations: Finance, Climate, Government, Ukraine Industry, Intel, TSMC, Wednesday, Social Democrat, Greens, Free Democrats, Fund, Eurasia Group, U.S, BMW, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: TSMC BERLIN, Germany's, Ukraine, EU, Saxony, Anhalt, Berlin, Germany

☆ Fact Check: Image of Argentina’s new VP wearing white dress is digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of Argentina’s newly elected Vice-President Victoria Villarruel wearing a white dress alongside her running mate Javier Milei is digitally altered. In the original photograph, Villarruel was pictured wearing a suit jacket. In the unaltered photograph, Villarruel was wearing a light blue blazer, not a long white dress. The unaltered photograph was published by various Argentinian outlets including El Tribuno and El Diario Argentina. The original photo shows Victoria Villarruel wearing a suit jacket, not a white dress.

Persons: Victoria Villarruel, Javier Milei, Villarruel, El Tribuno, Milei, Sergio Massa, Read Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, El, El Diario, YouTube, Argentine Nation, Congress, La, Economy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Villarruel’s, El, El Diario Argentina, La Nacion

☆ German court ruling could cost Intel billions of euros in subsidies - state minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with a displayed Intel logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The negative court ruling on German finances last week could cost Intel billions of euros in subsidies for planned chip-making plants in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the state economy minister was quoted as saying by magazine WirtschaftsWoche. Berlin had agreed subsidies worth nearly 10 billion euros with the U.S. chipmaker, a person familiar with the matter had told Reuters when Intel announced its plans. "When Germany cannot afford such future projects like Intel anymore, then the economic damage will be enormous and the image damage gigantic," Sven Schulze, economy minister of Saxony-Anhalt was quoted as saying. Reporting by Matthias Williams; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sven Schulze, Matthias Williams, Sarah Marsh, Madeline Chambers Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Reuters, Intel, Thomson Locations: Saxony, Anhalt, Berlin, Germany

☆ 'There's No Money': Argentina's Milei Doubles Down on Economic Shock Therapy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's libertarian President-elect Javier Milei is sticking by his plans for economic "shock" therapy to fix the country's myriad crises from triple-digit inflation to rising poverty and a dearth of foreign currency reserves. There's no money," Milei told local outlet Neura Media. "I will make a shock adjustment and I will put the economy in a fiscal balance. "A fiscal balance is non-negotiable. The fiscal balance is not under debate.

Persons: Javier Milei, Milei, Sergio Massa, Horaci Soria, Adam Jourdan, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: BUENOS AIRES, Reuters, Neura, Peronist Economy Locations: BUENOS, Argentina, South America's

☆ For Argentina, Dollarization May Work Better on YouTube Than in Reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jon Sindreu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Javier Milei wants to adopt the U.S. dollar as Argentina’s national currency. Photo: Luciano GonzALez Torres/Xinhua/Zuma PressArgentina’s anarcho-capitalist president-elect is right that the country desperately needs dollars. But his economic plan for getting them may be the wrong one. Javier Milei ’s victory over Economy Minister Sergio Massa in Sunday’s presidential election showed how eager Argentines are to embrace change. Milei, an outsider who became popular on YouTube and TikTok, has promised to “chain saw” public spending, eschew China-friendly overtures and, most eye-catchingly, “burn down” the central bank and adopt the U.S. dollar as the national currency.

Persons: Javier Milei, Luciano GonzALez Torres, Javier Milei ’, Sergio Massa Organizations: U.S, Xinhua, Zuma Press, Economy, YouTube Locations: Sunday’s, tatters, China

☆ China says it would be a 'huge foreign policy mistake' for Argentina to cut ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Argentine presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza alliance Javier Milei speaks to supporters after winning the presidential election runoff at his party headquarters in Buenos Aires on November 19, 2023. China on Tuesday issued a warning to Argentina that it would be a "huge foreign policy mistake" for Buenos Aires to cut ties, shortly after right-wing libertarian Javier Milei secured victory in the South American nation's presidential runoff. The president-elect said Argentina would no longer work with "communist" regimes, reportedly likened Beijing's government to an "assassin" and said the people of China were "not free." China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that bilateral relations had shown "sound momentum," adding that Beijing "stands ready to work with Argentina to keep our relations on a steady course." "No countries could step out of diplomatic relations and still be able to engage in economic trade and cooperation," Mao said.

