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IMF Support for Sri Lanka’s Economic Reform Programme
An IMF staff mission visited Colombo January 30 – February 13 to discuss possible financial support for Sri Lanka’s economic reform agenda under an Extended Fund Facility. The mission met with government and Central Bank officials, as well as representatives
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Frontier Asia and Hopes for More Inclusive Growth
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on January 28th held a conference in Bangkok, entitled “Frontier Asia: Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth.” The conference brought together ministers, central bank governors, other senior policymakers and
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Prospects for Freer Exchange of China’s Currency
China’s currency, the renminbi (RMB), will probably not supplant the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, except possibly “in the very long term”, said Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University, and a former US Treasury
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Global FDI Recovery Stalls in 2012
Macroeconomic fragility and policy uncertainty for investors has led to an 18 per cent decline in global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows last year, to an estimated $1.3 trillion, the United Nations said in a new report released on January
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Asia in 2013: Grounds for Optimism, but Challenges Ahead
By Anoop Singh Director, IMF Asia and Pacific Department After a subdued economic performance in emerging Asia in 2012, growth in the region is set to pick up gradually in 2013 helped by external demand and accommodative monetary policy. At
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IFC Study: Obstacles to Growth and Job Creation
A new study by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, finds that much-needed jobs in developing countries can be created at a faster rate if policy makers and development institutions make it a priority to remove the key obstacles to
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Investors Strongly Bullish on EMs
A December, 2012 Society Generale monthly survey covering 52 customers throughout Asia, Europe and the United States suggests that investors are strongly medium-term bullish on emerging markets. The confidence shown by around 90 per cent of the 30 real money
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Do Not Over-Heat
The IMF reports that powered by a resurgence in Asia, emerging markets, especially those of China and India are leading the world out of recession. In many emerging and developing economies, output is already above pre-crisis trends, suggesting that recovery
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UN Downgrades Economic Forecasts for 2013/14
World economic growth has weakened considerably during 2012 and is expected to remain subdued in the coming two years, according to a United Nations report in late December, which calls for policy changes to spur growth and tackle the jobs
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Global Investing: Italy or Singapore?
Many European countries have declining population growth and onerous business regulations. This creates a headwind against the region’s share prices. Many Asian countries have healthy population growth and are embracing free markets. This creates a tailwind behind the region’s stock
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