Demonstrations in Buenos Aires. As Argentina's leaders negotiated the terms of the IMF's aid program yesterday, protest movements took place in the capital to challenge the government's policy. Meanwhile, on the foreign exchange market, the Argentine peso was recovering against the dollar (see graph), while it has depreciated by more than 50% since January.
Will the European Union succeed in taxing the GAFAs? On Saturday, the Finance Ministers will meet in Vienna for the ECOFIN Council. The subject will be at the centre of discussions. French finance minister Bruno le Maire confirmed yesterday his willingness to impose a European tax on American technology giants and intends to convince his counterparts of the need to take action. The Franco-German alliance could be put to the test during this meeting, as Germany is for the time being more moderate in its statements. "What Germany says will be decisive," a source told the French finance ministry.
In other news. Discussions between Canada and the United States on the terms of NAFTA, which began about ten days ago, are continuing this Friday. The presidential favourite in Brazil was stabbed during a rally, but his injuries are not life threatening. The British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union met Michel Barnier in Brussels on Thursday to try to resolve their differences before the next European summit.