Dollar strengthens in the aftermath of the United States presidential election
OPEC agrees to first production cut since the global financial crisis
India announces demonetization policy
Global issues
Economic implications of the strong United States dollar
The citizens of the United States of America elected the country''s 45th President on 8 November. There are still considerable uncertainties regarding the direction of policy under the new Administration. One major development since the presidential election is that the dollar has risen notably against other currencies, reaching its highest value since mid-2002. The 3 per cent gain in November has come on top of the sharp rise seen in…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: December 2016 Briefing, No. 97
Surge in global bond issuance may pose a risk to the global economy
Saudi Arabia raises $17.5 billion in record sovereign bond sale by an emerging economy
Egypt devalues pound to alleviate persistent foreign currency shortages
?Global issues
Surge in global bond issuance may pose a risk to the global economy
Amid historic low yields in most parts of the world and continued bond-purchasing programmes by major central banks, year-to-date data suggest global bond issuance in 2016 has continued the rapid pace seen in recent years, especially among developing countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, recently raised $17.5 billion in the largest-ever bond sale by an emerging economy (see the…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: November 2016 Briefing, No. 96
The Bank of Japan announces decision to cap 10-year bond yields to address deflation and restore profitability and growth
United States household incomes rise sharply in 2015
The Nigerian economy contracts at a faster pace amid significant macroeconomic challenges
Global issues
The Bank of Japan announces decision to cap 10-year bond yields to address deflation and restore profitability and growth
On 21 September, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a new set of unconventional monetary policy measures aimed at boosting inflation and reviving growth. The BoJ?s new monetary policy strategy consists of two components. The first is a ?quantitative and qualitative monetary easing with yield…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: October 2016 Briefing, No. 95
Global growth prospects restrained by persistent weak labour productivity growth
Services trade as a potential source of global growth
Growth moderation in India amid a contraction of investment activity
Global issues
Global economy restrained by weak productivity growth
The world economy has slowed markedly since the global financial crisis. As highlighted in the World Economic Situation and Prospects Update as of mid-2016, world gross product has expanded at an average annual rate of 2.6 per cent since 2010, much slower than the average growth rate of 3.4 per cent observed between 2000 and 2007. The prolonged period of slow global growth has been characterized by a marked slowdown in…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: September 2016 Briefing, No. 94
Brexit triggers policy responses from central banks in both the developed and developing regions
The weak global economy restrains remittance flows
China?s GDP growth stabilizes
?
Global issues
Central banks respond to increased global uncertainty in?the aftermath of the UK referendum
The sharp initial reaction of global financial markets to the referendum decision of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to leave the European Union (EU) has largely subsided. Equity market volatility has declined (figure 1), while major exchange rates have broadly stabilized. Investor sentiments, however, remain fragile amid a lack of clarity over the United Kingdom?s future…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: August 2016 Briefing, No. 93
UK vote to leave the EU adds significant uncertainty to the global economy
Prolonged weak global growth poses a challenge to sustainable development
India further liberalizes its FDI regime
Global issues
The outcome of the United Kingdom referendum on EU membership
In a closely contested referendum on 23 June, the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland voted to leave the European Union (EU). The largely unexpected result sent shock waves through financial markets. A number of currencies experienced sharp declines, led by the 11 per cent fall of the British pound against the US dollar in the two trading days following the referendum (figure 1), while some…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: July 2016 Briefing, No. 92
World gross product projected to expand by just 2.4 per cent in 2016
Forthcoming referendum on EU membership has increased financial market volatility in the United Kingdom
Ongoing fiscal adjustment in Africa, the CIS, Latin America and Western Asia continues to constrain prospects
Global issues
Global growth outlook remains bleak; little prospect for turnaround in 2016
Growth in the world economy continues to be lacklustre, as highlighted in the World Economic Situation and Prospects Update as of mid-2016(figure 1). In the report, world gross product is projected to expand by just 2.4 per cent in 2016, the same rate as in 2015, marking a downward revision of 0.5 percentage points to…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: June 2016 Briefing, No. 91
Argentina re-enters international capital markets after 15 years
Deflationary trends remain a concern in euro area and Japan
GDP growth in China in line with government target, but United States and Republic of Korea fall short of expectations
Global issues
Argentina?s debt agreement underscores need for a multilateral approach to sovereign debt restructuring
Fifteen years after defaulting on its debt, Argentina returned to international capital markets in mid-April, issuing $16.5 billion in sovereign bonds. The sale, which included 3-year, 5-year, 10-year and 30-year bonds, was four times oversubscribed; however, Argentina had to settle for hefty coupon rates from 6.25 to 7.62 per cent…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: May 2016 Briefing, No. 90
Policy space in many developing countries constrained by El Ni?o
Further improvement in labour market conditions in Europe and the United States
Monetary stance eases in the CIS but tightens in Africa
Global issues
The world economy continues to face major headwinds. A tumultuous start in global commodity and financial markets early in the year suggests that these headwinds are unlikely to ease in the near term, although markets have largely stabilized in the past month and some recent indicators for developed economies suggest more solid labour market developments. The continued depressed commodity prices have important ramifications for both exporters and importers of commodities. The…
World Economic Situation and Prospects: April 2016 Briefing, No. 89
Is the zero lower bound no longer a hard constraint?
EU-wide strategy to address refugee crisis remains elusive
Drought leads to a spike in food prices in Africa and Latin America
Global issues
Widening divergences in global monetary policy stances
During the global financial crisis of 2008/09, the major central banks in the developed economies cut interest rates to near-zero levels. At that time, the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates was viewed as a hard constraint on monetary policy. This constraint was grounded in the premise that cash bears an implicit interest rate of zero per cent. The imposition of a negative rate?implying that the lender would pay the borrower for the…
World Economic Situation and Prospects: March 2016 Briefing, No. 88
Welcome to the United Nations
