An old Irish joke has a tourist in the rural west of Ireland asking a local if he knows how to get to Dublin. After a long pause and considerable thought, the local replies, “yes, but I wouldn’t start from here.” Unfortunately, with the highest overall fiscal deficit of any region of the world in 2017 (over 6% of GDP) this is a bit how it feels in Latin America and the … [Read more...] about The Big Adjustment: Fiscal Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
Rethinking Inflation Targeting: What Do the UK and Latin America Have in Common?
On November 2, 2017, the Bank of England increased its policy interest rate from 0.25% to 0.5%. At the same time, it issued the sternest warning yet that Brexit would have a negative impact on the economy. The statement made the markets think that the economy was weaker than previously thought, or that the Bank of England might be more dovish than expected in the future. The … [Read more...] about Rethinking Inflation Targeting: What Do the UK and Latin America Have in Common?
Macroeconomic Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
As the October 2017 meetings in Washington wind down, the good news is that Latin America and the Caribbean is out of recession and set to grow at 1.2% this year. Only three countries (Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela—of the 26 borrowing IDB members) will post negative growth, as opposed to seven countries last year (the other four in recession last year were … [Read more...] about Macroeconomic Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
Interest Rates are Falling, But Not So Fast
By Andrés Fernández, Daniel Hernaiz and Andrew Powell Most of the largest economies in Latin America have adopted inflation targeting [1]. A huge advantage of having such an anchor, and not relying on a fixed exchange rate to curb diverging expectations, is that the exchange rate is then determined by the market and can adjust to shocks. Given the large shocks the region has … [Read more...] about Interest Rates are Falling, But Not So Fast
A New Trade World: Routes for Latin America and the Caribbean to Grow
It never rains but it pours sometimes seems to be just too appropriate a motto for Latin America and the Caribbean. Just as Argentina and Brazil appear set to post positive growth this year, uncertainty regarding global protectionism and the prospects of higher U.S. interest rates could dampen growth prospects across the region, as explained in the 2017 IDB Latin American and … [Read more...] about A New Trade World: Routes for Latin America and the Caribbean to Grow