In January 2026, Argentine household consumption recorded a year-on-year decrease of 0.8% and a 0.7% increase against December 2025. This result marks the third consecutive month with negative year-on-year variations, after a first half of 2025 that had been characterized by positive figures, according to the Consumption Indicator (IC) prepared by the Argentine Chamber of Commerce and Services (CAC) and received by Argentine News Agency. This indicator monthly tracks the evolution of demand for final goods and services by families, expanding the available information on national economic activity. According to the entity's report, the average nominal income per household stood at $2,719,000 during January. After discounting the effect of inflation, this purchasing power remains at levels similar to those recorded in December 2025. The stability of real income occurs in a context of mild price acceleration: January inflation was 2.9%, representing the fifth consecutive month with a Consumer Price Index (CPI) above 2%. Although real-terms financing grew steadily from early 2024, this trend was interrupted in the last quarter of 2025. The report also points out that the stagnation in the use of credit cards and personal loans directly impacted the consumption of durable goods. Year-on-year, inflation reached 32.4%. Consumption behavior during the first month of the year was uneven across the analyzed sectors: Housing, rentals, and utilities: This was the best-performing sector with an estimated year-on-year growth of 7.1%, contributing 1.2 positive percentage points to the general index. Clothing and footwear: Recorded a 0.8% drop compared to January 2025. Transport and vehicles: Showed stagnation with a slight 0.1% decline, linked to the halt in car and motorcycle registrations. Recreation and culture: Suffered a 3.7% year-on-year contraction, shrinking for the second consecutive month. Other sectors: Experienced a collective 2.9% drop, remaining at levels similar to January 2020, before the pandemic. The technical report warns that access to credit continues to be limited by the volatility of interest rates. It adds that sectors such as appliances and the real estate market (deeds) also recorded a slowdown in their growth dynamics. Looking ahead, the report states that the coming months will be crucial to observe whether mass consumption manages to recover or if a new composition in household spending is consolidated.
