Buenos Aires Times
May 2026
Peculiar institutions
Donald Trump and his doppelgänger
The other is a small-town politician who is obsessed with opinion polls and is more worried about the electoral impact of rising petrol prices than the risks posed by a brutal theocratic regime that is determined to wipe a close ally of the United States off the face of the earth and makes no bones about its desire to do the same to the “Great Satan” itself
Stories that caught our eye: May 22 to 29
This is not Artificial Intelligence but one of the marvels of our province which make all our visitors fall in love with it.”
Argentina joins regional alliance in bid to curb spread of organised crime
We will confront crime together. We want to bring safety and calm to our compatriots,
Loyalty could be fatal to Argentina's World Cup title defence, says 1978 champion Daniel Bertoni
Bertoni, who scored in Argentina's 3-1 win over the Netherlands in the 1978 World Cup final in Buenos Aires and was part of the squad four years later that exited in the second round, is also worried about Messi's fitness
He is still a pivotal player,
I think Argentina is a candidate [for the title], given our record of reaching the final six times and winning three of them,
At the time we did not really know what was going on in the country,
Argentina eye World Cup double ahead of Group J opener
Can Lionel Messi deliver again for Argentina at his final World Cup?
There can't be. There won't be. There won't be an heir to Messi, for sure,
We're all fully aware that this could well be Leo's last World Cup, given his age, but it's his decision at the end of the day,
Obviously I wanted to finish my career with this. I can't ask for any more,
As an Argentine, the excitement is always there and we always want to be crowned champions. There's no reason for this time to be any different,
I love playing football, and I'm going to do it until I can't anymore,
‘Lower inflation, stronger growth’ on way, Milei tells investors
This is the reality; the other thing is polls and feelings, surveys of 2,000 people. Let us stop being psychologically manipulated by what is heard or seen.”
Let us stop getting caught up in what we hear and focus on the figures,
We have carried out a historic transformation, the direction is the right one. We must focus on the positive, and no-one denies there is still a long way to go,
Do not let yourselves be psychologically manipulated by what the press says,
Inflation is falling once again. In April it was 2.6 percent, the lowest since November, and it is expected to be even lower in May,
The train only passes once, and Argentina has already bought its ticket. The question is whether the region is willing to follow.”
It almost feels like a joke reading newspapers and seeing reports of a crisis. The EMAE [monthly economic activity estimator tracked by the INDEC national statistics bureau] is at a historic high. There could not be a greater divergence between what is being said and what is actually happening.”
There is no reason not to believe inflation will be 20 percent,
The world has changed. Political risks matter, and this creates a huge advantage for countries capable of producing energy, food, minerals and knowledge-based services — everything we possess. And if we fail to seize this opportunity, we will miss our last chance,
Messi in, Mastanuono out — Argentina confirms 26-man squad for World Cup 2026
Franco Mastantuono is not going to the World Cup with the Argentina national team. The squad list will be released in the next few hours, probably tomorrow, and the Real Madrid player will not be included,
Obviously we would have preferred that nothing had happened,
Real Madrid star Franco Mastantuono left out of Argentina’s World Cup 2026 squad
OECD data shows Argentina ranks last in regional foreign direct investment rankings
Foreign investment is unlikely to expand in a sustained manner in a context of depressed domestic demand, idle installed capacity and the absence of long-term financing,
Argentine provinces tap global markets that sovereign avoids
It’s trading a little inside the sovereign, but has a significant collateral component,
If you need to be invested in Argentina during the 2027 election cycle, borrowers such as Buenos Aires City are the place to hide from volatility,
Even in a scenario involving political volatility or a sharp devaluation, investors have some degree of additional protection — which is something we are keen on,
The sovereign is a bit too expensive at these levels,
Milei government sends lobbying transparency bill to Congress
The objective is to guarantee publicity and transparency in decision-making processes within the Executive and Legislative branches,
Maverick Marcelo Bielsa faces Uruguay mutiny ahead of World Cup
Yet, his famously demanding standards have often caused friction during a nomadic coaching career, and his stint in Uruguay has been no exception
To be loved is this biggest title, bigger than the Champions League or Premier League or whatever,
For me, he’s a person I will always admire,
Milei’s approval rises from lowest point as inflation worries ease
Milei eases grip on Argentine peso as reserves hit seven-year high
A wave of dollars flowing into Argentina is giving President Javier Milei room to let the peso trade more freely, as the Central Bank’s once depleted foreign reserves have hit the highest level since 2019
The market is pricing in very strong dollar supply in the coming months, which should allow the Central Bank to keep accumulating reserves,
This is the moment of least intervention,
What we still do not know is whether money demand is actually recovering,
