Well, I must say I was expecting the Hyperinflated arepa index to break the Bs. 1,000 barrier in order to keep it up with the unmentionable rate, but it was not to be. In my visit to Caracas last week, I “only” paid Bs. 950 for my traditional and delicious arepa de queso de mano at my secret place, which represents a 17% increase from six weeks earlier and a 431% increase from one year ago. This means that if you earn minimum salary today, you can eat 10.15 arepas per month, or about one every three days, not exactly good nutrition…
There were a number of observations during my visit that I think are worth mentioning. Perhaps the most important one is that I noticed a huge difference since early December when I went out at night to eat out. Really huge. I went to a well regarded steak place on Saturday night with my sister and at 8:00 PM there were only three tables full. And this place is huge.
The whole week was like that, no matter where I went. I took a friend, who was visiting from abroad to look at possible ¨change¨ in Venezuela, to an Italian restaurant that I love and when we arrived at 8:15 PM we were the only ones (It was Monday, but I went back on Thursday and it was similar). later two other tables filled up, including one of my coworkers. But that was it.
It repeated every night. Tell a group of Venezuelans my observations and they will argue for a while about whether it is about security or price. Easy, it is both. The parallel rate has gone up maybe 20% since I last visited, but prices at Restaurants have increased 30-40%. And this implies ordering ever cheaper wines, as the offerings become more expensive and of worse quality. At one place, after ordering three wines, none of which were available, I simply said, tell me what you have!
Simple questions become harder to answer. How much do you tip someone who parks your car? If you get Bs. 4 of gas (half a cent in US$) to fill your tank, what do you pay with? I only had a Bs. 20 bill (2 cents in US$), so I just gave it to the guy. Was it too little? Too much? I have no clue, he seemed happy. I was probably over tipping the Valets at my hotel, at US$ 20 cents (Bs. 200), they seemed to be jumping to help me whenever I showed up.
Sad, very sad…
But not as sad as the scenes at the airport. Whole families come to say good bye to young people leaving. From Grandma, to aunts, sisters, brothers,nannies or whatever, people hold on to them, embracing them with almost despair. They have no idea as to whether they will see them again soon, or ever. I usually get annoyed at people who come to say good bye at airports en masse, but this time was different. I had to show respect. There were many very private/public spectacles full of emotion, my watery eyes were certainly not an allergy.
But I have always been a sentimental fool…
Then the stern cop asked me at the security check point: What do you do in Venezuela and how long will you be gone? I just said I don’t live here now, I live abroad.
No more explanations were required…he even seemed envious…
Sad, very sad…
The Devil's Excrement 
February 15, 2016 at 2:09 pm
so hows it going down there….have you people figured how to cook and eat all those AK-47s, tanks, MIGs……
February 14, 2016 at 7:38 pm
I’ve not gotten out in a while but heard the gasoline prices had finally been raised. I was paying 11 bolívares for a 55 gallon drum of diesel…..11 bolívares!!! The tip for the attendant is bigger than that.
February 12, 2016 at 11:42 am
Where are you!?!?! give us your take with the most recent events!!!
February 12, 2016 at 1:19 pm
End of the world, Galapagos, rarely have connection…
February 12, 2016 at 4:22 pm
Now that ‘time travel’ has become a reality (ahem), if you happen to spot the HMS Beagle in the harbor, perhaps you and Charles can go on to discover the origin of Hochstetter’s butterfly-orchid as well?
February 12, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Mmmm…
Lizard soup!
February 12, 2016 at 4:25 pm
I’m on crutches (bad knee), but we owe you dinner when you get back.
February 14, 2016 at 6:47 am
Tortoise Soup!
Nom, nom, nom. Seriously. And yes I know, I know.
February 11, 2016 at 5:58 pm
Hola Miguel,
Me podrias mandar un email por favor.
Gracias
February 10, 2016 at 12:59 pm
Could we be headed for a default sooner than anyone of us expected?
“Caracas-based newspaper El Nacional reported Feb. 7 that the country’s new Economy Vice President Luis Salas earlier this month proposed halting foreign debt payments in a meeting with President Nicolas Maduro. “It’s the first reported access to internal cabinet dialogue that we have that suggests that default is being pushed for at the top echelons of government and by the new top economic policy maker,” Russ Dallen,”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-10/venezuela-bonds-drop-for-third-day-on-heightened-default-concern
February 11, 2016 at 9:06 pm
In what way would this default be any sooner than any of us expected?
