Summary

Agreement with Banks Limits Crisis in Emerging Europe

The European Bank Coordination Initiative rings few bells outside the world of international finance.

Asia Leading Global Recovery, Says IMF

Asia is emerging from the global downturn faster and stronger than any other region, according to a top official at the International Monetary Fund.

Asia Recovering Rapidly, but Faces Challenges, says IMF

After being hit hard by the global economic slump, Asia is now rebounding fast, according to the IMF in its Regional Economic Outlook for the Asia and Pacific Region.

Caucasus, Central Asia Feel Crisis Impact, But Set for Modest Upturn

The global crisis has severely impacted the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA), with growth for the region projected to drop from 6.6 percent in 2008 to 1.5 percent in 2009, IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department Director Masood Ahmed said.

Did Foreign Reserves Help Weather the Crisis?

Did the large accumulation of international reserves in many emerging economies mitigate the impact of the financial crisis? While country authorities believe reserves have helped, hard econometric evidence that they have seems hard to come by.

Europe: IMF Sees Slow and Fragile Recovery

Europe's long recession is bottoming out, reflecting strong policy action, a rebound in confidence, and a tentative upswing in global trade, the IMF's new regional outlook says.

Fiscal Challenge Next For Policymakers

Policymakers, buffeted by the global economic crisis, may be drawing a collective sigh of relief with signs of a tentative recovery.

Global Recovery Under Way but Likely to Be Slow, Says IMF

After a deep recession, global economic growth has turned positive, driven by wide-ranging, coordinated public intervention that has supported demand and reduced uncertainty and systemic risk in financial markets, according to the IMF's latest report on the global economy.

Goal Is Efficient Credit Delivery, Not Just Profit

I read only Chapter 2-"Restarting Securitization Markets: Policy Proposals and Pitfalls"-of the latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR), but this article is by far the best I have read (and, I suppose, agrees with my own thoughts the most) on creating a new, workable framework for securitization.

Health, Social Spending Vital in IMF-Supported Programs

Several organizations and researchers have studied the effects that IMF programs may have on health in individual countries, and the IMF itself is also monitoring its role in this regard as part of its assessment of programs in member countries.

Iceland: Quiet Progress on Key Reforms

In October 2008, Iceland's population woke up to face a banking crisis of extraordinary proportions.

IMF Chief Puts Focus on Building Stable Post-Crisis World

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn outlined three principles for building on close international collaboration during the global economic crisis to move toward sustainable and broad-based growth in the post-crisis world.

IMF Countries Back Recovery Moves, Governance Reforms

The policy steering committee of the International Monetary Fund, meeting in Istanbul with the world economy now on a recovery path, committed to maintaining stimulative policies until recovery is assured and backed moves to reform governance of the Fund to give greater voice to dynamic emerging markets and developing countries.

IMF-Backed Programs Widen Policy Options to Counter Crises

Designs of IMF-supported programs have created space in many countries for countercyclical policies to address the impact of the global food, fuel, and financial crises, an IMF study says.

'Istanbul Decisions' to Guide IMF as Countries Shape Post-Crisis World

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn told policymakers from 186 countries gathered in Istanbul that global cooperation had saved the world from a far worse crisis and leaders should now seize the opportunity to shape a post-crisis world.

Latin America, Caribbean Face Post-Crisis Challenges

Latin American and Caribbean countries are recovering from the global crisis, but at different rates, and growth is expected to return to the region as a whole in 2010, the IMF said.

Latin America Shows Signs of Renewed Growth

Many countries in Latin America are showing signs of a renewed growth, after being hit hard by the global recession through drops in exports, workers remittances, and tourism, as well as a reversal of capital inflows, according to the Director of the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department.

New Journal to Showcase IMF's Role in Crisis

The IMF has announced that its official research journal, IMF Staff Papers, which publishes quarterly articles on a variety of macroeconomic and financial issues, will be replaced in mid-2010 by a new journal called the IMF Economic Review.

Peace, Economic Stability Interconnected, Says Strauss-Kahn

The global economic recovery is no accident, but rather the result of bold and coordinated policy action taken by leaders around the world, said IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who urged policymakers to focus on economic stability to help underpin world peace.

Prudent Policies Help Sub-Saharan Africa Ride Downturn

As the global economic cycle moves to recovery, there are grounds for optimism that sub-Saharan Africa's performance relative to the rest of the world will be better than in the past, the IMF says.

Several Countries Provide Funding to IMF for Poorer Nations

Several countries have stepped forward to provide additional funding to support the IMF's concessional lending to low-income countries that have been battered by the global economic crisis.

Sound Policies Soften Crisis Impact on Middle East

Oil exporters in the Middle East and North Africa have been directly hit by the global financial crisis through a sharp drop in oil prices and a drying up of capital inflows, but the blow has been softened by countercyclical government spending, according to the IMF's new regional forecast.

World Economy Can Bounce Back Strongly, Says Dervis

Despite worries that the global economy has been scarred by the financial crisis for many years, it is more likely to bounce back strongly and grow rapidly over the next 10 years because of strong productive capacity and technical innovation, said former Turkish Economy Minister Kemal Dervis during a lecture at the IMF-World Bank Meetings in Istanbul.