Persons: Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Mao Ning, Mao Organizations: Argentine, La Libertad, American, Peronist Economy, China's Foreign Locations: Buenos Aires, China, Argentina, Beijing

☆ Germany freezes new spending commitments as budget woes deepen
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The finance ministry has frozen future spending pledges across almost the entire federal budget, a letter by the budget state secretary showed, in a sign of how seriously it was taking the potential fallout to its finances. "The step reflects the necessity of the situation," an economy ministry spokesperson said about the budget freeze. That could include planned chip factories, the expansion of the battery supply chain and the decarbonisation of steel, government sources said on Monday. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke; writing by Matthias Williams and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Freeze, Olaf Scholz's, Kevin Kuehnert, that's, Kuehnert, Volker Wissing, Wissing, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, BERLIN, Free Democrats, Democrats, CDU, Scholz's Social Democrats, Greens, Digital, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Quebec expects possible profit with planned sale of A220 jet program stake in 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Airbus A220-300 is seen at the Airbus facility in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada February 20, 2020. Quebec holds a 25% stake in the jet, which has faced scrutiny as Airbus struggles to contain costs on parts. Airbus has also faced delays in ramping up production toward its latest target of 14 planes per month by 2026. Airbus has said it plans to raise Mirabel production to 10 A220s a month, with four jets a month in Mobile. The planemaker created the Mobile production line for U.S. customers to avoid a trade dispute with Boeing (BA.N) when it took over the plane from Canada's Bombardier in 2018.

Persons: Christinne, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Fitzgibbon, we're, Allison Lampert, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Airbus, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Quebec, Aerospace, Bombardier, Mirabel, Boeing, Mobile, Thomson Locations: Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, Airbus's, Mobile , Alabama, Mobile

☆ Can Argentina really move from the peso to the dollar?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

2 economy and ditch its peso currency in favor of the US dollar. Milei must tackle inflation above 140%, a shortfall in foreign currency reserves and the prospect of another painful recession. Argentina’s financial markets are closed Monday for a local holiday, but the peso weakened slightly in partial trade to stand at around 353.58 to the US dollar. Bruno Gennari, Argentina expert at fixed income broker dealer KNG Securities, said the peso was trading at $1,009 versus the dollar on crypto exchanges Monday, considerably weaker than the $869 and $975 rates seen on Friday. Dollarization means Argentina would give up the peso and use the US dollar as its currency, effectively wresting control of monetary policy from the country’s central bank and handing it to the US Federal Reserve.

Persons: London CNN — Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Milei, ” —, —, ” Milei, ”, “, Bruno Gennari, Javier Milei, Natacha, dollarization, ” William Jackson, “ It’s, Thierry Larose, ” Larose, Kristalina Georgieva, Jackson, — Valentina Gonzalez, Stefano Pozzebon, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Libertad Avanza, Peronist, “, ” Financial, Argentine, State, Banco, Grupo Financiero Galicia, KNG Securities, US Federal Reserve, AP, Capital Economics, Vontobel, Management, CNN, Monetary Fund, Bank, IMF, Reuters Locations: Argentina, New York, Brazil, Mexico, Dollarization, Argentina’s, Zurich, dollarization, Washington, DC, Argentine

MPS shares were down 7.8% at 2.83 euros by 1145 GMT on Tuesday, reflecting the impact of the sale. EU COMMITMENTSBofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS Europe coordinated the accelerated bookbuilding for the stake sale, the Treasury said in a statement. Commitments Italy agreed with European Union competition authorities at the time of the bailout bind Rome to eventually sell its entire stake in the bank. Two years ago heavyweight UniCredit (CRDI.MI) sank the government's privatisation efforts, forcing Rome to seek more time from the EU. The stake sale is seen as giving Italy more flexibility to pursue a long-term solution for MPS via a merger with a rival, after negotiations with UniCredit were complicated by an impending re-privatisation deadline.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Luigi Lovaglio, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Valentina Za, Lincoln, Richard Chang, Mark Potter Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Treasury, MPS, BofA Securities, Jefferies, UBS Europe, European Union, Reuters, Economy, Banco, BPER Banca, EU, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, MILAN, Rome

☆ Shares in Argentina's YPF soar as Milei hints at privatization
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Ypf Sa FollowRepsol SA FollowBUENOS AIRES, Nov 20 (Reuters) - New York-traded shares in Argentine state-run oil company YPF soared more than 40% on Monday after President-elect Javier Milei said he would seek to privatize the firm. The South American country nationalized 51% of the oil company more than a decade ago from Spain's Repsol (REP.MC). YPF is Argentina's largest oil firm and oversees development of Vaca Muerta, the world's second-largest shale gas reserve and fourth-largest shale oil reserve. Shares of YPF jumped more than 40% early in the session, before paring some gains to trade up 35.2%. Global X analyst Trevor Yates said the YPF gains were related to the increasing likelihood of it being privatized and implementing an international price parity policy.

