Clave Digital, an online news service, writes that the considerable appreciation of the peso is convenient to government finances. The publication explains that the economic authorities are letting the peso climb in order to reduce the pesos needed to meet upcoming financial debt obligations in foreign currency. These include the filling of the RD$9 billion financial gap pending prior to the resuming of the stand by agreement with the International Monetary Fund no later than January. While the exchange rate market is not subject to controls in the DR, the government consistently has played it at convenience, as could be the case today.
The appreciation of the peso affects the competitiveness of exporters, including free zone manufacturers, and the tourism industry. As prices have not dropped in anyway near the same proportion as the peso has appreciated, goods and services in the DR are more costly for those with income in foreign currency. The appreciation of the peso also affects the hundreds of thousands of Dominicans and expatriates that depend on remittances.