Merval slides 0.5%

Merval benchmark stock index lost 0.5 percent, to 3,470.74 points. Meanwhile, Argentina's country-risk rose 2.3 percent to 583 basis points in the JP Morgan EMBI index.

The US dollar traded steady at $4.15/$4.11 pesos, compared to the previous closing price in the main banks and bureau de change in Buenos Aires downtown.