The rate of currency bleeding through the daily sales of the Central Bank in the official exchange market slowed down this Thursday before a significant rebound in the liquidation of agro dollar. However, the alarm continues due to the level of net reserves which, according to analysts, are already in negative territory.
In this regard, a report from PPI noted that “Today, the Government will pay (to the IMF) US$650 million in interest and the net reserves will drop to an estimated -$883 million“.
While the drain of foreign currency continues, the Government maintains negotiations to redefine the agreement with the IMF in search of advancing planned disbursements this year, while continuing negotiations with Brazil to obtain financing for imports.
Anyway, in Delphi Investment They considered that “disbursements from multilateral credit organizations seem scarce, for the moment, in view of the constant drain suffered by reserves.”
Meanwhile, the economists also relativize the advance of IMF disbursements by alleging that it “serves for the photo” of the reserves, but it does not change the background panorama given that this advance of flows of US$10,798 million fits with the payments that must be made to the body itself during the remainder of this year.
Reservations: sales slowed down
The BCRA verified this Thursday a net sales balance of US$18 million due to its intervention in the official exchange market, which notably reduced the drain compared to the negative result of US$125 million from the previous day.
BCRA ended this Thursday with a net selling balance of US$18 million in the MULC and extends selling streak
Thus, the monetary entity is basting the selling streak for the sixth consecutive day, an unprecedented event under the two previous soybean dollar schemes that governed in September and December 2022.
The operator Gustavo Quintanafrom Pr Cambios, commented that it is “the lowest net sales figure for the current year, something that to some extent satisfies the official objectives, which seek to reduce the impact of the loss of reserves in a very difficult first semester.”
The lower number of sales was thanks to a notable improvement in the settlement of the agricultural dollar, which contributed US$153.4 million in foreign currency this Thursday, the highest amount in the last eight days. In turn, in the market they attributed the reduction of BCRA sales in the MULC to the fact that “the demand for savings dollars begins to fall, as was foreseeable”.
And it is that, as usually happens every beginning of the month, in the first two business days of May demand for the savings dollar quota for US$200 was concentrated. On Tuesday it was US$43 million and on Wednesday it is estimated that it was around a similar number, according to market sources.
The monetary entity adds up to a balance of net sales of US$276 million so far in May, after having registered net purchases of just US$35 million in April.
Agro dollar: the largest volume of the last 8 rounds
Los Agro-exporters settled this Thursday foreign currency for US$ 153,464 million under the agricultural dollar (soybean dollar 3), the highest amount since April 21 last. It is a significant rebound in relation to the US$99 million settled the day before, and it was registered within the framework of a day where the blue dollar fell $1 to close at $468 after the new restrictions that debuted on Tuesday to access financial dollars that affect traders and stockbrokers, but not savers.
The farm settled today US $ 153.4 million through soybean dollars, the largest amount of the last 8 rounds
Salvador Vitellia specialist in finance and agribusiness, remarked that despite the greater liquidation of the agricultural dollar, for the sixth day in a row the BCRA “cannot retain” the dollars it buys.
Since the entry into force on April 10 of the soybean dollar 3, the amount settled under this scheme amounts to more than US$1.920 million, and Vitelli indicated that the BCRA only managed to retain 14% of that volume.
“The madness to which we have reached that the BCRA has expanded its monetary base today (“paid” for foreign currency) but in reality ended up selling. This is basically due to the fact that it buys at one price and sells at another,” he questioned.
A report of Gold Values It also emphasizes that “the BCRA retains less and less foreign currency compared to the total settled per soybean dollar for the same period of soybean dollar 1, which had retained 63% of what was settled, while with soybean dollar 2 55% had been retained “.
The Economist Gabriel Caamano He also emphasized through his Twitter account that “he raised the PIE III on closing. And even so, it was not enough. Net sales continued. April closed almost neutral and May started with considerable red. And that the second quarter is always the best for the exchange market. Not even with an ad hoc split in this 2023”
Thus, the liquidation of the agricultural dollar is still far from the Government’s objective of obtaining US$5,000 million with this measure that ends on May 31.
Alarm continues over net reserves, which are in negative territory, and will deteriorate further after a payment to the IMF today
In this context, There is an expectation in the market that there will be some change in the mechanism that encourages greater liquidation”.
“There is speculation about an increase in the exchange rate to be offered,” Vitelli said, adding that he has “doubts” that the settlement per dollar of soybeans 3 will continue to grow in the coming days, given that the price offered by exporters to producers It is still stuck at $100,000 per ton of soybeans, which is not attractive for them to sell.
In PPI They also state that “given this panorama (of currency drain), the question arises as to whether the government will maintain the original validity of the dollar at $300 until May 31 or if there will be an early termination and a recalibration to $350/$400 that encourages producers to sell”.
