Martín Guzmán rejected versions of his resignation: “It’s not a problem on my agenda”

After being absent this morning from the cabinet meeting and the turmoil that sowed fear in the markets, Martín Guzmán rejected this Wednesday evening the versions on its possible shift and ratified the path adopted in recent days with the forecast of greater restrictions on imports to contain the loss of reserves and the sustained intervention of the Central Bank on the bond market.

“Those kinds of questions are not on our agenda, It is part of the journalists’ agenda, my agenda is to devote myself day by day to the management of economic policy to improve the quality of life of Argentines, and I collaborate with the President to be able to make them live better “, said the Minister of Economy when was consulted at the press conference on the possibility that Sergio Massa replace him in a possible “super-ministry”.

Guzmán thus tried to clear the clouds around his leadership in a conference with the governor of Santa Fe, Omar Perotti, in which they formalized the agreement with which the Nation will pay a debt to the province for the improper withdrawal of mutual funds with the issuance of bonds for $ 151.8 billion that can be adjusted by CER, instruments targeted after the massive decommissioning triggered more than two weeks ago.

The minister reappeared after missing the cabinet meeting this morning for attending a virtual meeting with the Paris Club authorities, as reported by Economy.

There was confirmed the trip he will make next Wednesday to France to try to restructure the agreement signed by Axel Kicillof in 2014. His absence has also generated unease among his peers, worried about understanding the reaction of the markets to the latest measures.

The head of the cabinet, Juan Manzur, meanwhile, tried to downplay the drama of the economy minister’s last-minute change of agenda.

“The minister has an agenda that we all know is very tight. He is with his team to work and follow the directives of the President of the Nation, like other ministers who for reasons of force majeure have not been able to be present “, he said.

Official attacks

The head of the Treasury continues to bear the ramming of the same government coalition in a scenario characterized by inflationary pressures, financial tensions and a lack of diesel.

The vice president targeted the economic team last week for the loss of reserves and new appearances are expected in the coming days with criticism and pressure to force their departure. Even to the government. impatience grows due to lack of results.

It happens that since the announcement this Monday of the tightening of access to the official market to pay for imports, the main financial indicators have leapt into the air and have been painted red.

The blue dollar and financial dollars hit record highs on Tuesday, at $ 239 and $ 252, respectively, pesos and foreign currency bonds fell again and country risk exceeded 2,500 points, registering a new mark.

Only in the last few hours has the head of the Treasury been able to relax a bit and from his portfolio they have drawn a positive balance based on some signs of stabilization: the accumulation of 960 million dollars of reserves due to the record purchase of dollars in the last three shifts, the general rise in Argentine bonds, the brake on the “speculative” rise of the last two days of the exchange gap, which on Tuesday reached 100% in the CCL and the placement of debt in pesos for $ 248,000 million.

“Whenever a measure of this kind is taken, there is an immediate reaction of the markets going in one direction and a reaction of the reserves going in another until it is accepted, the result we see is that in Just three days, more than $ 900 million of international reserves have been accumulated. Today, about $ 580 million. And we hope that tomorrow and in the coming weeks this process will continue along the path we had foreseen, “said Guzmán.