The high volatility of the foreign exchange market has accentuated the difficulties in many areas. Chains, distributors, producers and builders warn it Your suppliers limit the delivery of goods or do not deliver them at all given the lack of certainty about the value of the dollar. “I’m priceless” or “I’ll send you the new list later” These are the most heartfelt excuses these days, according to commercial sources.
This erratic dynamic especially affects products that are heavily dependent on imports, such as e.g electronics, building materials, motorcycles, bicycles, tires, some fabrics, and even toys. Confirmed two chains, one specializing in household appliances and a supermarket clarion that its suppliers “only fulfill previously committed orders, but refuse to take new ones because they say they are priceless.”
The dollar crisis has worsened prospects, already complicated by the tightening of inventories on imports. In April, the blue already accumulates an upside of 17.5%: It was up another $20 on Monday and closed at $462, a new nominal high. Added to this are the prerequisites for importers to defer payments abroad. “There is no provider that sells you to 180 days. And what is the top end, there is a very important shortage and the situation is very complicated,” complained a tire distributor.
Tourism companies have also reacted to the dollar increase. At Despegar they avoided sharp definitions. They indicated that they operate normally and that although they bill in pesos, the tourist dollar rate applies ($452) in international travel pricing. The Logan agency, for its part, communicated through social networks that “for the time being, and until further notice, we will only accept payments in dollars for land services abroad”.
The sources describe very common practices in contexts of high uncertainty. A motorcycle brand pointed out that sales were progressing at a good pace in the first quarter of the year. However, he points out that the trend has changed abruptly since April. “Since then we have no prices. And the prices that are reflect the leap in the dollar, inventories and the deferment of payments abroadsaid an industry executive.
The doubts are many, because “if you get the import permit, you can only access the MULC (reserve dollars) between 90 and 120 days later. So you have to put together the cost structure for 3 or 4 months from now, and all in the in the middle of a currency rush,” he reasoned.
Reseller pricing by segment. In the cheapest units, they are sold in pesos under the aegis of fair prices (limit of 3.2% monthly increase). In the middle range “they are self-regulated”, that is, they are sold in pesos but according to the price of financial dollars, or the parallel. “On the high end they only accept dollar bills“, represent graphically.
Similar things happen with bicycles (built largely with imported components). “Since the middle of last year, approvals have been very slow, but in this storm we are tightening the conditions to sell. When we do, we take as reference an intermediate change between the official and the blue. That’s about $350,” explained an industry distributor.
In construction, and as happens every time the dollar goes up, “the fences, the big suppliers of materials, fences and carpenters stop selling because they don’t know the replacement cost,” explained a real estate developer.
According to what he said, this has been happening for at least 8 months, and “requesting a budget for a small job is a real nightmareHowever, he clarified that the biggest difficulties are for small builders. “The big ones have the back to pick up the goods,” she said.
Source: Clarin
