Download or read book The Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union written by Mr.Alfred Schipke and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-04-10 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union (OECS/ECCU) is one of four currency unions in the world. As in other parts of the world in the aftermath of the global economic and financial crisis, the region is at a crossroads, facing the major challenges of creating jobs, making growth more inclusive, reforming the banking system, and managing volatility, while grappling with high public debt and persistent low economic growth. Policymakers have the critical task of implementing strong reforms to strengthen the monetary union while also laying the foundation for accelerating growth. This Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis of the key issues in the OECS/ECCU, including its organization and economic and financial sector linkages, and provides policy recommendations to foster economic growth.
Download or read book The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by Mr.Antonio Lemus and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper studies the nature of the shocks affecting the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), and examines whether a hypothetical Eastern Caribbean fiscal insurance mechanism could insure member countries of the union against asymmetric national income shocks. The empirical results suggest that a one dollar reduction in an ECCU member country's per capita personal income could trigger, through reduced income taxes and increased transfers, flows equivalent to about 7 percent of the initial income shock. Each member of the currency union could benefit as well, although the extent of shock mitigation differs across individual countries.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2024-04-25 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After successive external shocks—first, the pandemic and later higher commodity prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—the region’s output has surpassed its pre-pandemic level boosted by a strong tourism rebound and investment. Inflation is moderating from its peak. Fiscal and external balances have improved, but public debt and current account deficits remain high. The financial system has been stable and liquid, although it continues to be confronted with asset quality weaknesses and rising risks in the non-bank financial sector. Longstanding structural challenges affecting private investment and employment create a drag on growth going forward. The region’s outlook is heavily dependent on uncertain Citizenshipby- Investment (CBI) inflows, and susceptible to volatility in commodity prices, a slowdown in major tourism source countries, and the recurrent threat of natural disasters.
Download or read book Monetary Policy in Times of Crisis written by Massimo Rostagno and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first twenty years of the European Central Bank offer a unique insight into how a central bank can navigate macroeconomic insecurity and crisis. This volume examines the structures and decision-making processes behind the complex measures taken by the ECB to tackle some of the toughest economic challenges in the history of modern Europe.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2024-04-25 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eastern Caribbean Currency Union: Selected Issues
Download or read book Regional Integration in West Africa written by Eswar Prasad and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2021-07-13 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " Assessing the potential benefits and risks of a currency union Leaders of the fifteen-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have set a goal of achieving a monetary and currency union by late 2020. Although some progress has been made toward achieving this ambitious goal, major challenges remain if the region is to realize the necessary macroeconomic convergence and establish the required institutional framework in a relatively short period of time. The proposed union offers many potential benefits, especially for countries with historically high inflation rates and weak central banks. But, as implementation of the euro over the past two decades has shown, folding multiple currencies, representing disparate economies, into a common union comes with significant costs, along with operational challenges and transitional risks. All these potential negatives must be considered carefully by ECOWAS leaders seeking tomeet a self-imposed deadline. This book, by two leading experts on economics and Africa, makes a significant analytical contribution to the debates now under way about how ECOWAS could achieve and manage its currency union, andthe ramifications for the African continent. "
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-06-08 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) has made significant progress in improving the quality and quantity of the macroeconomic statistics it produces and disseminates to the public. The Selected Issues Paper discusses prospects and challenges for credit unions in the ECCU. It reviews the current state of macroeconomic statistics, outlines progress that has been made, and identifies outstanding challenges. It also describes technical assistance to the region and presents the challenges for the production of macroeconomic statistics in small island states.
Download or read book On Bank Consolidation in a Currency Union written by Fabio Di Vittorio and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paper focuses on the impact of diversification on bank performance and how consolidation through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) affects the banking sector’s stability in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The paper finds that a lower level of loan portfolio diversification explains higher non-performing loans and earnings volatility of indigenous banks, as compared to foreign competitors in the ECCU. We then simulate bank mergers both within and across ECCU countries by combining individual banks’ balance sheets. The simulation shows that a typical indigenous bank could better diversify against its idiosyncratic risk by merging with other banks across the border. In addition, we point out that M&A, leading to a more asymmetric banking sector, may increase systemic risk.
