Dollar shortage worsens due to Military farce that generated speculation | Se agrava escasez de dólares por farsa militar que generó especulación

By Ernesto Estremadoiro Flores, El Deber:

Private parties reveal that military attack generated speculation and ask the Government for dialogue to solve the dollar shortage

El dólar supera los Bs 9 en las calles/Foto: Ricardo Montero
The dollar exceeds Bs 9 in the streets/Photo: Ricardo Montero

The price of the currency, on the streets, is above the official price

The failed military attack on June 26 generated speculation (around the dollar) and damaged the country’s image. This is an analysis carried out by the president of the Confederation of Private Entrepreneurs of Bolivia (CEPB), Giovanni Ortuño. The business leader asked the government to seek, together with the business sector, a solution to this problem.

Since 2023, the country has been experiencing a dollar shortage that was accentuated during 2024. This gave rise to a parallel exchange rate of currencies on the streets. After the failed coup d’état, the value of this currency began to rise to exceed Bs 9 per dollar.

“We still do not have a concrete quantification, but indeed this type of situation entails damage not only at an economic level, but also at an image level. Being linked to issues of public opinion perception, as it entails speculation, also entails moments of insecurity for people and does not contribute to what we are working on, which is to quickly get out of this crisis,” said the businessman.

Ortuño also pointed out the current lack of dollars, it is not a new problem, but he emphasized the importance of seeking solutions promptly in coordination with the authorities.

The important thing is to find ways to get out of this situation as soon as possible and the only way is to seek dialogue and for all the actors to get to work on it,” he said.

Sharing a personal experience, he mentioned: “The company’s personal experience has reached 8.9, I don’t have more data, it would be specific.”

“It is very speculative on my part to give another figure. It is a reality that we have to seek a strong public-private dialogue, continue working on proposing and listening to the sectors to take the corresponding measures. And it (speculation) has passed, luckily it has passed quickly; So we are already looking for a way out of this situation,” he said.

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