By Juan Yepez
October 15, 2018
Effective central bank communications are essential in guiding market expectations (photo: lionvision/iStock)
When it comes to central banks in Latin America, sometimes words can speak louder than actions. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Words Count for Central Bank Communications in Latin America” »
By Vitor Gaspar, Jason Harris, and Alexander Tieman
October 10, 2018
عربي,中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
A firefighter in Auckland, New Zealand: when governments know what they own they can put their assets to better use and can earn about 3 percent of GDP more in revenues to spend on citizens’ well being (Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari/Newscom)
What is the state of your personal finances? You probably think first about your debts: your mortgage, your credit card balance, and your student loans. But you probably also think about how much cash is sitting in the bank, the value of your house, and the rest of your nest egg.
Surprisingly, most governments do not approach their finances this way. Continue reading “The Wealth of Nations: Governments Can Better Manage What They Own and Owe” »
October 10, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
Debt owed by governments, companies and households in economies with globally systemically important financial sectors has risen since the global financial crisis (Photo: Richard B. Levine/Newscom)
Although the global expansion has plateaued, easy monetary policies continue to support growth. But we shouldn’t rest too easily. Chapter 1 of the latest Global Financial Stability Report finds that short-term risks to the financial system have increased somewhat over the past six months. Continue reading “The Financial System Is Stronger, but New Vulnerabilities Have Emerged in the Decade Since the Crisis” »
October 9, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Русский
Uncertainty over trade policy is becoming a drag on economic activity (photo: Imagine China/Newscom)
The latest World Economic Outlook report projects that global growth will remain steady over 2018–19 at last year’s rate of 3.7 percent. This growth exceeds that achieved in any of the years between 2012 and 2016. It occurs as many economies have reached or are nearing full employment and as earlier deflationary fears have dissipated. Thus, policymakers still have an excellent opportunity to build resilience and implement growth-enhancing reforms.
Continue reading “Global Growth Plateaus as Economic Risks Materialize” »
By Wenjie Chen, Mico Mrkaic, and Malhar Nabar
October 3, 2018
عربي,中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
Woman cleaning in Berlin, Germany: the 2008 global financial crisis has had long-lasting effects on economic growth (photo: Caro/Olaf Jandke/Newscom)
In the year following the 2008 financial crisis, economic activity declined in half of all countries in the world. Our analysis in Chapter 2 of the October World Economic Outlook shows that in many countries output is still well below levels that would have prevailed had output followed its precrisis trend. Continue reading “Lasting Effects: The Global Economic Recovery 10 Years After the Crisis” »
By Adolfo Barajas, Claudio Raddatz, and James P. Walsh
October 3, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
A ticker in New York’s Times Square flashes the news of the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008: In the decade since, the financial sector has strengthened considerably, but the reform agenda remains incomplete (Photo: Joshua Lott/Reuters/Newscom)
In the decade since the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers sparked the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, regulation and supervision of the financial sector have been strengthened considerably. This has reduced the risk of another crisis, with all its attendant woes—unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies. But a new risk has emerged: reform fatigue. Continue reading “A Decade After Lehman, the Financial System Is Safer. Now We Must Avoid Reform Fatigue” »
By Rudolfs Bems, Francesca Caselli, Francesco Grigoli, Bertrand Gruss, and Weicheng Lian
October 3, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia 日本語, Português, Русский
Shopping center in Warsaw, Poland: emerging market economies have been able to bring down inflation to a low level (photo: Caro/Bastian/Newscom)
Since the mid-2000s, inflation in emerging market economies has been remarkably low and stable, in sharp contrast to the 1990s. Continue reading “Central Bank Credibility Pays Off in Times of Stress” »
By Vitor Gaspar and Chang Yong Rhee
September 26, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Русский, Português
A driver from the Malaysian ride-hailing tech startup, Grab, picks up a passenger in Jakarta, Indonesia: digitalization is transforming Asia’s businesses and governments (photo: Afif C. Kasuma/iStock by Getty Images)
Asia’s digital revolution shows no signs of slowing down. From e-commerce giants like China’s Alibaba and Japan’s Rakuten, to ride-hailing, and digital payment tech startups, like Indonesia’s Go-Jek and India’s Paytm, and the widespread use of industrial robots for manufacturing, digitalization is changing the way the region’s businesses operate. Continue reading “The Digital Accelerator: Revving Up Government in Asia” »
By IMFBlog
September 25, 2018
Young people on their phones in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia: about 70 percent of the country does not have internet access and can’t participate in the digital economy (Samrang Pring/Reuters/Newscom)
The countries of Southeast Asia are young—more than half of its 643 million people are under 30— and together they live in an economy of $2.8 trillion. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: The Digital Divide in Asia” »
By Christine Lagarde and Vitor Gaspar
September 24, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
Children in early childhood education in Indonesia: more money put into education helps countries achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (Photo: Ajun-Ally/Pacific Press/Newscom)
World leaders are gathering at the United Nations to discuss how to deliver on development for all that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable—“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Continue reading “Give Today’s Children a Chance” »