Bartering increases in Argentina as inflation keeps soaring

By DÉBORA REY
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — With a monthly inflation rate of 7.4% in July, the highest number in two decades, Argentina is cementing its position among the countries with the world’s highest inflation rates. For a group of women who live outside the capital, the way to make ends meet with consumer prices soaring 71% in the past year has been to barter everything from clothes to used kitchen utensils for food. These types of informal fairs have become more common in recent years in Argentina amid persistently high inflation that has made it particularly difficult for the poorest members of society to make ends meet.