Not a bad year, eh?

Two co-directors for the Center for Economic Policy and Research in Washington are among several authors of a flurry of year end stories about Argentina's continued growth.

The AP writes, "Argentina is expected to continue its strong comeback after its economic meltdown in 2002, with experts predicting GDP growth of 7 percent next year. Construction is booming, soy exports are up, and unemployment is below 10 percent after reaching a record-high of 21.5 percent in 2003." Reuters reports that the central bank's monetary plan forecasts record exports in 2007 of about $50 billion and a trade surplus of about $10 billion.

And two polls of Argentine bank analysts indicate that next year's trade surplus could be even bigger than the big bank forecasts.

Even the Buenos Aires Herald grudgingly rates 2006 as, "a success in terms of both political stability and economic growth."

Other publications are giving Kirchner much of the credit. Writing for the International Herald Tribune, the CEPR's Mark Weisbrot compares K's leadership and willingness to ignore orthodox economic wisdom to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's success during the depression of the 1930's:

"Like Roosevelt, Kirchner had to reject the advice of the majority of the economics profession (Roosevelt did this even before Keynes had published his General Theory), stand up to powerful interests (foreign bondholders and utility companies, the IMF and World Bank), and do what was best for the country."

His colleague, Dean Baker, penning for the American Prospect makes the continued strong growth one of the 5 most important economic news stories of 2006.

The UK based IT news site, The Inquirer , posts record-breaking figures for the internet and e-commerce. Their local reporter, Fernando Cassia, says users migrating from dial-up caused broadband connection figures to soar 76.8% last year and business-grade internet connections were up by almost 10%.

Cassia has it from the Cámara Argentina de Comercio Electrónico that e-commerce from .com.ar sites grew over 10 billion pesos in 2006. He says, "the estimated number of users of e-commerce is put by CACE at five million people, who bought something over the Interweb during '06."