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Business and Economics > Banks and Banking

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 1,110 items for :

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  • Fiscal policy x
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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Kazakhstan: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
After reaching 5.1 percent in 2023, growth is expected to slow to 3.9 percent in 2024, while inflation would decline to 8.2 percent. The banking sector remains resilient amid continued rapid consumer credit growth. A moderate current account deficit is expected this year. The outlook is subject to elevated risks, including from an uncertain external environment. Decisive reforms are necessary to diversify the economy, make growth higher and more inclusive, and address challenges from climate change.
Keywords:
IMF TA; IMF's holding; money-market development; inflation pressure; central bank communications; Policy effectiveness; NBK policy rate; oil revenue; IMF's transparency policy; Fiscal stance; Financial Sector Assessment Program; Government finance statistics; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Argentina: Ex-post Evaluation of Exceptional Access under the 2022 Extended Fund Facility Arrangement-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Argentina
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
On March 25, 2022, the IMF Executive Board approved a 30-month arrangement for Argentina supported by the Extended Fund Facility (2022 EFF). Amounting to US$44 billion (1,001 percent of quota), it was the second largest non-precautionary arrangement in the Fund’s history after the 2018 Stand-by Arrangement for Argentina (2018 SBA). Of the planned 10 reviews, eight were completed. The arrangement is set to expire at end-2024.
Keywords:
program ownership; IMF view; disinflation process; Policy strategy; lending decision; risk tolerance; Fiscal consolidation; International reserves; Inflation; Reserves accumulation; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of San Marino: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation discusses that San Marino’s economy has remained resilient, with economic activity stabilizing at high levels and record employment, despite the regional slowdown and high interest rates. Growth has slowed due to weakening external demand but remains positive as the decline in manufacturing activity has been offset by strong performance in the service sector. With easing financing conditions and the stabilization of external demand, growth is expected to pick up gradually. Inflation has declined to below two percent and it is expected to remain at low levels. The fiscal position is stronger than expected. The government has saved the cyclical tax revenues, kept expenditures in check, and achieved strong primary balance in 2023. Structural reforms are critical to lift potential growth. The conclusion of the EU association negotiations, which signals strong commitment to deeper integration with the EU, is welcome. The successful implementation of the agreement is a priority to enhance productivity and the authorities should ensure sufficient resources and staff are available to support implementation without undermining the fiscal consolidation path.
Keywords:
Sta balance of payments statistics; article IV consultation discussion; Sta government finance statistics; Sta GDDS metadata development; currency of San Marino; Fiscal stance; Nonperforming loans; Pension spending; Global; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Türkiye: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Republic of Türkiye
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation highlights that a decisive shift in economic policies over the past year has tightened Türkiye’s overall policy stance. A significant tightening of macroeconomic policy since mid-2023 has substantially reduced crisis risks. Tighter financial conditions are weighing on domestic demand and inflation has fallen. Tax and expenditure measures partly dampened an expansionary fiscal impulse and the commitment to stronger incomes policies has strengthened credibility. The policy turnaround has reduced economic imbalances and revived confidence. Headline inflation has fallen as tighter financial conditions are weighing on domestic demand. Under the authorities’ gradual policy adjustment, inflation is expected to further decline. Risks around the baseline are significant and tilted to the downside. They include stronger-than-expected wage and price inertia, a reversal of capital flows, higher global energy prices, and escalating geopolitical tensions. Significant financial and external vulnerabilities remain. The authorities’ gradual approach to fighting inflation prolongs the period during which risks might occur.
Keywords:
inflation expectation; IFC portfolio implementation; WB program; WBG portfolio; authorities project growth; Inflation; Central bank policy rate; Fiscal stance; Minimum wages; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Botswana: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This Selected Issues paper discusses the rationale for and design of a new Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) in Botswana. It reviews the causes of declining financial reserves and calculates fiscal targets that would be needed to achieve insurance and intergenerational equity objectives. While debt ratios have been steady, the government has financed these deficits by drawing down its assets. Intergenerational equity may be better served by creating financial assets, rather than through investment spending, although the two are not mutually exclusive. Botswana has tended to allocate resource revenues primarily to physical and human investment. Before discussing SWF design, it is important to consider the level of savings that the government requires to achieve its policy objectives. There are many reasons why a government may want to generate savings and manage them in a SWF. IMF concludes that a SWF could provide a useful institutional framework to support rebuilding buffers, but achieving significant savings to meaningfully fund an SWF would require much tighter fiscal policy than has been observed in recent years.
Keywords:
protection system; pula fund; research support; government investment account; C. financing social protection; Income inequality; Social protection spending; Fiscal rules; Budget planning and preparation; Global; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover IMF Working Papers
Fiscal R-Star: Fiscal-Monetary Tensions and Implications for Policy
Marijn A. Bolhuis
,
Jakree Koosakul
, and
Neil Shenai
Since the Global Financial Crisis, fiscal policy in advanced economies has become more “active” – that is, increasingly unresponsive to rising debt levels. This paper explores tensions between active fiscal and monetary policies by introducing the concept of “fiscal r-star,” which is the real interest rate required to stabilize debt levels when the primary balance is set exogenously, output is growing at potential, and inflation is at target. It is proposed that the difference between monetary r-star and fiscal r-star—referred to as the “fiscal monetary gap”—is a proxy for fiscal-monetary policy tensions. An analysis of over 140 years of data from 16 advanced economies shows that larger fiscal-monetary gaps are associated with rising debt levels, higher inflation, financial repression, lower real returns on bonds and cash, with elevated risks of future debt, inflation, currency, housing, and systemic crises. Current estimates indicate that fiscal-monetary tensions are at historic highs. Given the tepid growth outlook, growth-enhancing reforms and fiscal consolidation, among other policy adjustments, may be needed to attenuate fiscal-monetary tensions over time.
Keywords:
Fiscal r-star; fiscal-monetary gap; fiscal-monetary interactions; fiscal dominance; inflation; fiscal consolidation; monetary policy; fiscal policy; policy space; financial repression; debt liquidation; fiscal-monetary policy tension; debt level; fiscal policy to debt; IMF working paper 24/174; Fiscal stance; Real interest rates; Inflation targeting; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Iceland: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation with Iceland highlights that following an impressive recovery from shocks in recent years, tight monetary and fiscal policies have slowed domestic demand growth, strengthened the current account, and started to lower inflationary pressures. A coordinated tightening of macroeconomic policies has successfully narrowed domestic and external imbalances built up during the post-pandemic period. Appropriately tight macroeconomic policies are expected to dampen economic growth in the near term, while medium-term growth prospects are favorable. Reactivation of the fiscal rules in 2026 presents an opportunity to revisit their design to ensure fiscal policy is both sustainable and contributes to macroeconomic stability. An application of the IMF’s Integrated Policy Framework to Iceland suggests some benefits of foreign exchange interventions during times of stress. Structural policies should focus on gradually reducing state involvement in collective wage bargaining, accelerating the green transition, and further diversifying the economy.
Keywords:
monetary policy stance; holdings of SDR; calibrating Policy; inflation expectation; EU regulations-credit bureaus; Inflation; Central bank policy rate; Housing prices; Fiscal rules; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
New Perspectives on Quantitative Easing and Central Bank Capital Policies
Tobias Adrian
,
Christopher J. Erceg
,
Marcin Kolasa
,
Jesper Lindé
,
Roger McLeod
,
Romain M Veyrune
, and
Pawel Zabczyk
Central banks have come under increasing criticism for large balance sheet losses associated with quantitative easing (QE), and some observers have also argued that QE helped fuel the post-COVID-19 inflation boom. In this paper, we reconsider the conditions under which QE may be warranted considering the recent high inflation experience. We emphasize that the merits of QE should be evaluated based on the macroeconomic stimulus it provides and its effects on the consolidated fiscal position, and not simply on central bank profits or losses. Using an open economy DSGE model with segmented asset markets, we show how QE can provide a sizeable boost to output and inflation in a deep recession and improve the consolidated fiscal position—even if the central bank experiences considerable losses. However, the commitment-based features of QE and the possibility that upside inflation risks are bigger than recognized pre-pandemic call for more caution in using QE closer to full employment. We then consider how central banks might modify their policies for allocating profits to the government in light of large-scale losses. In short, we suggest that a more forward-looking and risk-based approach may be desirable in helping protect central bank financial autonomy and ultimately independence.
Keywords:
Monetary policy; quantitative easing; central bank remittances; forward guidance; central bank Capital Policies; upside inflation risk; central bank profit; central bank remittance; profits to the government; Unconventional monetary policies; Central bank policy rate; Financial statements; Inflation; Fiscal stance; Global
Cover Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, April 2024
Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, April 2024
A Tepid and Pricey Recovery
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.

