[Zhang Fei]

What's amusing is that Venezuelan government ministries are bypassing the country's central bank to sell their dollars in the black market. I guess just because Chavez says Venezuelan currency is worth a certain amount in dollars doesn't mean that it can't be worth 1/3 as much in the free marketplace. His own government ministries are disagreeing with him. From the article:

Although it operates in a legal limbo, Venezuela's black market for dollars has become increasingly important in recent months as plunging oil prices have squeezed the OPEC nation's economy. Seeking to stretch their budgets, the Venezuelan Finance Ministry and oil company PDVSA have become the principal sellers of dollars on the market, where they get nearly three times as much per dollar as they would get selling to the central bank, according to three major Caracas currency brokers.

[Cindy]

“His own government ministries are disagreeing with him.”

Well now, that’s interesting.

Thank you for the additional info Zhang Fei.