In Argentina, confidence tumbles as economic anxiety soars

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An atmosphere of crisis and tumbling confidence has enveloped Argentina after five years of political stability and robust economic growth. While its giant neighbor and longtime rival Brazil is booming, thanks to incresing agricultural and alternative fuel production, Argentina is having flashbacks to previous eras, when a wobbly economy created social unrest and political turmoil.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is facing a rancorous farm revolt in one of the world’s major grain- and beef-producing nations. Growers on Saturday ended their fourth strike this year, but the battle rages on more than 100 days after it erupted when the government imposed new tariffs on farmers selling grain abroad, writes the Times’ Patrick J. McDonnell.

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-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City