Marco Lavagna resigned from directing INDEC after disagreements with the government on implementing the new Consumer Price Index for January. Minister Luis Caputo confirmed the methodological change will be postponed until disinflation is consolidated, appointing Pedro Lines as the new head. January inflation is estimated at 2.5%, according to official projections.
Marco Lavagna, INDEC director, submitted his resignation on Monday, as confirmed by official sources. The main reason stems from disagreements with the government on publishing January inflation data using the new Consumer Price Index methodology, announced in October 2025. This update, based on the 2017/2018 National Household Survey, gives more weight to services, housing, and transport, at the expense of goods consumption.
Lavagna met with union delegates and explained that the executive rejected implementing the change now, opting to wait until disinflation consolidates. 'Marco was working on the new methodology and had it scheduled for now. With the President, we always thought it should be changed once disinflation was consolidated,' Caputo stated on Radio Rivadavia. The minister estimated January inflation at around 2.5%, asserting 'there's no need to change the index now'.
Pedro Lines, an Economics graduate with a CEMA master's and Qatar experience, will assume the role. He joined INDEC in 1996 and returned in 2016 under Macri's government. INDEC sources indicated the new IPC doesn't vary substantially from the current one, but the government prioritizes stability. This resignation echoes the 2007 intervention by Guillermo Moreno, which manipulated data for years, undermining statistical credibility.
The official January inflation data will be released on February 10, based on the current methodology. Private consultancies project between 2% and 2.6%, with Food and beverages as the main rising category.