Abstract

After four turbulent years, the outlook for sub-Saharan Africa is gradually improving. Growth will rise from 3.4 percent in 2023 to 3.8 percent in 2024, with nearly two thirds of countries anticipating higher growth. Economic recovery is expected to continue beyond this year, with growth projections reaching 4.0 percent in 2025. Additionally, inflation has almost halved, public debt ratios have broadly stabilized, and several countries have issued Eurobonds this year, ending a two-year hiatus from international markets. However, not all is favorable. The funding squeeze persists as the region’s governments continue to grapple with financing shortages, high borrowing costs, and impending debt repayments. Risks to the outlook remain tilted to the downside. The region continues to be more vulnerable to global external shocks, as well as the threat of rising political instability, and frequent climate events. Three policy priorities can help countries adapt to these challenges: improving public finances without undermining development; monetary policy focused on ensuring price stability; and implementing structural reforms to diversify funding sources and economies. Amid these challenges, sub-Saharan African countries will need additional support from the international community to develop a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous future.

Keywords:
Sub-Saharan Africa; Slow recovery; Funding squeeze; Monetary policy; Economic diversification; Structural reforms; International support; IMF staff calculation; headline inflation; public finance; IMF financing arrangement; borrowing costs entail; sub-Saharan Africa face; Inflation; Central bank policy rate; Fiscal consolidation; Price stabilization; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Global; Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Equatorial Guinea: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Equatorial Guinea
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation discusses that Equatorial Guinea’s economy remains confronted with a continuous decline in oil production. The overall fiscal surplus is estimated to have dropped to 0.3 percent of GDP from 13.6 percent in 2022, while the nonhydrocarbon primary fiscal deficit is expected at 23.3 percent of nonhydrocarbon gross domestic product (GDP), up from 22.7 percent of nonhydrocarbon GDP in 2022. Near and medium-term growth prospects appear challenging with the projected reduction in oil production and lacklustre growth in the non-oil economy due to underlying structural weaknesses. Real GDP growth is projected to contract by 5.5 percent in 2024, and the economy would remain on average in recession over the medium term. Fostering nonhydrocarbon growth and inclusion is critical to long-term macroeconomic and social stability.
Keywords:
macroeconomic reform effort; government arrears; Equatoguinean economy; U.S. dollar; government's commitment; IMF's transparency policy; Equatorial Guinea's economy; governance strategy; liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident; External sector statistics; Fiscal stance; Commercial banks; Global