Download or read book Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions 2018 written by International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-04-16 with total page 3724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions has been published by the IMF since 1950. It draws on information available to the IMF from a number of sources, including that provided in the course of official staff visits to member countries, and has been prepared in close consultation with national authorities.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2011-01-28 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Real regional gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 6 percent in 2009, reflecting a collapse in tourist arrivals and foreign direct investment (FDI)-financed construction activity. The global financial and economic crisis has also exposed areas of significant weaknesses, notwithstanding reforms implemented by a number of member countries. Executive Directors concurred that the urgent challenge is fiscal consolidation. They noted IMF staff’s assessment that the real effective exchange rate (REER) appears broadly in line with current fundamentals.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union 2021 Discussion on Common Policies of Member Countries Press Release Staff Report and Statement by the Executive Director for the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fallout from the COVID-19 crisis is hitting ECCU economies hard. Tourism receipts (accounting for nearly 40 percent of GDP) have dried up, as tourist arrivals have come to a grinding halt. The authorities successfully contained the spread of the virus at the onset of the pandemic by largely closing the borders, but a reopening of the economies since the summer has led to a surge in COVID cases. The ECCU economy is projected to contract by 16 percent in 2020 and by a further near 1⁄2 percent in 2021. Fiscal positions have deteriorated sharply, and public debt is projected to reach near 90 percent of GDP in 2021 and remain at an elevated level for years to come. Headline indicators suggest the financial system is relatively sound with ample liquidity buffers, but nonperforming loans are expected to rise significantly. The outlook is clouded by exceptionally high risks, including from the uncertainty concerning the evolution of the pandemic.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept. and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-02-22 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Selected Issues paper presents a quantification of the long-term benefits of ex-ante resilient investment and insurance needs against natural disasters (ND) in Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). Cost-benefit analysis of resilient investment based on a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model tailored to small states and calibrated to all ECCU economies is also discussed in the paper. The model’s aggregate production function illustrates the interaction among the participating sectors and their contribution to output, ultimately informing the role of resilient investment. The study also quantifies government insurance coverage needs and costs using an empirical stochastic model that simulates NDs fiscal costs. The insurance needs are framed within the World Bank insurance layering framework. The results in this paper underscore the importance of a shift from ex-post recovery to a focus on ex-ante resilience building. Ex-ante resilient investment and insurance are key to the welfare and financial sustainability of the ECCU, given high intensity and recurrence of NDs.
Download or read book Government Wage Bill Management and Civil Service Reform in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by Mr.A. E. Wayne Mitchell and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-05-17 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, we assess the size of the government wage bill and employment in the member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and their implications for fiscal sustainability and the adequacy of public service delivery. Over the period 2005 to 2015 their wage bill (as a percentage of GDP, government revenues and expenditures) is higher than in other small states notwithstanding recent efforts by governments to make it more manageable. The composition and distribution of employment is sub-optimal and is reflected in skills mismatches contributing to inefficiencies in public service delivery. Using a dynamic fixed-effects panel, we find that wage bill growth reflects the expansion of government activities to speed up economic and social development and that wage bill spending is procyclical in good times but is rigid during downturns. Finally, we identify the main institutional and legal reforms needed to improve wage bill management and public service efficiency.
Download or read book Eastern Caribbean Currency Union written by Fondo Monetario Internacional and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Caribbean Energy written by Arnold McIntyre and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-03-08 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: High energy costs contribute to dampening Caribbean competitiveness and potential growth. This paper overviews power sector challenges and takes stock of national and regional strategies to address them. It presents recommendations to move the energy agenda forward based on analyses of macro-aspects of energy reform. These include: i) quantitative assessment of the impact of energy costs on growth and competitiveness; ii) evaluation of gains from implementing announced renewable energy and energy efficiency targets; and iii) analysis of the impact of energy investments on debt sustainability. The paper argues for a bigger role for the private sector in energy reform and discusses prerequisites for good public-private partnerships.
Download or read book A Currency Union for the Caribbean written by Mr. DeLisle Worrell and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2003-02-01 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The experiences of Caribbean Economic Community countries show that exchange rate depreciation in these countries is inflationary, and that, while changes in the relative prices of tradables may affect exports, tourism, and imports, nominal exchange rate changes have no predictable effect on those relative prices. Under these circumstances, economic literature indicates that a fixed exchange rate regime is optimal, and Caribbean countries with (quasi-) currency boards have been successful in maintaining durable exchange rate pegs. Commitment to a currency board is a potentially vital step in achieving a currency union for the Caribbean.
Download or read book The Euro at Ten The Next Global Currency written by and published by Peterson Institute. This book was released on 2009 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
