President Javier Milei has abruptly made the Malvinas a centerpiece of his presidency, seizing on Donald Trump’s comments about the dispute and escalating Argentina’s campaign against offshore oil development near the islands. Daniel Politi and Francisco Aldaya look at why the nationalist turn came now, after a strange few weeks in which Milei largely disappeared from public view before returning with a barrage of insults aimed at journalists, business leaders, and critics of his government’s policies.

They also discuss how, even as energy, mining, and agriculture are seeing strong growth, there are clear weak spots in the economy, including sharp drops in manufacturing and construction, weak formal employment, and a household debt problem that has left millions of borrowers behind on payments. And they ask whether some officials inside the government are beginning to acknowledge economic problems that Milei himself insists do not require a change in course.

Plus, Allie Lazar investigates Buenos Aires’ mysterious boom in egg shops and the rise of the city’s pancho scene, exploring what both say about how Porteños are eating in a squeezed economy. She also shares one of the city’s best lunch hacks for getting into a famously hard-to-book Japanese restaurant in Villa Crespo.

Recorded on Sept. 15, 2026

Argentina's economy contracted for the first time in two years and unemployment rose to 7.9%, even as the external accounts turned in their strongest showing in years: a $2.2 billion August trade surplus and net reserves at a five-year high. Milei filed a low-key 2027 budget while the resource boom kept breaking records. Wall Street's biggest banks, meanwhile, doubled down on Argentine assets.In this episode: *Argentina's GDP contracts 0.6% in Q2, unemployment at 7.9% *The 2027 Budget: peso at 1,848, inflation 21%, growth 4% *August trade surplus of $2.2 billion as exports rebound 12% *Net reserves at a five-year high, but central bank buying slows *Milei's primary-elimination bid stalls; Fiscal Innocence II passes *Record foreign mining investment of $2.8 billion in Q1 *Oil back above $100: the Vaca Muerta paradox *YPF nears new LNG deals as Chevron and Harbour Energy pile in*Morgan Stanley and Bank of America back Argentine assets *TGN's $2.2 billion Vaca Muerta gas pipeline *Two consortiums bid for water utility AySA *Galicia tops the first-half dividend tableFull thread on X: https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief/status/2101744345204310490The Argentina Brief is a weekly English-language series covering the most important economic, financial, and business news from Argentina — built for investors, executives, and anyone following the Milei era in real time. Also, once a month, an hour-long podcast. Weekly series hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea.

Trump offered to settle the Malvinas (Falklands) dispute, inflation hit a 14-month low, and Argentina's two biggest companies raised US$2.2 billion. Here's the week that was in Milei's Argentina:

📊 In this episode:

*August inflation slowed to 1.7%, the lowest in 14 months

*MercadoLibre and YPF raised a combined US$2.2 billion in Wall Street debt on the same day

*The ARS$2 trillion mortgage-funding program debuted oversubscribed, and banks cut UVA rates

*Milei's approval ticked up to 38%, but he stays underwater — especially with women

*Industry and construction slumped again in July.

*Students posted their worst PISA in 20 years

*Loan delinquency climbed to 12.9%, the highest since the 2001 crisis, hammering bank stocks

*Trump offered to "settle" the Malvinas dispute as Milei's sovereignty offensive escalated all week

*Milei hosted Tesla and DayOne Data

🔗 For the full text thread with all the details and more news, see the X profile: https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief/status/2...

📰 About the Argentina Brief: The Argentina Brief is a weekly English-language video series covering the most important economic, financial, and business news from Argentina — built for investors, executives, and anyone following the Milei era in real time. Also, a monthly podcast alongside Dan Politi and Allie Lazar, which you can find here: @theargentinabrief  

Hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea.

Milei's approval cracked in a poll from the firm that called his 2023 win, the economy shrank for a second straight quarter, and yet corporate Argentina delivered blockbuster earnings from MercadoLibre to Pampa Energía. This is your English-language wrap of the most important economic, financial and business news from Argentina for the week of August 3, 2026.

In this episode:

*Milei's disapproval climbed to 62.4% in July, per AtlasIntel — the pollster that called his 2023 win

*Milei attended the swearing-in of Colombia's new right-wing president, Abelardo de la Espriella

*The Senate passed the property-rights law, but the government was forced to gut its land reform to get it

*Argentina's economy predicted to have shrunk in Q2, as per central bank REM survey.