Looking at oil prices this past year, it’s been a no brainer.
February 11, 2016 at 9:17 pm
The Venezuelan / Deutsche Bank gold swap was discussed at length on zerohedge the other day. The consensus was “Why sell off the best liquid asset only to defer default for a couple of months? Default now and keep the gold.”
I would guess there is at least $200 billion in offshore bank accounts stolen by present and former government officials and their cronies. Funny no one is talking about clawing any of that back.
February 12, 2016 at 10:23 am
Stop the leveraging of the last viable asset? That would imply reasoned and logical discussions taking place behind closed doors. That ain’t happenin. These people are genuine idiots. They WILL continue making those bond payments. They’re gonna take this economy to a complete and total collapse, and worry about the wrath of the people at a future date. By that time most will have fled the country. Breathtaking insanity.
February 8, 2016 at 7:25 pm
Q: Assuming one could find a gram of 24k gold for sale in Venezuela, what would be the price in Bs?
How about a troy ounce of silver?
February 10, 2016 at 11:14 am
No Replies? I asked because I’m wondering if there is any gold available on the street in VE. Every online precious metals website I’ve found lists gold in Bs at the 6.32 exchange rate, which of course is absurd.
Present spot price of gold in US$: ~$1200
Grams per troy ounce: 31.1
$1200 / 31.1 = $38.58 per 24k gram
At 6.32 Bs / oz, that works out to 244 Bs/gram, and numbers like that are what the online PM sites are showing. Which, as noted, is absurd. At 1000 Bs/US$ the realistic wholesale value of gold would be 38580 Bs/gram (1 199 838 per troy ounce). But I doubt any would be for sale at that low price. More likely double that.
February 11, 2016 at 12:49 pm
You might try some of the pawn shops. They undoubtedly have gold jewelry that they would sell at the melt down price – but assuredly at the bm rate.
February 11, 2016 at 9:04 pm
How does 6.32 Bs/oz. work out to 244 Bs/gram?
February 11, 2016 at 9:11 pm
Ira-
My error. I meant 6.32 Bs/US$
February 11, 2016 at 9:21 pm
IslandCanuck-
I’m not in Venezuela right now; was hoping someone who is there had an idea at what price the pawn shops and jewelers are buying and selling precious metals.
February 12, 2016 at 5:19 am
Can’t help you there but I would be REALLY surprised if it was any lower than the BM rate or even higher/
February 8, 2016 at 6:31 pm
And here is the punchline: “One of the sources said the central bank has taken an unspecified amount of gold out of the country so that it can be certified, which is required for gold that is used in such swaps. The gold lost its “certificate of good delivery” in 2011 when Chavez transferred it from foreign banks to central bank coffers, one of the sources said.”
quote from http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-07/venezuela-prepares-liquidate-its-remaining-gold-holdings-pay-coming-debt-maturities
so question I have is,
since Venezuela central bank is working with deustche bank to get swaps for the gold, does that mean Venezuela has begun sending the gold abroad for certification? I know the article says as much, but was wondering if anyone in the know, have any confirmation that this is being done…
from the article it sounds like Vnzla central bank was working with BIS (swiss bank) but I assumed they used whatever left in gold reserves that are held in london as collateral, but since those are now being used with the swaps that venezuela did with (goldman or morgan or bank of america, not sure which) I’m going to assume that venezuela must now have to send gold abroad again to get certification to be able to get into a swap with deustche bank right?
just wondering if anyone else has any clue, im gonna assume this is their last ditch effort to get enough liquidity for the October payment, which would leave the coffers entirely empty afterwards…. which i dont know how one goes about doing this without the cost of venezuelan lives, no money spent to import the basics, and all being sent off to wall street, and those pentions…. no offense to wall street, its just that at this point, its not very “socialist” to pay wall street than to help your own population… just my two cents…
February 10, 2016 at 1:25 pm
I understand something like14 747’s took most of the gold abroad. So much for the sign in front of the BCV building about the gold in Venezuela is a sign kf sovereignty
February 7, 2016 at 10:31 pm
Yo, Moctavio… Venezuela is importing US oil??
http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/03/news/economy/venezuela-imports-american-oil/index.html?iid=ob_video_footer&iid=obnetwork
February 10, 2016 at 1:22 pm
Amazing no? First purchase by a Latinoamerican country happens to be from the revolution.
February 7, 2016 at 11:01 am
No ships, no food? Well, I I had a ranchito or a peñero, I’d start growing tomatoes, raising chickens, fishing fish and selling them, collecting mangoes for resale, and even consider buying a Cow for milk, and then sell it for meat.