We see that this economy, fortunately, is reducing its dependence on seasonality,
Scaloni eases fears over Messi injury ahead of World Cup
The first news is not so bad,
Most of the players who had problems are not fully recovered yet and our goal is for everyone to arrive in the best possible condition,
Milei: 'Highly likely' that Pope Leo will visit Argentina in November
'Tired' Lionel Messi exits MLS game in injury scare ahead of World Cup
The 38-year-old icon appeared to be walking normally as he headed straight down the tunnel after exiting the game, which Miami went on to win 6-4
As far as I know, we don’t have a [medical] report on that yet, but we will have one shortly,
I'm just as in the dark as everyone else,
Human capital getting sidelined
Deep into the era of the algorithm
We’ve never had the situation where the plutocracy also held all the political power and much of the cultural power,
Milei announces cut in export duties for wheat, barley, soy
President Javier Milei announced a new reduction in export duties on wheat and barley starting next month, and on soy from January onwards, during a speech to rural business leaders in Buenos Aires on Thursday
We are going to lower export duties on wheat and barley from 7.5 to 5.5 percent starting in June 2026,
We are going to continue shrinking public spending so we can return to decent Argentines the money that rightfully belongs to them. Let the state shrink and the market grow,
But that’s not all. It would be unfair if we forgot about soy. Starting in January 2027, depending on how tax revenues perform, we are going to lower [export duties] by between a quarter of a point and half a point per month continuously through to 2028,
We welcome the reduction in export duties because it is always positive. It is the right path,
Lack of funds, low-paid soldiers leaves Argentina’s Armed Forces at a crossroads
The only difference is one letter in their surnames; the model of destruction is the same.”
The cuts hit the Fondo Nacional de la Defensa (FONDEF), which loses 3.3 billion pesos in military and safety equipment; the Defence Logistics Programme, which relinquishes one billion earmarked for the maintenance and repair of vehicles; and the Hydrography Service with a reduction of 1.7 billion for machinery and equipment,
The deputy must answer for his fraudulent transit in the Defence Ministry which occasioned falling pay for those in uniform, as well as the almost total paralysis of the healthcare scheme covering the military and their families. He should stop worrying on Twitter about a ‘ media muzzle’ which I did not request and assume responsibility for his horrendous management,
I never saw a president and his minister abandoning their soldiers,... I am sacrificed to the lack of medical attention.”
We took the Armed Forces out of the ideological basement in which Kirchnerism had left them,
Our worst moment arrived with the Kirchners,
Impossible to think of sovereignty if the Defence Ministry cannot comply with its basic functions. The ex-minister must justify his disasters committed in the last two years. The Ks [Kirchnerites] destroyed our national defence and Petri continued along the same path with a narrative of vindication which also turned out to be fake in reality,
The military minister is responsible. Not only does he not halt Milei’s drastic cuts, he is their executioner,
They exhibit the F-16s as trophies of political marketing. Combat aircraft flown by impoverished pilots and maintained by practically destitute mechanics while hangars, bases and units are decaying without proper maintenance. A perfect postcard for the libertarian inconsistency, which has the shameful record of the lowest budget in history.”
Far from being the minister who was going to ‘upgrade’ the Armed Forces, he has become the civilian executor of a systematic austerity which is degrading the operational capacity of the Army, Navy and Air Force
IMF approves about US$1-billion disbursement for Argentina in fresh win for Milei
Directors welcomed the Central Bank’s FX purchase programme and called for a sustained implementation, combined with continued exchange rate flexibility,
Reform momentum has strengthened with approval of key fiscal, trade and labour legislation and refinements to the monetary and FX framework, contributing to a build-up in reserve buffers and improving Argentina’s capacity to manage shocks,
IMF clears Argentina's latest review, frees US$1 billion in funds
The authorities have continued to make strong progress in stabilising and creating a more market-based economy,
Heightened political uncertainty in 2025 temporarily weighed on growth, disinflation and external stability, but policy adjustments have since been implemented, leading to a build-up in reserves, renewed disinflation and improved market confidence, despite a more complex global backdrop,
Despite a more complex global and domestic environment, the Executive Board assessed that programme implementation has remained solid, reflecting appropriately prudent policies and economic policy adjustments,
The second review includes a series of targets regarding reserve accumulation and was necessarily linked to the completion of the 2026 financing programme. The 2026 financing programme is fully finalised, the funding sources have been identified, and the final issue to be agreed was the guarantees,
In the face of high external and domestic risks, agile policy-making and contingency planning remain essential to safeguard the programme’s objectives,
We are going to issue loans backed by guarantees from the IDB, the World Bank, the World Bank Guarantee Agency and, very likely, CAF. MIGA and the World Bank are going to provide us with a US$2-billion guarantee,