The Global Expansion: Still Strong but Less Even, More Fragile, Under Threat
July 16, 2018
Versions in عربي, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
The escalation of trade tensions is the greatest near-term threat to global growth (photo: wildpixel/Getty Images by iStock)
Amid rising tensions over international trade, the broad global expansion that began roughly two years ago has plateaued and become less balanced. Continue reading “The Global Expansion: Still Strong but Less Even, More Fragile, Under Threat” »
Chart of the Week: An Answer to the U.S. Wage Puzzle
By Yasser Abdih
July 10, 2018
Hiring is strong, but workers still aren’t seeing big raises (photo: Kutay Tanir/Getty Images by iStock).
Wages in the US have grown slowly in recent years, even as the unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest levels in decades. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: An Answer to the U.S. Wage Puzzle” »
How To Deal With Failed Banks
By Deniz Igan
July 3, 2018
Versions in Español, Português
Reforms since the global financial crisis have made bail-ins a credible option and bail-outs less likely (photo: iStock by Getty Images)
During the global financial crisis, policymakers faced a steep trade-off in handling bank failures. Using public funds to rescue failing banks (bail-outs) could weaken market discipline and lead to excessive risk taking—the moral hazard effect. Continue reading “How To Deal With Failed Banks” »
Chart of the Week: The Productivity Penalty: World Cup Winners and Losers
By IMFBlog
July 2, 2018
Versions in 中文, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, Español, Français, 日本語, Português
Football fans in São Paulo, Brazil watch their team play in the World Cup in Russia (photo: Fotoarena/Newscom)
The World Cup and productivity. Two of our favorite topics, together in one chart. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: The Productivity Penalty: World Cup Winners and Losers” »
Economic Preparedness: The Need for Fiscal Space
By Vikram Haksar, Marialuz Moreno-Badia, Catherine Pattillo and Murtaza Syed
June 27, 2018
Versions in عربي, 中文, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português
Countries must assess the amount of room in their budgets for increasing spending or cutting taxes (photo: Martin Barraud/iStock by Getty Images)
How much leeway national policymakers have for increasing spending or cutting taxes has been hard to assess. Continue reading “Economic Preparedness: The Need for Fiscal Space” »
Chart of the Week: When High Yield Goes Boom
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. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: When High Yield Goes Boom” »
Estimating Cyber Risk for the Financial Sector
June 22, 2018
Versions in عربي, 中文, Español, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
Average annual losses to financial institutions from cyber-attacks could reach a few hundred billion dollars a year (photo: Eti Ammos/iStock by Getty Images)
Cyber risk has emerged as a significant threat to the financial system. Continue reading “Estimating Cyber Risk for the Financial Sector” »
How the Commodity Boom Helped Tackle Poverty and Inequality in Latin America
By Ravi Balakrishnan and Frederik Toscani
June 21, 2018
Versions in Español, Português
People buying produce in a busy market in Bahia, Brazil. During the commodity boom, Brazil saw significant reductions in poverty and inequality (photo: golero/iStock by Getty Images)
Latin America may be the most unequal region in the world, but it is the only region to significantly lower inequality over the past two decades, and the boom in commodity prices helped make it happen. Continue reading “How the Commodity Boom Helped Tackle Poverty and Inequality in Latin America” »
From Shadows to Sunlight, Paraguay’s Road to Transparency
By IMFBlog
June 15, 2018
Lea Giménez Duarte, Paraguay’s Finance Minister speaking at IMF World-Bank Spring meetings seminar Restoring Trust by Curbing Corruption (photo: IMF)
Current Paraguayan Finance Minister Lea Giménez Duarte knows first-hand that transparency pays off. In this podcast, Duarte says the changes began after the government passed a transparency law in 2014. Continue reading “From Shadows to Sunlight, Paraguay’s Road to Transparency” »
Chart of the Week: Japan’s Robots
By IMFBlog
June 12, 2018
A Panasonic robot moves around the lounge of Tokyo's Narita International Airport (photo: Yoshio Tsunoda/AAFLO/Alamy Live News)
As Japan’s population ages and the birth rate is too low to sustain growth, the country is no stranger to coping with a limited number of working age people. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Japan’s Robots” »
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