Sudden Financial Arrest and Much More: IMF’s Annual Research Conference Gets Under Way

Posted on October 29, 2009 by iMFdirect

With the global economic crisis as a backdrop, some of the world’s leading economists will soon join us here in Washington, D.C. for two days of intense, scholarly debate. Not surprisingly, the papers submitted for the IMF’s Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference are colored by the events of the past two years.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Economic research, Fiscal Stimulus, recession | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Latin America and the Caribbean: Finding Space for Countercyclical Fiscal Policy

Posted on October 27, 2009 by iMFdirect

In this year of global recession, fiscal policy has been able to play a supportive role in some countries of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Even as the downturn caused fiscal revenues to fall, many governments were able to avoid cutting expenditure, and some were able to provide a sizable positive fiscal impulse, actively raising expenditure to provide a boost to domestic demand and GDP.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus, Latin America, recession | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Commodity Connection: Rising Commodity Prices and the Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean

Posted on October 23, 2009 by iMFdirect

As the world economy emerges from recession, it’s worth thinking about how the composition of this recovery, in terms of which countries expand faster, will affect commodity prices—and how those prices influence the outlook for economies of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus, growth | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Why Did Latin America Do Better in This Crisis? The Benefits of Being Prepared

Posted on October 21, 2009 by iMFdirect

Although this time the external shocks were very strong in this year of global crisis, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region has performed notably better than in the past, and also better than many other emerging market countries. This improvement can be attributed to the fact that the region faced the crisis equipped with economic policy frameworks that were more solid and credible than in the past, and with smaller financial, external, and fiscal vulnerabilities.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Latin America and the Caribbean During the Global Crisis: Better than the Past, Better than Other Regions

Posted on October 19, 2009 by iMFdirect

In contrast to what happened in past episodes of world recession, this time the fall in growth of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region has not exceeded that of the world economy. In fact, the performance of the region has been as good as, or better than, many other emerging market economies.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets, growth | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Unlocking Central Asia’s Huge Potential

Posted on October 16, 2009 by iMFdirect

The IMF has just finished its Annual Meetings in Istanbul, the traditional start of the old silk road and the gateway to Central Asia.

Strategically located between East Asia and Europe, and South Asia and Russia, Central Asia is rich in resources and faces tremendous opportunities—yet to be made the most of.

Filed under: Economic Crisis, growth | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Did Islamic Banks in the Gulf Do Better Than Conventional Ones in the Crisis?

Posted on October 14, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Masood Ahmed The IMF’s latest regional economic outlook for the Middle East compares the performance of Islamic banks in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with conventional ones during the global financial crisis. Islamic banks were less affected during the initial phase of the crisis, reflecting a stronger first-round impact on conventional banks [...]

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Mideast Oil Exporters Face the Crisis Head On

Posted on October 11, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Masood Ahmed Middle East oil exporters are squarely facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression head on. Despite the sharp drop in oil prices last year, the oil exporters rightly decided to maintain spending by drawing upon reserves amassed during the boom years. High public spending and exceptional anticrisis financial measures have not [...]

Filed under: Economic Crisis | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Life after the Crisis: A Perspective from Emerging Europe and Central Asia

Posted on October 8, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Caroline Atkinson The Program of Seminars takes place outside the formal framework of the Annual Meetings. But to many people, they were the main reason for making the trip to Istanbul. The program’s October 4 offering included a first-hand perspective of how three emerging market countries—Turkey, Slovakia, and Ukraine—have weathered the crisis. We also got [...]

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Farewell from Istanbul

Posted on October 7, 2009 by iMFdirect

The bags are packed, the shuttle buses are waiting, and the conference center here in Istanbul is slowly emptying. More than 15,000 people have come and gone. Now is the time to take stock and figure out how to move forward on the big decisions coming out of Istanbul. The IMF’s Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, [...]

Filed under: Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

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