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International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.
A technical assistance (TA) mission was conducted from July 15–19, 2024, to assist the State Statistical Service of Ukraine (SSSU) to develop new processes and methods for the compilation of the House Price Index (HPI). This was the second mission of a project that commenced in April 2024. The mission worked closely with the authorities to (i) develop R scripts to clean the listings data received from an online real estate platform, (ii) implement updated methods for index compilation, and (iii) increase the capacity of the SSSU staff.
International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.
A technical assistance (TA) mission was conducted from April 8–12, 2024, to assist the State Statistical Service of Ukraine (SSSU) with a methodological review of their House Price Index (HPI). The mission assessed the existing data and methodology used for the compilation of the HPI and made recommendations for improvements as required, in line with international statistical standards. The mission completed the following tasks: (i) undertake a review of the listings data collected by the SSSU and the data preparation being applied, (ii) assess the stratification and hedonic methods used for the HPI, (iii) review the weights and aggregation procedures used to compile the national index, (iv) provide guidance on the dissemination of the HPI, and (v) provide practical training to staff in the SSSU.
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that St. Lucia’s tourist-dependent economy has rebounded strongly after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the commodity import price shock due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Output is currently near the pre-pandemic level, while higher government revenue has narrowed the fiscal deficit. The gross domestic product growth projection in 2023, at 3.2 percent, is lower than 2022 as tourism demand continues the recovery and the economy approaches the existing production capacity. Afterward, it is projected to gradually decline toward a potential rate of 1.5 percent in the medium-term. With output approaching full recovery, the priority is to start rebuilding fiscal and financial buffers and place public debt on a solid downward trend, anchored on the regional debt ceiling, through growth-friendly fiscal consolidation and fiscal rules. In the banking sector, it is important to reach full compliance with the regional central bank’s provisioning requirements. The momentum of reforms to address disincentives to bank lending should be maintained by passing legislation to expedite loan collateral appropriation. Draft legislation to strengthen the regulation and supervision of credit unions should be passed, and the planned asset quality review carried forward.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that the Kyrgyz economy grew strongly in 2023, led by construction and trade, despite the challenging regional environment. Tax revenue mobilization improved, and public debt declined. Headline inflation fell from 14.7 percent in December 2022 to 7.3 percent in December 2023, supported by a marked reduction in food and fuel inflation, but demand pressures have kept core inflation elevated. The official current account deficit has remained significant due to the decline in net remittance inflows, lower gold exports, and unrecorded re-exports. Output is expected to grow at its potential rate of 4 percent in the medium term, inflation decline to mid-single digits, and public debt remain contained. Current favorable macroeconomic conditions present a window of opportunity to strengthen the policy framework and raise growth prospects through structural reforms. The priorities are strengthening governance, including management and privatization of state-owned enterprises, enhancing competition, reforming the electricity sector, and strengthening social safety nets.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation with the Republic of Kazakhstan highlights that Growth is estimated to have reached 4.8 percent in 2023 and is projected to slow to 3.1 percent in 2024. Inflation declined to 9.8 percent in 2023, still well above the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK)’s target of 5 percent. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. The state’s footprint in the economy remains large and structural reform implementation has been slow in recent years. With many uncertainties affecting the short-term outlook, monetary policy should remain tight until inflation is closer to target and inflation expectations are re-anchored. To support this, there is significant room to further strengthen the NBK’s independence and the effectiveness and credibility of monetary policy. Structural reforms are essential to advance Kazakhstan’s transition to a fully-fledged market economy and promote a more vibrant private sector that will lead future job creation and economic diversification and growth.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that Malta has experienced an impressive recovery from the pandemic and demonstrated resilience to shocks resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The challenge for the medium term is to ensure a robust policy framework to foster strong, socially- and environmentally-sustainable, and inclusive growth. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside in part due to spillover effects from a possible escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine or of the Israel–Gaza conflict, as well as a deeper-than-expected economic downturn in Europe. Domestically, wage and inflationary pressures could be higher and more persistent. On the upside, lower-than-expected commodity prices would help decelerate inflation, ease fiscal pressures, and boost growth. Key priorities include containing demand pressures by accelerating fiscal consolidation, exiting gradually from the current fixed energy price policy while protecting vulnerable groups, maintaining financial stability, and boosting structural reform efforts. Boosting productivity will be imperative to achieve strong, socially-and environmentally sustainable, and inclusive growth.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that Serbia has made impressive economic gains over much of the past decade: living standards improved, inflation fell, public finances were strengthened, and reserves increased, helped by ample foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. But spillovers from the war in Ukraine—especially the sharp increase in international energy prices—and deep-rooted problems in Serbia’s energy sector that came to a head last year, led to large external and fiscal financing needs, prompting the authorities to request a IMF-supported Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Tighter monetary policy is needed to reduce inflation. The National Bank of Serbia should ensure that real ex-ante policy rates become positive and that such rates stay positive until the path of inflation is clearly converging to target. Fiscal policy should work alongside monetary policy as fiscal consolidation helps disinflation and lowers public debt. In addition, any fiscal over-performance should be saved or used for priority investments.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2023 Article IV Consultation discusses that the Icelandic economy has shown remarkable resilience and rebounded quickly from the multiple shocks in recent years. The economy is currently operating well above potential, which, together with high import and house prices, has pushed inflation significantly above target, and contributed to external imbalances. While growth is expected to moderate to 3.2 percent in 2023 and 1.9 percent in 2024 on headwinds from abroad and tight macroeconomic policies, the medium-term outlook is favorable. In the near term, policy tightening coupled with headwinds from the deteriorating terms of trade will dampen domestic demand and reduce imbalances, though private consumption growth is likely to remain robust on a further drawdown of household savings and strong employment growth supported by continued immigration. Banks could face funding pressures if pension funds were to re-direct their investments from domestic to foreign markets.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This 2023 Article IV Consultation analyses that the Polish economy has slowed significantly amid still-high inflation. The Polish economy in 2022 faced energy and food price shocks, which exacerbated inflationary pressures and slowed economic growth. With Russia’s war in Ukraine, the authorities seek to increase defense expenditures and energy security. The economy has slowed considerably, though inflation remains well above the target. While the economy is projected to rebound in late 2023 and 2024 and inflation to decline, the pace of growth and underlying inflation are subject to considerable uncertainty, highlighting the policy challenges related to returning inflation to the target without incurring an excessive loss of output. In the near term, the authorities should avoid a new fiscal expansion. Energy price measures should be temporary and move toward greater targeting. Over the medium term, the authorities should create fiscal space to accommodate new defense expenditures without placing public debt on an upward trajectory. In addition, the authorities should consider carbon taxation to meet decarbonization targets and continue to facilitate Ukrainian refugees’ integration into Polish labor markets.
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
The 2022 Article IV Consultation highlights that Jamaica has been buffeted by a difficult global environment—from coronavirus disease (COVID), the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing tightening of global financial conditions. The authorities provided targeted support to vulnerable households and firms during the pandemic but promptly scaled it back as conditions normalized. Similarly, in the wake of the war in Ukraine, domestic food and energy prices adjusted in line with shifts in international markets while targeted support was provided to the poor. Discussions focused on the prompt post-COVID fiscal consolidation and monetary policy tightening, which were instrumental to secure debt sustainability, respond to global shocks and aid the return of inflation to the target band. The IMF staff assess that maintaining high primary balances over the medium term remains important for debt sustainability. The Article IV consultation places a special focus on climate change. Despite contributing insignificantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, Jamaica’s geographical and socio-economic characteristics make the country vulnerable to climate events that are becoming larger and more frequent due to global warming.