Persons: Alberto Fernandez, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Agustin Marcarian, Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, YPF, Milei, Spain's, Vaca Muerta, Trevor Yates, Yates, Eliana Raszewski, Bansari Mayu, Grant McCool Organizations: Argentine, REUTERS, Global, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, New York, Argentine, American

The government is considering whether to suspend Germany's constitutionally enshrined debt brake as a way out of the spending crunch, a source told Reuters, while a leading member of Scholz's own party also called for such a move. Habeck said he was not proposing to abolish Germany's constitutionally enshrined debt brake, but added that "it is inflexible". We are now being forced to modernize the economy with fewer public subsidies," he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "Rather, it is the unsound and unconstitutional budget policy of the federal government and the (three-way) coalition. "One possibility could be to suspend the debt brake in 2023 ... but then not in 2024.

Persons: Robert Habeck, Minister Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Germany's, Lindner, Habeck, Sebastian Brehm, Markus Wacket, Christian Kraemer, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, Ed Osmond, Paul Simao Organizations: Minister, Reuters, Greens, Free Democrats, CDU, CSU, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ Factbox-The Main Contenders in Congo's December Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

President Felix TshisekediTshisekedi, 60, son of Congo's late opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, came to power in a disputed 2018 election buoyed by a power-sharing alliance with former president Joseph Kabila. In 2018, he was prevented from entering the country in time to submit his candidacy for the presidential election. Old rival Martin FayuluFayulu, 66, a former Exxon Mobil executive, came second in the 2018 election that he claims he won. Before the 2018 election, Fayulu was chosen as the joint opposition candidate in a deal with Tshisekedi. Fayulu sent representatives to a meeting in South Africa where the main opposition candidates discussed joining forces behind one candidate.

Persons: Ange Kasongo, Felix Tshisekedi, Martin Fayulu, Denis Mukwege, Felix Tshisekedi Tshisekedi, Congo's, Etienne Tshisekedi, Joseph Kabila, unravelled, Vital Kamerhe, Jean, Pierre Bemba, Tshisekedi, Businessman Moise Katumbi Katumbi, Kabila, Katumbi, Martin Fayulu Fayulu, Fayulu, Mukwege, Marie José Ifoku, Bate Felix, William Maclean Organizations: Democratic, Peace, Exxon Mobil, Tshisekedi Locations: Ange Kasongo KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Katanga, Congo, Congolese, Rhodes Island, Congo's Katanga, South Africa

☆ Trump-admiring populist Milei wins in Argentina, edging the country closer to a dollarized economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Newly elected President of Argentina Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza speaks after the polls closed in the presidential runoff on November 19, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina's Javier Milei, a far-right political outsider often compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump, vowed to deliver on his radical economic policies shortly after winning the country's presidential run-off. Among some of his proposed policies, Milei has pledged to dollarize the economy, abolish the country's central bank and privatize the pension system. We have the determination to put Argentina on its feet and move forward," Milei said shortly after his victory, according to a translation. The challenges facing Milei's presidency are significant, however — particularly given that the country is once again in the grip of a profound economic crisis.

Persons: Argentina Javier Milei, La Libertad Avanza, Argentina's Javier Milei, Donald Trump, Sergio Massa, Milei Organizations: La Libertad, Peronist Economy Locations: Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Argentina investors on edge as Milei decides who to put in economic hot seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | Thomson Reuters | Jorgelina Do Rosario Is Emerging Markets Correspondent At Reuters Based In London | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Who is appointed...as central bank president and economy minister, and the details of an urgent economic stabilization plan without a majority in Congress, will be the key for asset prices in the days ahead." The Economy Ministry is always a hot seat, with Argentina a nine-time debt defaulter caught in a decades-long boom-and-bust cycle. Milei will take office on Dec. 10 after beating ruling Peronist coalition Economy Minister Sergio Massa. "Milei said that he is going to reorganize the central bank instead of imploding it or shutting it down. The new economy minister will have to negotiate a new programme with the IMF "relatively quickly" to avoid entering arrears with the fund, Morgan Stanley said on Monday.

