IMFBlog2018-07-03T09:13:54+00:00June 26th, 2018|
By Divya Kirti
June 26, 2018
Versions in Español, Português
A credit boom can be fueled by excessive optimism among investors (photo: Nick White/Newscom)
We’ve all heard about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Too much of the good stuff probably won’t do you any harm. Too much of the bad stuff can lead to a heart attack. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-05-31T10:34:17+00:00May 31st, 2018|
By IMFBlog
May 31, 2018
A garment factory in Ethiopia, which globalization has helped to boost its growth (photo: Kay Neitfeld/Newscom).
While globalization is generally good for economic growth, the benefits are subject to diminishing marginal returns, according to a recent study of 147 countries from 1970 to 2014. The study looks at how globalization affects the distribution of incomes across and within countries. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-05-30T11:36:14+00:00May 30th, 2018|
May 30, 2018
“Money makes the world go around,” Liza Minnelli famously sang in the movie Cabaret. Money has for centuries been central to human relationships. Loss of faith in its value can result in economic and political instability, even war. In the past few years, financial technology—fintech for short—has caught the world’s imagination by offering alternatives to traditional means of payment. Will digitalization redefine money? In this issue, we explore the possible consequences, good and bad. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-05-23T11:45:44+00:00May 10th, 2018|
By David Lipton
May 10, 2018
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Where trust exists and is reciprocated—where there is “confidence” in policies, institutions and systems—economies will achieve more (photo: iStock by Getty Images).
We live in an era of doubts and questions about the global order. We have seen an erosion of trust in bedrock institutions—political parties, national governments, regional authorities, and among international trade and investment partners. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-04-27T10:08:05+00:00April 22nd, 2018|
April 22, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), baˈhasa indoneˈsia (Indonesian), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
Anti-corruption strategies require broader regulatory and institutional reforms (photo: Kritchanut/iStock).
The IMF Executive Board has just endorsed a new framework for stepping up engagement on governance and corruption in our member countries. Let me talk about why this is important and what it means for our work.
IMFBlog2018-04-19T13:01:08+00:00April 18th, 2018|
By Vitor Gaspar and Laura Jaramillo
April 18, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
High debt makes governments’ financing vulnerable to sudden changes in market sentiment (photo: NYSE-LUCAS JACKSON-REUTERS Newscom).
Global debt hit a new record high of $164 trillion in 2016, the equivalent of 225 percent of global GDP. Both private and public debt have surged over the past decade. High debt makes government’s financing vulnerable to sudden changes in market sentiment. It also limits a government’s ability to provide support to the economy in the event of a downturn or a financial crisis.
Countries should use the window of opportunity afforded by the economic upswing to strengthen the state of their fiscal affairs. The April 2018 Fiscal Monitor explores how countries can reduce government deficits and debt in a growth-friendly way.
IMFBlog2018-04-18T10:52:26+00:00April 13th, 2018|
By Xavier Debrun, Luc Eyraud, Andrew Hodge, Victor Lledo, Catherine Pattillo, Abdelhak Senhadji
April 13, 2018
Versions in Español (Spanish), Français (French), Português (Portuguese)
The national debt clock in New York City: a fiscal rule, like the debt ceiling, should not be set too low or too high. (photo: Frances M. Roberts/Newscom)
Rules to contain lavish government deficits are most effective if countries design them to be simple, flexible, and enforceable in the face of changing economic circumstances.
In new analysis, we look at fiscal rules in over 90 countries and, based on their experiences, find that the rules put in the place over the last three decades often were too complex, overly rigid, and difficult to enforce. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-04-17T10:22:59+00:00April 12th, 2018|
By Vitor Gaspar and Geneviève Verdier
April 12, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
Traffic in Singapore: the city uses digital technology for road pricing to manage road congestion congestion (photo: Kua Chee Siong/ SPH/Newscom)..
In Rwanda, digitally-monitored drones deliver blood supplies to hospitals. In Estonia, it takes five minutes to file taxes and 99 percent of government services are available online. Singapore was the first city to implement electronic road pricing to manage congestion. The world is becoming digital, and reliable, timely, and accurate information is available at the push of a button. Governments are following suit, using digital tools for tax and expenditure policy, public financial management, and public service delivery. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-04-18T10:54:09+00:00April 10th, 2018|
By Claudio Raddatz Kiefer and Jérôme Vandenbussche
April 10, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)
The odds of a severe economic downturn are higher when a growing portion of credit flows to riskier firms, according to a new IMF study (Photo: Pali 137/ iStock by Getty Images).
Supervisors who monitor the health of the financial system know that a rapid buildup of debt during an economic boom can spell trouble down the road. That is why they keep a close eye on the overall volume of credit in the economy. When companies go on a borrowing spree, supervisors and regulators may decide to put the brakes on credit growth.
Trouble is, measuring credit volume overlooks an important question: how much of that additional money flows to riskier companies – which are more likely to default in times of trouble—compared with more creditworthy firms? The IMF’s latest Global Financial Stability Report seeks to fill that gap by constructing measures of the riskiness of credit allocation, which should help policy makers spot clouds on the economic horizon. (more…)
IMFBlog2018-04-18T10:55:42+00:00April 10th, 2018|
By Claudio Raddatz Kiefer and Jane Dokko
April, 10, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic); 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese)
Hong Kong viewed from Victoria Peak. House prices across countries and cities are increasingly moving in tandem (Photo: Fraser Hall/Robert Harding/Newscom).
If house prices are rising in Tokyo, are they also going up in London?
Increasingly, the answer is yes.
In recent decades, house prices around the world have shown a growing tendency to move in the same direction at the same time. What accounts for this phenomenon, and what are the implications for the world economy? These are questions that IMF economists explore in Chapter 3 of the latest Global Financial Stability Report. (more…)
