Argentina Awaits October Inflation Data With Monthly Price Growth Stuck Near 2%

Argentina's national statistics institute (Indec) publishes October consumer prices on Thursday, and the market expects a 1.8% monthly rise, Clarín reported. The newspaper writes that inflation persists and that the government has not explained how it intends to bring it down. Economist Miguel Ángel Broda told Clarín that "disinflation has been stalled for 14 months at 32% a year." Private forecasters surveyed by local media put October between 1.8% and 2.1%. The central bank's market expectations survey (REM) sees inflation for 2026 at 30% to 30.3%, El Economista reported.

Industries that grew behind tariff walls are shrinking under import competition. Textile production has fallen almost 34% in three years, and about 1,000 companies and 28,000 registered jobs have disappeared under Milei, according to a study by the industry group Fundación Pro Tejer, Clarín reported. Installed capacity use in the sector is below 45%. The capital-goods engineering chamber said domestic industry could supply two-thirds of the equipment imported under the investment incentive regime for large projects (RIGI), Ámbito reported. Ámbito added that the government appears to recognize the problem by organizing business matchmaking rounds.

The two stories are linked. Inflation near 2% a month with a managed peso makes Argentine production more expensive in dollar terms. That favors imports and squeezes local manufacturers. Industry groups want protection back. The government's position is that inefficient sectors built on decades of closed markets must shrink.