Persons: Milei, Macri, Javier Milei, Milei's, embolden Milei, Armando Armenta, defaulter, Sergio Massa, Hans Humes, Humes, Carlos Rodriguez, Roque Fernandez, Dario Epstein, Emilio Ocampo, Mauricio Macri, Juan Manuel Pazos, Pazos, Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley ´, Massa, Jorgelina, Adam Jourdan, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Monetary, Ministry, Peronist, Economy, Greylock Capital Management, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, South, AllianceBernstein, New York, Argentina, Argentine, Buenos Aires, Washington, refinance, Santiago del Estero, Formosa, Rosario

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez takes the oath of office during a ceremony at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain November 17, 2023. Calvino, who is the frontrunner for the top job at the European Investment Bank scheduled to be announced at the end of the year, will also keep her position as first deputy prime minister, Sanchez said in a televised statement. Given the anticipated difficulty of passing laws with a minority government, Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero will be promoted to be one of four deputy prime ministers. His four deputy prime ministers are all female. Junior coalition partner Sumar got five portfolios, keeping its share of power within the cabinet.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Andres Ballesteros, Nadia Calvino, Calvino, Sanchez, Teresa Ribera, Maria Jesus Montero, Jose Manuel Albares, Yolanda Diaz, Sumar, Felix Bolanos, Ana Redondo, Irene Montero, Ione Belarra, Belen Carreno, Inti, Aislinn Laing, Toby Chopra, Charlie Devereux, Ed Osmond, William Maclean Organizations: Spain's, Rights, Socialist, European Investment Bank, European, Energy, Labour, Socialists, Junior, Thomson Locations: Zarzuela, Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Maria Jesus Montero ,, Sumar

☆ Argentina oil company YPF spikes 40% as investors cheer president-elect Milei's promises to revamp the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of state-oil firm YPF soared 40% on Monday after Javier Milei's presidential victory. Milei has promised to revamp the Argentine economy, and also said he would seek to privatize YPF. Milei won the Argentine presidential election Sunday against Economy Minister Sergio Massa. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementArgentine state energy company YPF saw its New York-listed shares spike more than 40% on Monday, following Javier Milei's presidential election victory on Sunday.

Persons: Javier Milei's, Milei, Sergio Massa, —, Spain's Repsol, YPF Organizations: Argentine, Economy, Service, Reuters, Grupo Financiero Galicia, Banco Locations: Argentine, YPF, York, Spain's, Argentina, New York

☆ Argentina elects 'shock therapy' libertarian Javier Milei as president
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Javier Milei presidential candidate of the La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) party, speaks at the campaign closing event on Oct.18, 2023. Argentina elected libertarian outsider Javier Milei as its new president on Sunday, rolling the dice on an outsider with radical views to fix an economy battered by triple-digit inflation, a looming recession and rising poverty. Official results showed Milei with near 56% versus 44% for his rival, Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who conceded in a speech. His candidacy was hampered by the country's worst economic crisis in two decades while he has been at the helm. I have contacted Javier Milei to congratulate him," Massa said.

Persons: Javier Milei, Sergio Massa, Massa, Milei, Cristian, Lista Organizations: La Libertad, Peronist, International Monetary Fund Locations: Argentina, Buenos Aires, China, Brazil

☆ Brazil's Lula wishes luck and success to new Argentine president
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva extended best wishes to the newly elected government in Argentina, without making direct mention of President-elect Javier Milei, who has previously criticized Lula and labeled him an "angry communist." Brazil will always be available to work together with our Argentine brothers," he wrote on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. On Tuesday, leftist Lula had said that Argentina, the country's third-largest trading partner, should choose a president who supports democracy and the Mercosur trading bloc. He has also criticized the South American common market Mercosur and said Argentina would "follow its own path." He met with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Brasilia earlier this year to discuss mechanisms to secure imports by Buenos Aires.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Javier Milei, Lula, Argentine, Sergio Massa, Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Marcela Ayres, Lisa Shumaker, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Twitter, Mercosur, Economy, Brazilian Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Argentina, Brazil, Argentine, Mercosur, Brasilia, Buenos Aires