But no, “el pueblo” is still super-Enchufado, and somehow they have plenty of cash, and still afford the expensive arepas. Most of them, not all. That’s what no one likes to admit. The situation would have Exploded a long time ago if people were really hungry.
February 9, 2016 at 5:06 pm
And how exactly would you sell your products?
Remember that there are price controls on most essential products, you could easily get into trouble if you attempt to sell anything at reasonable prices (such as, above the cost of production).
February 6, 2016 at 9:09 pm
Back when I flew in and out of the country often I saw that scene dozens of times, except there were always many hundreds, if not over a thousand containers stacked and waiting for processing.
Even if the ships started arriving tomorrow, their cargoes would not reach their final destination for many weeks, if not months.
I see a perfect storm of things going horribly wrong for Nicolas Maduro this year. How he and his chavista cronies react is anyone’s guess at this point.
February 5, 2016 at 9:47 pm
Things are critical here in the East. No sugar, no rice, no meat, no chicken, no egg, no bread, and for the last couple of weeks, no sardines. Tuna disappeared long ago.
I honestly don’t know what the locals do to survive.
February 6, 2016 at 3:04 am
Scary. One can hardly believe this is all happening. Back to Moctavio’s last posting on Puerto de La Guaira. David Moran took this photo, yesterday, of La Guaira. The place is empty, no ships, no containers, nothing.
February 5, 2016 at 5:44 pm
February 5, 2016 at 10:16 am
“This means that if you earn minimum salary today, you can eat 10.15 arepas per month, or about one every three days, not exactly good nutrition…”
That’s if you have no wife, no children, and no other expenses (healthcare, electricity. phone, clothing, school, transportation, cable, birthday party, water, zero luxuries (music, computer, beach weekends)..
Therefore, one must conclude that not only the 5 Million Enchufados working for the Criminal Regime make way more than “minimum salary”. They seem to have tons of cash every day, somehow. But the rest of “el pueblo” must also have some “guiso”, some “tigrito”, some “palanca”, something not perfectly legal. I don’t believe Venezuelans work 2 or 3 minimum-wage jobs.. Nope. Drugs, bachaqueo, or Enchufe, in 80% of the cases.
Or else, please do the math. Is Donald Trump supporting those Millions of “minimum wage” people? Or is Maria Lionza supplying the arepas?
Even with TEN (10) minimum wages, how can they make an honest living?
The level of utter CORRUPTION in Cleptozuela is much larger than anyone likes to admit. At every level. Not just the regime pigs. Every level. Everywhere: Enchufados or stealing. Or else, please do the arepa math once again, for any entire family budget. That’s why I don’t cry too much for “el pueblo”. They are usually (not always) highly corrupt, lazy, enchufados, and deserve what they are getting, to some extent. Not all, but most. Or do the math.
February 5, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Your right but it also exists in every LatAm country. The difference is that instead of being 10-20% of the economy, in Venezuela it has become the economy. The amounts stolen at the top are historic and the rest goes or rather went to buy workers and voters.
Nowhere in latam do the majority of people make enough to live on. That’s why everybody works at something and live many to a room. But, when you consider that Caracas can cost as much as New York City to live in, it make you wonder,
February 5, 2016 at 1:11 pm
I have no other rational explanation but to conclude that over 80% of Venezuelans are “Enchufados”, one way or another, if not utterly corrupt.
The arepa index barely covers the arepa..
February 5, 2016 at 6:14 pm
Your right. People will do whatever to survive. That is our survival nature. In some parts of the world, we are still eating each other. I would expect us fat gringos would be very tasty? But, what wine would go well with us? This is not a joke, there are many present day references to it on the web. The failed state of Somalia is at the top of the list.
February 6, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Same wine you would have with SPAM, The Serving Man approves of an early Red.
February 5, 2016 at 9:20 am
I do agree with most of this post, but having kids and picking them up at parties late at night, i do notice a difference in the amount of cars being diven at night. The volume of cars has increased dramatically. A few months ago, I would not find one car at 3AM and now I am always with cars around me. It feels a little safer!!!
February 5, 2016 at 9:23 am
Wow! And why do you think that is?
February 5, 2016 at 4:36 am
Wasn’t there a drop in the VIII arepa index?
February 5, 2016 at 8:02 am
Yes, checking…
February 5, 2016 at 8:50 am
Corrected, at some point I used an older version of the spreadsheet which did not have the August point. Good catch! Thanks!
