Trade Balance in Argentina

Summarises the value of goods traded between Argentine residents and the rest of the world over a period, measured as the difference between exports and imports. It is published by INDEC within its Argentine Trade Exchange report.

It is calculated as the difference between the value of exports and imports recorded by customs. A positive balance is a trade surplus and a negative one a deficit; it is usually expressed in millions of US dollars.

The trade balance is pivotal for Argentina as its main source of foreign currency: a solid surplus eases the dollar shortage and pressure on the peso and the central bank's reserves, while a deterioration aggravates currency tensions. Markets follow it closely for its impact on the balance of payments.

The figures are not final: each release tends to revise earlier periods, and the data come with some lag. Argentine trade flows are highly volatile owing to the seasonality of farm exports and to currency and import controls.