Argentina was in a race against time on Wednesday to cut a deal by the end of the day with holdout investors suing it and avert a default, as a surge in the country's bond prices fed optimism that an agreement was possible. The South American country's economy minister, Axel Kicillof, was expected to speak at the Argentine consulate office in New York after several hours of talks, according to a spokeswoman. The holdout hedge funds want full repayment on bonds they bought on the cheap after the country last defaulted in 2002, a demand Argentina has so far rejected. Their attorneys, along with an Argentine delegation, ... (full story)