Europe | IMF Blog

Global House Prices: Time to Worry Again?

Versions in: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)

During 2007-08, house prices in several countries collapsed, marking the onset of a global financial crisis. The IMF’s Global House Price Index, a simple average of real house prices for 57 countries, is now almost back to its level before the crisis (Chart 1). Is it time to worry again about a global fall in house prices? Continue reading “Global House Prices: Time to Worry Again?” »

By IMFBlog| December 8th, 2016|Advanced Economies, growth, International Monetary Fund|

A Field Guide to Exchange Rate Regimes in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe

By Philip Gerson and Johannes Wiegand

For an economist interested in examining the evolution of monetary and exchange rate regimes, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) provides a habitat of unparalleled diversity. Almost every type of regime can be found in the region: from floating and inflation targeting over various pegs to the unilateral use of the euro and full euro area membership.

Continue reading “A Field Guide to Exchange Rate Regimes in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe” »

By IMFBlog| November 29th, 2016|Economic research, euro zone, Fiscal policy, IMF, International Monetary Fund, structural reforms|

Building Collaboration Without Crisis

By Ian Bremmer and David Lipton

Versions: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)

Too often, a spirit of international cooperation evaporates just when it is most needed and most promising. And then, lack of cooperation leads to crisis; crisis belatedly forces cooperation; but that cooperation must begin with picking up the pieces.

Continue reading “Building Collaboration Without Crisis” »

By IMFBlog| September 29th, 2016|Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Economic research, Emerging Markets, IMF, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, U.S., Uncategorized|

The Calculus of Conflict in the Middle East

Lagarde.2015MDPORTRAIT4_114x128 By Christine Lagarde

Versions in: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語(Japanese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)

As world leaders head to New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly, there is still no end to the heart-breaking images of war-torn cities in the Middle East and North Africa, and of a massive exodus of people looking for sanctuary and opportunities to sustain a livelihood.

Continue reading “The Calculus of Conflict in the Middle East” »

By IMFBlog| September 16th, 2016|Economic research, International Monetary Fund, Migration, Uncategorized|

The Euro Area Workforce is Aging, Costing Growth

By Shekhar Aiyar, Christian Ebeke, and Xiaobo Shao

Versions in Français (French), and Español (Spanish)

In parallel to the aging of the general population, the workforce in the euro area is also growing older. This could cause productivity growth to decline in the years ahead, raising another policy challenge for governments already dealing with legacies from the crisis such as high unemployment and debt. Continue reading “The Euro Area Workforce is Aging, Costing Growth” »

By IMFBlog| August 17th, 2016|Advanced Economies, Employment, euro zone, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Uncategorized|

The ECB’s Negative Rate Policy Has Been Effective but Faces Limits

By Andy Jobst and Huidan Lin

Versions in Français (French), and Español (Spanish)

More than two years ago, seeking to revive a moribund economy, the European Central Bank (ECB) embarked on a new monetary policy measure: charging interest on excess liquidity that banks held at the central bank. The move complemented a series of other easing measures aimed at bringing inflation back to the ECB’s price stability objective of below, but close to, two percent over the medium term. Continue reading “The ECB’s Negative Rate Policy Has Been Effective but Faces Limits” »

By IMFBlog| August 10th, 2016|Economic research, euro zone, Financial regulation, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Uncategorized|

Sluggish Business Investment in the Euro Area: The Roles of Small and Medium Enterprises and Debt

By John C. Bluedorn and Christian Ebeke

Small businesses could be the lifeblood of Europe’s economy, but their size and high debt are two of the factors holding back the investment recovery in the euro area. The solution partly lies in policies to help firms grow and reduce debt.

Our new study, part of the IMF’s annual economic health check of the euro area, takes a novel bottom-up look at the problem. We analyze the drivers of investment using a large dataset of over six million observations in eight euro area countries, from 2003 to 2013: Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Finland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Continue reading “Sluggish Business Investment in the Euro Area: The Roles of Small and Medium Enterprises and Debt” »

By IMFBlog| August 4th, 2016|Economic research, euro zone, Finance, Financial Crisis, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Public debt, Uncategorized|

Emigration Slows Eastern Europe’s Catch Up With the West

By Nadeem Ilahi, Anna Ilyina, and Daria Zakharova

(Versions in: Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, and Slovenian)

The opening up of Eastern Europe to the rest of the world in the early 1990s brought about tremendous benefits. The inflow of capital and innovation has led to better institutions, better economic management, and higher efficiency. On the flip side, it has also led to sizable and persistent outflow of people.

Continue reading “Emigration Slows Eastern Europe’s Catch Up With the West” »

By IMFBlog| July 20th, 2016|Advanced Economies, Economic research, Employment, euro zone, growth, income, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Migration, refugees, Uncategorized, unemployment|

Five Lessons from a Review of Recent Crisis Programs

By Vivek Arora

Version in 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish)

IMF lending increased to unprecedented levels in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. As difficulties emerged, we extended financial support to countries across the world—in the euro area, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and emerging economies in Europe.

The IMF tried to draw lessons in real time as the crisis evolved in order to adapt our operations. We reviewed individual programs and, from time to time, paused and took stock of our experience across countries.

Continue reading “Five Lessons from a Review of Recent Crisis Programs” »

By IMFBlog| July 11th, 2016|Economic research, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation, Uncategorized|

Growing Older: Germany Needs Reforms

By Enrica Detragiache, Jean-Marc Natal, and Joana Pereira

Version in Deutsch (German)

Germany, a champion of structural reform prescriptions within the European Union, needs a large dose of the same medicine at home, too. Beyond public investment in transport and telecommunications, and more competition in services, dealing with an aging population needs urgent attention. With the right policies, Germany can bring more people into the workforce—and for longer—to counter the demographic trend, argues a recent study accompanying the regular health check of the German economy by the International Monetary Fund.

Continue reading “Growing Older: Germany Needs Reforms” »

By IMFBlog| June 29th, 2016|Advanced Economies, Economic outlook, Employment, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Uncategorized, unemployment|

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