Tackling Corruption in Government
By Vitor Gaspar, Paolo Mauro and Paulo Medas
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
No country is immune to corruption. The abuse of public office for private gain erodes people’s trust in government and institutions, makes public policies less effective and fair, and siphons taxpayers’ money away from schools, roads, and hospitals. (more…)
Assessing the Risk of the Next Housing Bust
By Claudio Raddatz and Nico Valckx
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Русский
There’s good news for people living in Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix: the risk of a housing bust like the one they endured during the global financial crisis is fairly small. (more…)
How to Keep Corporate Power in Check
By Federico Díez and Romain Duval
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
People are becoming concerned that the rising power of big successful companies may be behind some of the recent sluggish economic growth and rising income inequality. (more…)
Why Investment May Come Under Threat
By Weicheng Lian, Natalija Novta, and Petia Topalova
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
It might be hard to imagine a time when a 512 kilobyte computer cost more than $28,000. That was in 1984. Today, you can buy a much more powerful computer for under $300. (more…)
Let Bank Supervisors Do Their Jobs
By Tobias Adrian and Aditya Narain
Healthy banking sector. Healthy economy. So goes the thinking. Banks play a vital role in economic life—whether for individual consumers, or more broadly across an entire economy—and a strong and stable banking system is a matter of public concern. (more…)
Cashing In: How to Make Negative Interest Rates Work
By Ruchir Agarwal and Signe Krogstrup
Español, Français, 日本語, Português
Many central banks reduced policy interest rates to zero during the global financial crisis to boost growth. (more…)
Countries in the IMF Financial Spotlight in 2019
By IMFBlog
In 2019, the IMF will complete 14 assessments under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). Eight of this year’s assessments are mandatory: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Singapore, and Switzerland. The other six are voluntary: Algeria, Bahamas, Kuwait, FYR Macedonia, Malta, and Thailand. (more…)
Top 10 Blogs of 2018
By IMFBlog
December 28, 2018
New Year’s eve fireworks in London, England: read our top ten blogs of 2018 (photo: Ben Cawthra/Newscom)
In 2018, the blogs that caught our readers’ collective eye were about the enduring forces molding the global economy: Brexit, crypto assets, debt, and housing prices, to name a few. (more…)
Sounding the Alarm on Leveraged Lending
By Tobias Adrian, Fabio Natalucci, and Thomas Piontek
November 15, 2018
A drilling crew member raises a pipe on an oil rig in Texas: Energy is among the industries in which leveraged lending is most prevalent, along with telecommunications, health care, and technology (photo: Nick Oxford/Reuters/Newscom)
We warned in the most recent Global Financial Stability Report that speculative excesses in some financial markets may be approaching a threatening level. (more…)