BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Argentina on Tuesday announced a sharp devaluation of its currency and cuts to energy and transportation subsidies as part of shock measures new President Javier Milei says are needed to deal with an economic emergency.
Economy Minister Luis Caputo said in a televised message the Argentine peso will be devalued by 50 percent to 800 to the U.S. dollar from 400 pesos to the dollar.
“For a few months, we’re going to be worse than before,” Mr. Caputo said, two days after the libertarian Milei was sworn in as president of the second largest economy in South America and immediately warned of tough measures.
Mr. Milei has said the country didn’t have time to consider other alternatives.
Argentina is suffering 143 percent annual inflation, its currency has plunged and four in 10 Argentines are impoverished. The nation has also a yawning fiscal deficit, a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a daunting $45 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund, with $10.6 billion due to the multilateral and private creditors by April.
As part of the new measures, Mr. Caputo said the government is canceling tenders of any public works projects and cutting some state jobs to reduce the size of the government.
He also announced cuts to energy and transportation subsidies without providing details or saying by how much, and added that Mr. Milei’s administration is reducing the number of ministries from 18 to 9.
He said the measures are necessary to cut the fiscal deficit he believes is the cause of the country’s economic problems, including surging inflation.
“If we continue as we are, we are inevitably heading toward hyperinflation,” Mr. Caputo said. “Our mission is to avoid a catastrophe.”
The IMF welcomed the measures, saying they provide “a good foundation” for further discussions with Argentina about its debt with the institution.
“These bold initial actions aim to significantly improve public finances in a manner that protects the most vulnerable in society and strengthen the foreign exchange regime,” said IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack in a statement. “Their decisive implementation will help stabilize the economy and set the basis for more sustainable and private-sector led growth.”
The major figures in the former Peronist government of Alberto Fernández didn’t comment on the measures announced Tuesday.
On Sunday, Mr. Milei was sworn in inside the National Congress building.
As a candidate, Mr. Milei pledged to purge the political establishment of corruption, eliminate the Central Bank he has accused of printing money and fueling inflation, and replace the rapidly depreciating peso with the U.S. dollar.
But after winning, he tapped Mr. Caputo, a former Central Bank president, to be his economy minister and one of Mr. Caputo’s allies to helm the bank, appearing to have put his much-touted plans for dollarization on hold.
