The Argentina Brief

Francisco Aldaya, Daniel Politi, and Allie Lazar
  • 3.8 (4)
  • News
  • Updated Monthly

The Argentina Brief is a monthly English-language podcast hosted by Bloomberg Línea bureau chief Francisco Aldaya, journalist Daniel Politi and food writer Allie Lazar. Each episode takes a step back from the daily headlines to break down what's really happening in Argentina — the economy, the politics, the markets and the lifestyle — in plain language, with insider perspective. Whether you're an investor watching the country's transformation, an expat navigating daily life or just Argentina-curious, this is your one-stop monthly briefing. New episodes every month.

  1. 16h ago ·  Bonus

    Weekly Wrap-Up, Week of Oct 12th | Country risk near 2026 high | Milei in the polls | IMF cuts growth forecast

    📊 In this episode: *Country risk rose for a sixth straight session to 648 basis points as dollar bonds sold off*AtlasIntel for Bloomberg: Milei's disapproval eased to 57.2%, but seven in ten said the economy was bad *Caputo met Georgieva in Bangkok and floated tapping the China swap to cover 2027 financing *September inflation at 1.9%, the second highest in Latin America; the IMF cut 2026 growth to 2.1% *The US trade deal was amended and is heading to Congress, with a bigger beef quota *A presidential adviser called Chinese smart cars a national-security risk as BYD weighed a battery plant 🔗 Follow for more Argentina coverage on X and this week's full thread: https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief Also check out the monthly Argentina Brief podcast! ⁨@TheArgentinaBrief⁩  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/25Xz4U7SbwxIQ3fj0T79Xl 📰 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. Hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea.

  2. 2d ago

    #7 | Become an Argentine for $350K, Alberto Ades on Milei, and Miércolesb Fills BA’s Queer Nightlife Gap

    Argentina is putting citizenship up for sale. In the October episode of The Argentina Brief, Francisco Aldaya and Daniel Politi break down the government’s new $350,000 Golden Passport and the surprisingly optimistic mood among global CEOs at Argentina Week in Paris, even as financial markets grow increasingly nervous. They also sit down with economist and Wall Street veteran Alberto Ades to talk about the Milei experiment, why he thinks Argentina would benefit from a weaker peso, and what could decide next year’s election. Plus, what Flávio Bolsonaro’s surprise first-round victory in Brazil means for Argentina. Paige Nichols joins La Sobremesa to talk natural wine and why the success of Miércolesb, the monthly party she co-created for queer women in BA, points to a clear shortage of events geared toward that community in Argentina’s capital. Follow us on X: Fran: https://x.com/ArgentinaBrief + https://x.com/franaldaya Dan: https://x.com/dpoliti Paige: https://x.com/Pagina924 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theargentinabrief/ Fran: https://www.instagram.com/franciscoaldayajournalist/ Dan: https://www.instagram.com/dnpoliti/ Paige: https://www.instagram.com/lapanza/ Recorded on Oct. 13, 2026

  3. 6d ago ·  Bonus

    Weekly Wrap-Up, Week of Oct 5 | Global CEOs Back Milei in Paris, Bolsonaro Rally Lifts Markets, AySA Privatized

    The CEOs of Eni, Glencore, Rio Tinto and Santander lined up behind Argentina's reforms at Argentina Week in Paris, a first-round lead for Flavio Bolsonaro in Brazil set off a rally that lifted MercadoLibre more than 11% on the week, and at home the Milei government privatized the AySA water utility for US$340 million while a federal judge reopened the fight over the University Financing Law. We also cover the central bank's downgraded growth forecast, Milei's upcoming trip to Washington, Mindlin's pitch for AI data centers on Vaca Muerta gas, the YPF-TotalEnergies biorefinery, record bank dividends, and the auto-sector reshuffle with Renault, Toyota and Nissan. In this episode: *Argentina Week in Paris: Eni, Glencore, Rio Tinto and Santander CEOs backed Milei's reforms *Bolsonaro's first-round lead in Brazil sent MercadoLibre, the Merval and Argentine bonds higher for the week *The government privatized water utility AySA for US$340 million *A federal judge struck down Milei's decree freezing the University Financing Law *The central bank's REM survey cut 2026 growth to 1.5% *Milei confirmed a fifth U.S. trip of 2026, with a Washington gala before the midterms *Pampa's Mindlin pitched AI data centers on Vaca Muerta gas *YPF sealed a US$400 million-plus biorefinery deal with TotalEnergies *Industry and construction rebounded in August but stayed red year-on-year *Banks leaned on public debt for income while paying record dividends *Renault launched the Niagara pickup and Toyota's US$1.3 billion plan cleared the RIGI; Nissan exited 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. Hosted by Francisco Aldaya, Bureau Chief for Argentina at Bloomberg Línea. Also, a monthly hour-long podcast alongside Dan Politi and Allie Lazar.

  4. Sep 22

    #6 | Milei’s Malvinas Pivot, an Economy Under Pressure, and the Buenos Aires Egg Craze

    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

  5. Sep 20 ·  Bonus

    Weekly Wrap-Up, Week of Sept. 14 | GDP Contracts in Q2, Reserves at 5-Year High, Trade Surplus Jumps

    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.

  6. Sep 13 ·  Bonus

    Weekly Wrap-Up, Sept 7, 2026: Trump on Malvinas, inflation hits 14-month low, $MELI & $YPF raise US$2.2B

    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.

  7. Aug 9 ·  Bonus

    Weekly Wrap-Up, Week of Aug 3 | Milei Disapproval Hits 62%, MercadoLibre's Record Quarter, Economy Shrinks Again

    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.

  8. Aug 5

    #5 | How Argentina Became the Villain, Milei Turns Backlash Into Law, and Chacarita’s Best Cafés

    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.

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Ratings & Reviews

3.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Argentina Brief is a monthly English-language podcast hosted by Bloomberg Línea bureau chief Francisco Aldaya, journalist Daniel Politi and food writer Allie Lazar. Each episode takes a step back from the daily headlines to break down what's really happening in Argentina — the economy, the politics, the markets and the lifestyle — in plain language, with insider perspective. Whether you're an investor watching the country's transformation, an expat navigating daily life or just Argentina-curious, this is your one-stop monthly briefing. New episodes every month.

Information

  • Creator
    Francisco Aldaya, Daniel Politi, and Allie Lazar
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Francisco Aldaya, Daniel Politi, and Allie Lazar
  • Show Website
    The Argentina Brief

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