Economy of Argentina GDP levels in the world, at par with Canada and Australia and surpassing both France and Italy. Argentina today (2018) is plagued by currency crisis which involved a potential bailout from International Monetary Fund. The currency declined by 18% over a period of 12 days in May 2018 to more than 25 Argentine pesos per U.S. Dollar. Argentina is considered an emerging market by the FTSE Global Equity Index (2018), and is one of the G-20 major economies. Prior to the 1880s, Argentina was a relatively isolated backwater, dependent on the salted meat, wool, leather, and hide industries for both
Argentine currency controls (2011–15) Argentine currency controls (2011–15) Argentina installed foreign exchange controls in 2011, at the beginning of the second presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Those controls limited the ability to buy or sell any foreign currency. The restriction was informally known in Argentina as "Cepo cambiario" (). The controls were lifted in December 2015, at the beginning of the presidency of Mauricio Macri. The first restrictions were imposed on October 31, 2011. The Tax and Customs Authority, AFIP, required that individuals and businesses who sought to buy dollars request permission, which may depend of the financial status of the buyer. However,