Over the past five years Argentina has suffered from one of the worst economic crises of its history. Mired by currency devaluation, diminished business confidence, contracting GDP, and a large current accounts deficit, the Argentine economy is, at very best, weak. Of its problems, Argentina’s international debt is of greatest concern. Servicing the debt has created a large financial burden for the Argentine government limiting the steps it has been able to take to stimulate economic growth. Since temporarily stopping payment on US$132 billion of debt in 2001 , Argentina has experienced some economic expansion, but this growth has come with large costs. Foreign banks’ condemnation of the default has made Argentina a pariah in the international investment community. Meanwhile, the interest on the outstanding loans is compounding at an astronomical rate increasing Argentina’s debt burden significantly. Unfortunately for Argentina, encouraging international investment and reducing its debt are both
Over the past five years Argentina has suffered from one of the worst economic crises of its history. Mired by currency devaluation, diminished business confidence, contracting GDP, and a large current accounts deficit, the Argentine economy is, at very best, weak. Of its problems, Argentina’s international debt is of greatest concern. Servicing the debt has created a large financial burden for the Argentine government limiting the steps it has been able to take to stimulate economic growth. Since temporarily stopping payment on US$132 billion of debt in 2001 , Argentina has experienced some economic expansion, but this growth has come with large costs. Foreign banks’ condemnation of the default has made Argentina a pariah in the international investment community. Meanwhile, the interest on the outstanding loans is compounding at an astronomical rate increasing Argentina’s debt burden significantly. Unfortunately for Argentina, encouraging international investment and reducing its debt are both