Wall Street guru boosts Argentina bet with $150M YPF buy
by Mar Puig · UPIMay 19 (UPI) -- Prominent U.S. investor Stanley Druckenmiller sharply increased his exposure to Argentina in the first quarter of 2026, purchasing nearly $150 million in shares of YPF, signaling renewed Wall Street interest in Argentina's energy sector.
According to filings by his firm, Duquesne Family Office, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Druckenmiller increased his stake in YPF by 433%, to more than 3.2 million shares from 606,990. The state-controlled oil company has become one of his largest holdings.
Argentine newspaper Ámbito also reported that he also added positions in Vista Energy, an oil company focused on the development of Vaca Muerta, and resumed his stake in the Global X MSCI Argentina exchange-traded fund, one of the primary funds used by foreign investors to track the Argentine market.
According to reports by Ámbito and Infobae, Druckenmiller also reduced his position in Mercado Libre, Latin America's largest e-commerce platform, by about 94%, and exited investments in Alphabet, Google's parent company, in a rotation toward assets linked to energy and natural resources.
Argentine financial media interpreted the move as a sign of confidence in Argentina's energy potential, particularly in Vaca Muerta, which is considered one of the world's largest shale oil and gas reserves and one of the country's strategic projects for energy exports.
Druckenmiller had already publicly expressed support for Argentine President Javier Milei after hearing him speak at the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos.
Druckenmiller is one of the most influential figures on Wall Street and gained international notoriety for working alongside George Soros during the historic bet against the British pound in 1992, known as "Black Wednesday."