Time For Crisis Investing In Argentina, Again?

In a somewhat surprising bid to avoid having even more Argentina assets impounded by the increasingly more belligerent hedge fund hordes, president Kirchner opted to squeeze the government's already dwindling coffers further and instead of using her official aircraft, she decided to pay British air charter Chapman Freeborn $880,000 for an airplane rental to take her to Cuba, the UAE, Indonesia and Vietnam. This happens even as Argentina is once again caught in a messy brawl with the UK over the Falklands.

The Free Exchange column in this week's print edition is a guest article by Mario Blejer and Guillermo Ortiz, former central-bank governors of Argentina and Mexico respectively. They note that some advocates of Greek exit from the euro cite Argentina's abandonment of its currency board in 2002. The peso devaluation that followed the collapse of the currency board led to a boom in Argentine exports and growth.

As we strap into the turret for another week of trading, the Middle East crisis continues to take center stage.  In Libya, Moammar Gadhafi continues to cling to power, even as the opposition expands their area of control.  Saudi Arabia has indicated they will step up production to meet any supply disruptions from Libya, meanwhile oil prices are hovering near triple digits.

By T. Marc Schober:Foreign investors looking to invest in the fertile farmland of Argentina will be significantly limited by the Rural Land Law, passed in late 2011 by the Argentine Government. Argentina is concerned over the growing amount of foreign ownership of their natural resources. Nearly 7.0% of Argentina's arable land is owned by foreigners, according to the Agrarian Federation of Argentina.

Argentina's decision this week to nationalize its largest oil company might help reduce its dependence on energy imports but could hurt its foreign investment, analysts say.The Argentine government decided to take a 51 percent stake in YPF from Spain's Repsol after accusing the firm of failing to adequately fund the enterprise.Buenos Aires officials argue the move will help boost the country's domestic energy supplies, and some experts agree.

By Caiman Valores:Since writing my article Argentina on the Brink: What is the Real Investment Risk?, events in Argentina over the last week have moved even more rapidly towards what I believe is the impending nationalization of the Argentine oil and gas industry.

Matthew Rafat submits: California Water Service Group (CWT) held its annual meeting on May 25, 2010 at a downtown San Jose hotel. Chairman Robert Foy, looking dapper in a bowtie, commemorated Dr. Edward Day Harris, Jr., a board member who recently passed away.