The toll of extreme weather events on crops underscores the region’s challenges and need for policies to save lives and protect livelihoods.
When inflation is high, wages tend to rise more in response to a spike in oil prices. And the more wages rise, the greater the risk of a sustained increase in inflation.
Rapid increases in food prices has been one of the main drivers of quickening inflation around the world, the Chart of the Week shows the latest composition of price increases.
Capturing the dividends from women’s economic equity. Too many women are locked out of economic opportunities, which is not only unfair but also harms growth and resilience for all.
A strong chart that distills a compelling visualization of our world goes a long way toward helping illustrate what’s happening in the world’s economies and markets. That’s why our Chart of the Week blog series features a new way to look beyond the numbers. Today’s edition compiles top 10 by readership so far in 2022.
Sign up to receive free e-mail notices when new series and/or country items are posted on the IMF website.
As G20 ministers and central bank governors gather in Bali this week, they face a global economic outlook that has darkened significantly.
The IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report, introduced in 2002, was a step toward a more comprehensive assessment of risks in financial markets and cross-border capital flows.
As the war in Ukraine unfolds, global uncertainty has surged, according to the latest reading of the World Uncertainty Index—a quarterly measure across 143 countries.
When inflation is high, wages tend to rise more in response to a spike in oil prices. And the more wages rise, the greater the risk of a sustained increase in inflation.
Letter from the Editor: The recent plunge in crypto assets has left investors numbed by losses and surely in doubt. But the future of money is undoubtedly digital
Crypto trading volume, and co-movement with equity markets, has surged in the region.
Several sub-Saharan African central banks are exploring or in the pilot phase of a digital currency, following Nigeria’s October introduction of e-Naira. Nigeria was the second country after the Bahamas to roll out a CBDC.
Environmentally conscious design can make a major difference in the energy efficiency of digital currencies.
There’s a growing interconnectedness between virtual assets and financial markets.
As e-money use grows, regulators need to focus on consumer protection and the integrity of the overall payments system.
The war in Ukraine and resulting increase in commodity prices are expected to contribute to a further widening this year. The lingering pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are dealing a setback to the global economy. This is affecting trade, commodity prices, and financial flows, all of which are changing current account deficits and surpluses.
Countries have made substantial progress toward implementing capital markets regulatory reform, but important gaps remain and new challenges have raised the bar.
The US dollar has long played an outsized role in global markets. It continues to do so even as the American economy has been producing a shrinking share of global output over the last two decades.
A record rise in private debt could slow the economic recovery, but the drag on growth will vary across countries and within them.
Banks’ holdings of sovereign debt rise to a record as governments spend to cushion pandemic impact.
The world’s banking systems saw significant capital increases ahead of the pandemic and are resilient to very large shocks.
More progressive taxes with fewer exemptions would help governments pay for immediate spending priorities and make societies fairer. Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia have a long history of using taxes to develop their economies and promote social inclusion. The first income tax can be traced back 5,000 years to Ancient Egypt. The Pharaohs used it to build granaries and feed the poor during shortages. Zakat, a payment obligation akin to a progressive tax that began in the 12th century, is still collected to fund social spending in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
The IMF’s flagship magazine publishes cutting-edge analysis and insight on the latest trends and research in international finance, economics, and development.
Countries should allow international prices to pass through to domestic prices while protecting households that are most in need.
Economists are increasingly turning to new technologies that help track indicators such as growth and inflation in real time to sharpen their forecasts and offer better input for policymakers.
Even before the pandemic, fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS) already confronted some of the greatest challenges among the world’s economies.
Capturing the dividends from women’s economic equity. Too many women are locked out of economic opportunities, which is not only unfair but also harms growth and resilience for all.
The pandemic has deepened long-standing gender gaps, with women continuing to bear the burden of unpaid work. By structuring spending and taxation in ways that advance gender equality—a process called gender budgeting—governments can help close the gap.
International Women’s Day, March 8, marks a year from the start of widespread lockdowns in response to COVID-19. As an IMF blog warned back in July, women have borne the economic and social brunt of the pandemic.
Japan’s voluntary month-and-a-half shutdown of the economy in April due to COVID-19 has had a higher cost for women than men. A key reason: a “guilt gap” between women and men, where women often feel compelled to take on more professional sacrifices.
Electoral violence occurs in many African countries. Tragically, thousands are killed and displaced during election cycles on the continent. Over the next year and a half, Presidential elections are scheduled in thirteen sub-Saharan African countries, raising fears that, as in the past, violent incidents or conflict may erupt again. But what can African nations do to lessen electoral violence?
March 8 marks International Women’s Day, which provides a chance to reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality. The roots of this annual event reach back more than a century, yet its focus on respect and opportunities for women remains strikingly relevant today—from sexual harassment and violence to unequal laws and unfairness in the workplace, where women are too often underemployed, underpaid, and underpromoted.
High-quality, reliable, and comparable gauges are lacking. Here’s how to close the gap. Climate change is transforming the global investment landscape, creating new risks and opportunities. Physical risks, from rising sea levels to the lethal heat waves scorching Europe and elsewhere, affect asset values for everything from stocks to real estate and infrastructure. So-called transition risk—including government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—lowers the value of fossil fuel companies.
Sign up to receive free e-mail notices when new series and/or country items are posted on the IMF website.
A climate mitigation policy mix of carbon taxes, green subsidies, and infrastructure investment could reduce global balances by a quarter by 2027. But only if countries coordinate their response.
As the world gears up to avoid a climate catastrophe by limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, more countries are putting carbon pricing at the center of their mitigation strategies. Yet designing ways to put a price on carbon can be complicated and countries face multiple choices.
IMFBlog is a forum for the views of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and officials on pressing economic and policy issues of the day. The IMF, based in Washington D.C., is an organization of 190 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation and financial stability around the world. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF and its Executive Board. Read More
© Copyright International Monetary Fund