☆ German budget crisis tests limits of its 'debt brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" that sets legal limits on borrowing. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED? HAS GERMANY SUSPENDED ITS DEBT BRAKE BEFORE? Some analysts say the debt brake is ripe for reform and a more flexible fiscal policy would let governments take on more debt to fund much-needed investments. The government is still weighing options, including suspending the debt brake or curtailing spending.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Angela Merkel's, Christian Lindner, Carsten Brzeski, Philippa Sigl, Robert Habeck, Riham Alkousaa, Holger Hansen, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, GERMANY, Ukraine

☆ Argentina Votes for New President to Confront Economic Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Kejal Vyas | Silvina Frydlewsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People in Buenos Aires waiting Sunday to cast their vote. Photo: Cristina Sille/ReutersBUENOS AIRES—Argentines began to cast their ballots Sunday in a hotly contested presidential election between two candidates with starkly different views on how to pull the troubled country out of a punishing economic recession marked by a collapsing currency, growing poverty and one of the world’s highest rates of inflation. Polls had indicated a tossup between Economy Minister Sergio Massa and libertarian TV pundit Javier Milei. Massa, a 51-year-old lawyer who has directed the economy as inflation rose to 143%, has sought to distance himself from the unpopular ruling Peronist government, promising to deliver a “moderate and centrist” administration.

Persons: Cristina Sille, Sergio Massa, Javier Milei Organizations: Reuters, Reuters BUENOS AIRES — Locations: Buenos Aires, Reuters BUENOS AIRES, Peronist

☆ Javier Milei, a Self-Described Anarcho-Capitalist, Is Elected President of Argentina
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Kejal Vyas | Silvina Frydlewsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Javier Milei at a polling station in Buenos Aires on Sunday. Photo: Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg NewsBUENOS AIRES—Javier Milei, a libertarian political outsider who pledged to flatten Argentina’s political establishment, was elected president Sunday in a major shift for a country buffeted by one of the world’s highest rates of inflation and mounting poverty after years of populist rule. Milei, a 53-year-old congressman, took 56% of the vote to 44% for Economy Minister Sergio Massa with 88% of the ballots counted, the National Electoral Directorate said.

Persons: Javier Milei, Anita Pouchard Serra, Sergio Massa Organizations: Sunday, Bloomberg News BUENOS AIRES, Economy, Electoral Locations: Buenos Aires

☆ Argentina votes in nail-biter election with libertarian slight favorite
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nicolás Misculin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The election sees Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa, at the helm for the country's worst economic crisis in two decades, go head-to-head with radical libertarian outsider Javier Milei, the slight pre-election favorite in the polls. "The election will mark a profound rupture in the system of political representation in Argentina," said Julio Burdman, director of the consultancy Observatorio Electoral. Massa, 51, an experienced political wheeler-dealer, has been clawing back votes with tax cuts and campaigns highlighting Milei's radical plans to slash state spending. In the first-round vote in October, Massa won 36.7% of the votes compared to some 30% for Milei. The libertarian has since won public backing from third-place finisher Patricia Bullrich, though it's by no means certain all her votes will shift to him.

Persons: Sergio Massa, Javier Milei, Milei, Massa, Julio Burdman, he's, Matias Kawior, South, Santiago Neria, Patricia Bullrich, Nicolás Misculin, Candelaria Grimberg, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Peronist, Massa, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, China, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Peso dollarization: Milei’s victory in Argentina election puts the currency’s future in doubt
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Libertarian Javier Milei’s victory Sunday in Argentina’s presidential run-off contest has far-reaching consequences for the country’s struggling economy, including the fate of the peso. A political outsider who ran on a promise to “break the status quo,” Milei’s economic platform rested on a desire to dollarize the Argentinian economy. Dollarization means the country would give up the Argentine peso and use the US dollar as its currency. Milei’s proposal to switch Argentina’s currency from the peso to the US dollar rests on the argument that the dollar is stronger than the peso and, unlike the peso, cannot be printed at will. Sergio Massa, the country’s current economy minister and Milei’s run-off opponent, had criticized the plan for dollarization as a surrender of national sovereignty.

Persons: Javier Milei’s, Sergio Massa, CNN’s Abel Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Argentine, Cato Institute Locations: Washington decisionmakers, Ecuador, El Salvador, Argentina, Washington , DC

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