Seeking to confront the deep economic problems that have helped fuel weeks of protests here, Venezuela ’s socialist-inspired government took a step on Monday toward easing strict currency controls and opened what it says will be a free market for the sale of dollars to Venezuelans. The new exchange rate mechanism is intended to reduce the black market price of dollars, which had soared in recent months. Yet the impact of the measure, which is similar to a system that was shut down in 2010, depends on how much money the government allows to change hands in the new market and how freely it allows the market to operate. Alejandro Grisanti, an economist for Barclays, said the change “makes the exchange rate system more flexible,” adding, “And in that sense it’s very positive for Venezuela.” The new system will operate in tandem with a base exchange […]