Economist Federico Pastrana said the government controls the country's exchange rate for the dollar. He noted that the nation's risk rating has been rising while the ruling party's popularity is falling. Pastrana described the situation as a crisis with no clear exit. He also highlighted that private sector job registrations have been dropping for fourteen consecutive months, a pattern he likened to a devaluation episode. At the same time, the official dollar rate has remained stable. The economy has posted a record trade surplus despite the weak labor market.