*MercadoLibre posted a record quarter, but the stock slid on the Nasdaq and it flagged weaker demand in Argentina

*Caputo dismissed the polls, ruled out a devaluation, and jabbed at Kicillof *Pampa Energía crushed estimates and greenlit its biggest-ever project, as sister company TGS closed a record half

*YPF sold two Mendoza oilfields for $405 million to double down on Vaca Muerta

*Aerolíneas Argentinas will pay income tax for the first time ever

*The central bank's REM also saw cooler inflation and a milder peso path

*Loan arrears eased and tax revenue beat inflation

*BYD isn't sweating Tesla's arrival as its Argentina sales boom

🔗 Follow for more Argentina coverage: https://linktr.ee/theargentinabrief📰 About: The Argentina Brief is a weekly English-language video series and monthly podcast covering the most important economic, financial, and business news from Argentina — built for investors, executives, and anyone following the Milei era in real time.

Argentina lost the World Cup, then lost control of the conversation. Accusations of racism, arrogance, and violence turned criticism of the national team into a broader pile-on against the country itself. Javier Milei then took a nationalist turn, carrying the fight into immigration policy.

In Episode 5 of The Argentina Brief, Francisco Aldaya and Daniel Politi examine how legitimate criticism became caricature, why Milei’s government portrayed the backlash as a coordinated political campaign, and what its new emergency decree means for foreign nationals accused of hate speech against Argentines. All of this comes as one of Argentina’s most closely watched polls shows a sharp fall in confidence in the government this year.

They also discuss IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva’s historic visit to Argentina, household loan delinquencies at their highest level since the 2001 crisis, and a surprising tourism record that caught even the government off guard.

For Sobremesa, Allie Lazar marks 20 years in Argentina, explains why she still calls Buenos Aires home, and shares the cafés that helped her through a grey July in Chacarita.

Recommendations

Docena — Turkish eggs, good midday specials, and excellent facturas. Allie’s pick.
Hobby Café — salads served in ceramic bowls that stop the room. Allie’s pick.
Simik — an old-school café inside an antique-camera museum. Skip the coffee, order the tostado with fresh orange juice. Allie’s pick.
Trabestia — drag, great music, and production values worth the trip. Allie’s pick.
Social Corazón — a casual, bakery-led spot from the team behind Don Julio and El Preferido. Order the ravioli with estofado. Dan’s pick.
Passion Café — eggs, smoked-salmon toast, and real coffee. Fran’s pick.

A defining week for Milei's economic project — and a combustible one for his politics. He went on national TV to send Congress a central bank overhaul and a "fiscal shackle" budget rule, calling it the most important reform in 91 years, while IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva made the Fund's first visit to Argentina in eight years. At the same time, a migration decree targeting "hate speech" and a feud that led Brazil to recall its ambassador put foreign policy and civil liberties in the spotlight.

In this episode:

*Milei's central bank reform and "fiscal shackle" head to Congress

*IMF's Georgieva visits Argentina — US$58 billion in debt as backdrop

*Emergency decree to bar or deport foreigners over "hate speech"

*Brazil recalls its ambassador after Milei attacks Lula in São Paulo

*Treasury rolls over nearly 145%, extends maturities past 2027

*Citi cautiously bullish, flags global rate hikes as top risk

*Edenor bids for 70% of Metrogas

*Tesla and TikTok bet on Argentina

*Government confidence at a term low, still high historically

*Plan to shrink the Comodoro Py federal courts

*Car sales down 9.3%, motorcycles up 45%

*Arriazu warns on the cost of opening trade

🔗 Follow for more Argentina coverage: X: https://x.com/argentinabriefInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theargentinabrief/

Fran: https://www.instagram.com/franciscoaldayajournalist/

📰 About the Argentina Brief: This is the weekly edition of the Argentina Brief, a video series covering the most important economic, financial, and business news from Argentina — built for investors, executives, and anyone following the Milei era in real time. Hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea. The Argentina Brief also features a monthly hour-long podcast alongside Daniel Politi and Allie Lazar: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArgentina...

