Illustration depicting Argentina's February economic decline with falling graphs, closed factories, and empty shops in Buenos Aires.
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Economic activity fell 2.6% in February, according to INDEC

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English

Argentina's monthly economic activity estimator (EMAE) recorded a 2.1% year-over-year drop and a 2.6% seasonally adjusted decline in February 2026, INDEC reported. Manufacturing industry contracted 8.7% and commerce 7.0% year-over-year.

The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) reported that in February 2026, the EMAE fell 2.1% year-over-year and 2.6% from January on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Eight sectors showed year-over-year increases, with fishing at 14.8% and mining and quarrying at 9.9%. Mining and quarrying had the largest positive impact, followed by agriculture, livestock, hunting, and forestry at 8.4%, contributing 0.8 percentage points to the variation.

Conversely, seven sectors declined, led by manufacturing industry at -8.7% and wholesale, retail trade, and repairs at -7.0%. These two subtracted 2.2 percentage points from the year-over-year EMAE, according to the INDEC report.

What people are saying

Discussions on X about INDEC's EMAE report for February 2026 highlight a 2.6% monthly and 2.1% yearly drop in economic activity, with strong contractions in manufacturing (-8.7%) and commerce (-7%). Users, including economists and journalists, express negative sentiments criticizing government economic promises, while noting gains in agriculture, mining, and finance. High-engagement posts from news outlets amplify the data.

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