Argentina will release its first quarter GDP and unemployment figures today, amid the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty produced by debt restructuring negotiations, Foreign Brief reported. The COVID-19 crisis has ravaged Argentina’s already ailing economy. After a 1.1% year-on-year contraction in the fourth quarter of 2019 and declining economic activity during the first two months of 2020, the pandemic has deepened the country’s recession and exacerbated its troubled fiscal position.

Argentina extended a deadline for bondholders to accept a debt restructuring proposal for a fifth time as creditors blamed the government for “walking away” from talks, Bloomberg News reported. Bondholders now have until 5 p.m. New York time on July 24 to accept Argentina’s debt proposal, according to a government statement. It said officials plan to use the extension to keep talking with investors.

Argentina’s dollar-denominated bonds slipped to their lowest level in three weeks after restructuring talks stalled amid growing animosity between officials and some of the country’s top creditors, Bloomberg News reported. The bonds, which had rallied over the past month on optimism creditors and the government were nearing a deal, fell after the two sides said they were at an impasse. Dollar bonds due 2026 dropped 2 cents to 37.7 cents on the dollar as of 8:49 am New York time, their lowest level since May 28.

Argentina’s debt restructuring talks, in a tense final stretch, hit a roadblock on Wednesday with the government determined not to cede further ground after making an improved offer and a key creditor group warning that negotiations had failed, Reuters reported. An Economy Ministry source told Reuters the country was sticking by its latest proposal with a net present value of around 50 cents on the dollar and warrants linked to Argentina’s farm-driven exports. The offer was shared with creditors during recent talks.

LATAM Airlines Group said on Wednesday its Argentine subsidiary will cease operations indefinitely, canceling all domestic flights, its first major cutback since filing for bankruptcy protection, Reuters reported. The announcement fell short of saying the company, Latin America’s largest airline, will entirely wind down its subsidiary, although it is unclear if it will ever resume operations. A LATAM spokesman said the subsidiary will begin a government process in Argentina before it can lay off 1,715 employees.

Antonio Barbosa had hoped to find new employment when the bakery he worked at in São Paulo fell victim to Brazil’s prolonged economic slump, the Financial Times reported. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, all but killing off the 41-year-old’s hopes of finding work and leaving him sleeping on the streets. “I fear things will not get better in this country, so I will never have a job again,” he said. His plight reflects the enormous challenges confronting Latin America’s largest economy.

Brazilian telecoms firm Oi SA announced late on Monday a proposed plan that, if approved by creditors, would allow the company to exit a long bankruptcy restructuring process that began in 2016, Reuters reported. Under the plan, Oi hopes to sell its mobile unit for at least 15 billion reais to refocus the company on its fiber network. Brazil’s largest fixed-line carrier had approximately 65 billion reais ($12.65 billion) of debt when it filed for bankruptcy protection.

Farmers are lobbying against the Argentine government’s proposal to sweeten an offer on its overseas debt with payments tied to agriculture exports, Bloomberg News reported. Economy Minister Martin Guzman, who’s leading talks to restructure $65 billion of foreign debt, has put the idea on the table, though some creditors favor coupons linked to economic growth.

Latin America’s No. 2 carrier Avianca Holdings reported a $121 million loss for the first quarter late on Monday, accounting for just two weeks of severe impact from the coronavirus crisis, Reuters reported. The airline was the first in the region to file for bankruptcy protection in the United States and spent a full three months grounded without operating any regular flights. It has since restarted some operations in Ecuador, but its hubs in Colombia, El Salvador and Peru remain closed.

Passenger revenue at Latin America’s No. 2 airline, Avianca Holdings, has fallen 51% for the year as of early June compared with a year ago, the carrier said, in a look into the dire financial toll that the coronavirus has taken on the company, Reuters reported. Colombia-based Avianca was the first airline in the region to file for bankruptcy protection, after the coronavirus added financial strain to the already weak carrier. The revenue figure shows just how bad second-quarter results are likely to be for Latin America’s airlines.