Another week in Milei's Argentina. Moody's became the third major credit agency to upgrade the country since May — but consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since Milei took office. The economy contracted for a second straight month, yet the trade surplus hit a record. And Messi said goodbye to the Argentina national team.

In this episode:

*Moody's upgrades Argentina to B3 with positive outlook
*Consumer confidence plunges to its lowest since January 2024
*Consumer loan delinquency hits a two-decade high — credit channel blocked
*Economy contracts for second straight month in May — agriculture and mining up, industry and retail down
*Wages beat inflation for third consecutive month, but registered wages still below 2023 levels
*Record H1 trade surplus: US$13.9 billion — exports at an all-time high
*Caputo announces "Fiscal Innocence Law 2" targeting US$170 billion in mattress dollars
*Vista files US$5.8 billion RIGI project; Pampa gets approval for US$4.5 billion development
*Fitch warns 2027 financing program requires large BCRA dollar purchases in an election year
*Sturzenegger pushes sweeping deregulation bill — capital markets, pharma, real estate, books
*Milei headlines Bolsonaro campaign launch in Brazil, calls Lula "the convict"
*Messi bids farewell to the World Cup after twenty years

For the full thread with all the details, follow the Argentina Brief on X: https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief/status/2081414667583262981

Hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea.

A packed week in Argentina — political fallout, a reserves milestone, and a wave of major investments. We break it all down in about 3 minutes.

📊 In this episode:

*Voters slam Milei's handling of the Adorni scandal — but his approval barely moves
*Bullrich emerges as the big political winner; Santilli takes over as Chief of Staff
*Economic activity contracts 1.5% in April — recovery stays uneven
*BCRA rolls over US$6 billion in repos to 2028, clearing the path to the 2027 election
*YPF brings in Eni and XRG for the Argentina LNG upstream
*Genneia files for an NYSE IPO — first Argentine listing on Wall Street since 2019
*Meitner Energy proposes a US$1.2 billion nuclear reactor — likely first Super RIGI application
*Auto production falls 18% in H1 as Chinese imports surge
*Argentina tops the world in formal-sector tax burden (UIA)
*Argentine fans lead World Cup travel across US host cities

🔗 Follow for more Argentina coverage:

*X Thread (full weekly breakdown): https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief

Argentina’s financial scoreboard had a strong June: a credit-rating upgrade, country risk near an eight-year low, a record trade surplus, and faster-than-expected reserve accumulation. But many Argentines are still living on a different clock, marked by company closures, precarious jobs, and weak consumption.

In Episode 4 of The Argentina Brief, Francisco Aldaya and Daniel Politi unpack the two-speed economy, Manuel Adorni’s undeclared-cash scandal in his final weeks in office, and why it matters for Milei’s anti-caste brand. They also look at Argentina’s strange new AI pitch: companies run entirely by artificial intelligence, with Fran drawing on his interview with Federico Sturzenegger to break down what the proposal actually says, as Milei sells the idea abroad and Yuval Noah Harari warns of the risks.

Then football enters the picture: Messi as a political loyalty test and what Buenos Aires looks like during a Selección match. For Sobremesa, Allie Lazar joins to talk Argentine asado culture, the national team’s beef shipment to Kansas City, and where to find the best empanadas in Buenos Aires.

Editor’s note: This episode was recorded on June 25, before Manuel Adorni’s resignation. The conversation reflects how the scandal was being understood at the time.

A dramatic week in Argentina. Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni resigned on Saturday after more than three months under scrutiny over his unexplained wealth — becoming the fourth person to hold the post in just 2.5 years. Meanwhile, the economic data painted a mixed picture: Q1 GDP beat expectations, but unemployment ticked up. MSCI declined to reclassify Argentina, and Economy Minister Luis Caputo secured the dollars for the July bond payment at a rate well below Wall Street.

*Adorni resigns amid wealth scandal — Interior Minister Diego Santilli floated as likely replacement
*Q1 GDP grows 0.7%, beating forecasts — unemployment rises to 7.8%
*MSCI keeps Argentina in Standalone status — reclassification off the table until at least 2027
*Caputo funds the July 9 bond payment at 6.7%, avoiding international markets
*The official dollar jumps 4.5% in June
*Government confidence rises for the first time in 2026
*Knowledge Economy exports surpass US$10 billion for the first time