{
  "id": 327448,
  "title": "Industry rises for second month in a row, but first half of 2026 stays negative",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/industry-rises-for-second-month-in-a-row-but-first-half-of-2026-stays",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-07T21:59:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Buenos Aires Herald",
    "slug": "buenos-aires-herald",
    "url": "https://buenosairesherald.com/business/industry/industry-rises-for-second-month-in-a-row-but-first-half-of-2026-stays-negative"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Industrial activity in Argentina experienced a boost in June, marking the second consecutive monthly increase in the sector. The INDEC statistics institute reported a 0.9% growth month-over-month and a 2% increase year-over-year. The biggest contributors were oil refining, chemicals, rubber, and plastic products, with a 4.4% rise. Furniture and other manufacturing saw a 1.8% boost, while food, beverages, and tobacco grew by 1.5%. Conversely, equipment, appliances, and instruments saw a sharp decline of 7.4%, followed by motor vehicles and transportation equipment (-3.9%), textiles, apparel, leather, and footwear (-2%), and nonmetallic minerals and basic metals (-1.9%). However, this positive trend was not enough to counterbalance the manufacturing output slump during the first half of 2026, which saw a 2.2% decrease overall. Since the inauguration of the Milei administration in December 2023, industry has declined by 7%. The industrial downturn can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, Argentina implemented a trade liberalization policy, making local manufacturers compete with cheaper products from China and Southeast Asia. This has particularly affected textiles, which have seen a 24.4% decline in production due to increased competition and the rise of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu. Secondly, disposable income for consumption has dropped, resulting from higher purchasing power, increased household delinquency rates, and rising utility rates. This has impacted the construction industry, which relies heavily on industrial manufactured goods. Activity in this sector fell by 4.1% month-over-month in June, although it is still 4% above the same period from the previous year. The libertarian government's halt on public works projects, initiated by Milei, has pushed construction activity 20% below levels seen in November 2023. Santiago Casas, chief economist at EcoAnalytics, attributes the stagnation in both sectors to the cooling of domestic demand. Factors such as high interest rates for individuals and businesses, a lack of investment, and wage stagnation limiting consumption recovery are all contributing to this trend. Until these variables improve, manufacturing and construction are expected to \"alternate between gains and setbacks.\"",
  "summary": "Despite the monthly increase, half of the categories surveyed continue to show declining numbers La entrada Industry rises for second month in a row, but first half of 2026 stays negative se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}