Argentina’s Peso Holds a Tight Blue Premium as the Merval Takes a Breather After a Record High
Key Points
- USD/ARS held near 1,444 per $1 ($1) on the reference feed, while the blue premium stayed unusually tight.
- A global dollar rebound followed fresh “strong dollar” messaging, but intervention noise still drove FX headlines.
- Charts showed USD/ARS getting stretched short-term, while equities cooled in an extended uptrend.
Argentina opened January 29 with the peso steady on the main screen and the parallel market still contained. On the reference feed used in your charts, USD/ARS traded near 1,444 per $1 ($1) around 08:16 UTC.
That level kept the market pinned near the top of its recent band. The split between “official” and “street” prices remained the daily stress test. Banco Nación’s retail sell rate was 1,465 per $1 ($1).
The blue dollar eased to 1,485 per $1 ($1). The implied premium was roughly 1% to 2% versus retail. That is tight by local standards. It points to limited cash-dollar panic.
Alternative rails reinforced the message. The wholesale market was cited near 1,444.5 per $1 ($1). CCL eased to 1,497.40 per $1 ($1). MEP eased to 1,462.35 per $1 ($1). In plain terms, offshore hedging still carried a premium. But it was not blowing out.
Global headlines added a second driver. The dollar index rebounded toward 96.4 after touching a four-year low near 95.9.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated a “strong dollar” policy and denied intervention support for the yen. Japan’s yen story still mattered. Markets kept watching for coordinated signals. Gold stayed in a runaway rally above $5,300.
Technicals matched a “firm but stretched” FX tape. On the 4-hour USD/ARS chart, RSI sat near 70.2, which reads overbought.
Daily RSI was near 49.6, consistent with consolidation. Weekly RSI was near 58.2, still supportive. Resistance clustered around 1,447 to 1,449 per $1 ($1). Support sat around 1,440 to 1,438 per $1 ($1).
Equities took a pause. The S&P Merval ended near 3,230,714 points, down 0.42% on the session. It had traded up to 3,296,502 earlier in the day.
That pullback snapped a six-session winning streak. Risk premium measures still improved, with risk country cited near 484. Local financing remained a key subplot. Córdoba placed $800 million under New York law, with demand near $1.6 billion.
The Treasury also ran a peso auction to meet maturities near AR$9.4 trillion ($7 billion). Investors focused on rollover strength and rate acceptance.
Top 5 Winners
- COME (Sociedad Comercial del Plata): +3.39%
- BYMA (Bolsas y Mercados): +1.65%
- TGNO4 (Transportadora de Gas del Norte): +1.26%
- YPFD (YPF): +0.82%
- GGAL (Grupo Financiero Galicia): +0.59%
Top 5 Losers
- TRAN (Transener): -4.37%
- CRES (Cresud): -2.83%
- TGSU2 (Transportadora de Gas del Sur): -2.71%
- TXAR (Ternium Argentina): -2.71%
- EDN (Edenor): -2.51%
This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Argentine markets and Latin American financial news.
For regional context, see the Brazil’s Ibovespa report for the same date: Brazil’s Ibovespa.
For regional context, see the Chile’s IPSA report for the same date: Chile’s IPSA.
Live Market IntelligenceArgentina — Live Market Board
Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence
Argentina — Live Market Board
+1.30%
171,031.73
+1.85%
65,729.18
+2.14%
11,338.38
+0.89%
2,913,184
+1.30%
2,459.23
+0.61%
58,698.13
+2.60%
| Instrument | Last | Change | YoY | Prev. | High | Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MERVAL | 2,913,184 | +1.30% | +30.51% | 3,022,485 | 3,042,365 | 2,991,150 | — |
| USD/ARS | 1,493 | +0.10% | +12.96% | 1,491 | 1,494 | 1,480 | — |
| YPF | 7,810 | +0.26% | +72.84% | 7,790 | 7,850 | 7,600 | 1,763,858 |
| GGAL | 6,980 | -0.78% | +1.82% | 7,035 | 7,115 | 6,920 | 1,564,062 |
| PAMPA | 5,115 | +0.69% | +26.70% | 5,080 | 5,140 | 5,000 | 721,190 |
| TXAR | 747.50 | -2.35% | +18.67% | 765.50 | 770.00 | 742.50 | 771,892 |
| ALUAR | 938.00 | -1.21% | +29.83% | 949.50 | 951.00 | 932.50 | 135,426 |
| TGS | 8,870 | -0.17% | +15.05% | 8,885 | 9,075 | 8,720 | 143,546 |
| CEPU | 2,156 | +1.84% | +28.36% | 2,117 | 2,165 | 2,086 | 404,146 |
| MIRGOR | 1,650 | -1.20% | -92.90% | 1,670 | 1,670 | 1,635 | 20,877 |
| COME | 40.93 | -0.73% | -30.47% | 41.23 | 41.60 | 40.50 | 4,258,884 |
| LOMA NEGRA | 3,130 | +0.08% | +5.80% | 3,128 | 3,205 | 3,090 | 182,992 |
| BYMA | 275.00 | -1.70% | +35.14% | 279.75 | 282.50 | 272.00 | 1,409,575 |
| TELECOM ARG | 4,233 | -0.70% | +55.19% | 4,263 | 4,335 | 4,160 | 31,896 |
| GLOBANT | 38.10 | -2.26% | -49.65% | 38.98 | 38.70 | 36.77 | 793,552 |
| MERCADOLIBRE | 1,870 | -3.59% | -20.71% | 1,940 | 1,927 | 1,870 | 329,640 |
Key Facts
— Deep Dive
— For the complete picture, read our in-depth guide: Latin America Stock Markets 2026: Ibovespa, Merval, COLCAP, IPSA and IPC Guide
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