February 4, 2016 at 8:47 pm
Miguel,
Is there any good news on horizon with respect to addressing the shortage of Medicine?
February 4, 2016 at 12:48 pm
Miguel, you should tip a Valet Bs 100 to 200. Next time you are in town, remember to adjust that amount to your arepa index.
February 4, 2016 at 1:26 pm
I have been tipping at the hotel 200 to 300, 100 at restaurants…but have no idea if its ok
February 4, 2016 at 9:35 am
“A cheese-stuffed corn cake—called an arepa—sells for nearly 1,000 bolivars, requiring 10 bills of the highest-denomination 100-bolivar bill, each worth less than 10 U.S. cents.” I think the Wall Street Journal is reading your blog. (http://www.wsj.com/articles/inflation-wrought-venezuela-orders-bank-notes-by-the-planeload-1454538101)
February 4, 2016 at 9:45 am
Maybe you missed this
http://wp.me/apwPU-5vQ
He is a friend, we actually went together once to try the arepa together and get a data point
February 4, 2016 at 12:11 pm
They got your URL wrong 😦
February 5, 2016 at 1:07 pm
I enjoy this series but also feel sad for the misery the index really represents.
February 5, 2016 at 1:09 pm
I wished I had good news…
February 4, 2016 at 8:13 am
I spent time in Nicaragua during the first Sandinista administration, but having no purchase authorization, had to eat at restaurants. No matter what, they were always empty except for other international visitors. The menus looked great, but “No hay” was the most common refrain. Usually, there was only one item really available: chicken with rice and beans.
Your experience sounds familiar.
February 3, 2016 at 10:00 pm
The need for new Bolivar notes is so great that they’re flying them in via 747’s from around the world. Sorry, but I think the arepa prices will be going up next week.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/inflation-wrought-venezuela-orders-bank-notes-by-the-planeload-1454538101
February 4, 2016 at 10:44 pm
And the continued stupidity and arrogance of the administration:
Still refusing to print notes above 100 because that’s an admission of failure…
And wasting millions of Bs having to print all those bills, instead of adding larger denominations.
Not to mention the WONDERFUL impact all of this new money will have on already hard-to-fathom inflation.
February 3, 2016 at 9:05 pm
I think going over the 1000 Bs barrier is seen as a bit of a leap, perhaps into a further unknown, although the next levels of nonsense are well known to those that study hyper inflation.
It just doesn’t get any easier for those without access to government funding, contending with a devaluing currency 😦
February 3, 2016 at 6:59 pm
“My grandkids couldn’t believe there was a place in the world that you couldn’t turn on your phone and get anything you wanted,” said Brian Starer, a partner in New York at law firm Squire Patton Boggs who recently took his family on vacation to Cuba. “They were constantly looking at their screen hoping something would pop up.”
February 3, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Is there any way for VZ to avoid complete economic failure?
Even if oil goes up by 50%, that will not be enough revenue.
February 4, 2016 at 8:31 am
Yes there is, but it require economic common sense and going to the IMF. It will not happen with this Government.
February 3, 2016 at 4:13 pm
[…] Hyperinflated Arepa Index (HAI) XII: Hard to Break The Bs. 1000 Barrier, Miguel Octavio, The Devil’s Excrement […]
February 3, 2016 at 3:44 am
You haven’t arrived yet at Soviet or Cuban conditions, although I suspect things will get much worse in 60 days as electricity and water wind down.
I lived under much much worse conditions in areas such as food, medicine, electricity and water, but crime was kept under control…state security would execute criminals in a hurry. When I combine crime to the fact that Venezuelans were always a pampered population, I have to conclude Venezuelans are suffering much more. But wait until you have to have a tooth filled and the dentist gives you a shot of rum and ties you down because there’s no anesthesia.
February 3, 2016 at 2:22 am
Cheap is relative. Even when I was there in the early 90’s it was not hard to eat and drink more than the mininum wage most people get just as now. Of course I do love Lomito! Even our stops at roadside stands for Arepas or pollo a la plancha was something many Venezuelans could not afford day to day. In remote areas that we went to it was not uncommon to see women making Arepas from scratch using dried corn kernals. When the banks failed cash was tight and then inflation went crazy (little did we know) we had to go Crillio to try and keep it going. Then the markets were full of good local food at local inflation rates and if you knew how to use it, went a long way. Everyone loved my French pea soup loaded with jamon and vegies! But now, there is little local food (much less meat) and most imported is regulated to where it is a loss to trade in it and even the government can no longer subsidize the prices they set and much less afford to import it.
