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…)
How Much Should You Save for Retirement?
By David Amaglobeli, Era Dabla-Norris, and Vitor Gaspar
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
How much you need to save for retirement depends on your country’s pension system. (more…)
Top 10 Charts of the Week for 2018
By IMFBlog
January 7, 2019
Looking ahead (photo: Newsis/Reuters/Newscom)
A picture is worth a thousand words. The portraits of the global economy in our Chart of the Week series have proven a hit, and to help you start the year with just the right facts and figures, we have pulled together your top reads of 2018. (more…)
New Data on Global Debt
Pedestrians in the snow in Tokyo, Japan: the country is one of the top three borrowers in the world (photo: Morio Taga/Newscom)
Until recently, we had a partial view of global debt. Our new update to the IMF’s Global Debt Database, first made public in May 2018, now fills even more of the gaps. We have compiled data on public and private debt for 190 countries, dating back to 1950, which now includes the latest numbers for 2017.
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…)
5 Charts That Explain the Global Economy in 2018
By Oya Celasun, Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, and Maurice Obstfeld
December 20, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
The global economy started 2018 on a positive note but the momentum lost steam (photo: scyther5/iStock)
- The global economy started 2018 on an upbeat note, buoyed by a pickup in global manufacturing and trade through 2017. (more…)
Chart of the Week: Mexico’s Spike in Crime Hurts the Economy
December 18, 2018
A woman sells street food at a market stall in Mexico City, Mexico: the country’s spike in crime is hurting small businesses’ profitability (photo: Jonah_Photos/iStock)
The human and economic costs of crime in Mexico have risen to historic highs. 2017 was Mexico’s most violent year on record with over 25,000 homicides—a 50 percent jump since 2015. (more…)
Five Actions to Strengthen the Euro Area Banking Union
By Atilla Arda, Daniel Hardy, and Maike B. Luedersen
December 14, 2018
View of skyscrapers in the banking district in Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Progress has been made, but more needs to be done to strengthen the euro area’s banking union (photo: imageBROKER/Stefan Ziese/Newscom)
Dealing with problem banks in a prompt, efficient, and even-handed manner is essential for the European banking union. (more…)