Your story about the airport is sad. The only good thing is they don’t seem to be taking their valuables as they leave like they did in Cuba?
How long can this go on I have long since given up on? But in the 21’st century walking away from it all like the Toltec’s who left their cities and went back to the rainforest to grow yuca is not an option.Though, even if the Yamomani Headmen Council were to take over it would it be an improvement?
I still think that Bolivar was correct it trying to form a United States of South America. To date, not one of them has the per capita GDP of even the state of Mississippi! Oil or not, I don’t see Venezuela getting past this alone.
February 4, 2016 at 12:40 am
Why on earth wouldn’t they take their valuables with them? And the only valuables would be jewelry anyway.
February 4, 2016 at 10:40 am
What Boludo meant is that cubanos leaving the island have their valuables confiscated.
February 4, 2016 at 10:37 pm
Oh! Thanks!
That point totally got by me,
February 4, 2016 at 10:49 am
The first Cubans to flee Castro had their money and valuables taken from them as they left for Miami and it was still better than getting executed or imprisoned. Who knows what could happen if things go out of control and they refer to the Castro game book? When we look at the middle east and Africa, we know what is still possible!
February 2, 2016 at 11:43 pm
This means that if you earn minimum salary today, you can eat 10.15 arepas per month, or about one every three days, not exactly good nutrition…
That puts Venezuela’s economy into perspective. How would the price of your arepa compare to a Big Mac in Caracas?
February 3, 2016 at 8:54 am
I just asked and I am told it is Bs. 1,750 or US$ 1.75
February 5, 2016 at 4:07 pm
We just went to BK for lunch today in Maracaibo…..Bs 4,600 for Whopper, Chicken Sandwich, Double Cheeseburger, two large fries, two Pepsis. Cheap, like 5 USD.
February 2, 2016 at 10:45 pm
Hi love your blog …I’m obsessed with all things Venezuela so I spend a lot of time online reading about the current situation and the surrealism that is the Venezuelan economy … I’m curious, how much was the steak? And a typical Italian dinner? Were they a bargain in USD?!
February 2, 2016 at 10:56 pm
Well, the steak was cheap, once you subtract the wine, which was half the bill. There were three of us, we had arepitas, nata, queso, aguacate, platanos fritos, hallaquitas and I had a sirloin parrilla and my sister and her daughetr split a bife the chorizo and the niece had a chorizo. The cost? Bs. 16,000 for the food (US$ 16 ) and Bs. 14,000 for the Italian wine (Montepulciano) or US $13.
The italian place was about the same, maybe a few bucks more for the food, but we did not eat anything to start with, just pastas.
A third place was about Bs. 15,000 per person with one bottle of Argentinian wine, or $15 per person.
I guess cheap….
February 2, 2016 at 11:07 pm
Cool tks for the info! I guess USD 29 for a steak dinner for 3 is dirt cheap. That’s a suggestion for a future post. I’d love to know how much regular urban life items cost, like a Big Mac combo, or a movie tkt at the mall, or an average meal at a mall’s food court, or a latte at Starbucks (are they there?), a large pizza at a pizzeria or an hour at an Internet cafe, that kind of thing. That would be an interesting post!
I do think you hit a very important point, which I’ve been puzzled about for months and months. With middle class salaries essentially decimated, I always thought that consumption at malls and restaurants would have all but disappeared… The only ones now with available income would be the really wealthy or bachaqueros, don’t you think?
February 4, 2016 at 7:22 am
There is no Starbucks in Venezuela. Things are dirt cheap is you have dollars changed at the black market exchange rate. Do not try to use your dollar credit card because then there is a whole different story
February 4, 2016 at 8:37 am
So if you’re dumb enough to be a wide-eyed tourist now visiting the country for the first time, what’s the approximate exchange from $ to Bs at the casas de cambio, and your hotel?
Tourists sure don’t seek out black market rates.
And hell:
I remember visiting the DR and doing this the first day or two, exchanging on the street for the best exchange, and then realized:
I don’t know what this money is supposed to look and feel like! For all I know, they’re giving me play MONOPOLY money!
February 5, 2016 at 4:01 pm
US credit cards get SIMADI rate when used in Venezuela
February 4, 2016 at 12:37 am
Nata is that heavy spreading cream, right? Like to put on bread?
I LOVE that stuff, but haven’t found the same thing near me in So. Fl.