IMF Blog by Stephan Danninger, Kenneth Kang and Helene Poirson (*) – For most of last year, investors priced in a temporary rise in inflation in the United States given the unsteady economic recovery and a slow unraveling of supply bottlenecks.
Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo on Friday pleaded with the country's partners in the BRICS group of emerging economies to heed the “cries” of Venezuelans and work together to end the crisis.
Brexit will have a bigger economic impact on the UK than the European Union, the former head of the European Central Bank has told BBC Radio 5 Live. Jean-Claude Trichet added the break-up was “totally contrary to the new world” of large emerging economies, with single currencies and single markets.
The IMF urged that trade conflicts be resolved via international cooperation, without resorting to exceptional measures, and underlined the world economy is facing increasing risks especially financial pressures in vulnerable emerging economies and the return of sovereign risks in parts of the Euro area.
World manufacturing is in a phase of steady growth due to the improved financial condition of industrialized countries, especially in Europe, and China’s continued growth, the United Nations reported on Wednesday.
India and Brazil have the highest government debt ratios at almost 70% of GDP among top ten emerging market economies, according to a report by Deutsche Bank.
The Latin American block arrives this week at the G20 summit in Cannes with a consensus spearheaded by the strong political standing of Brazil in global affairs and with criticisms to the way in which the European Union and the US are managing their respective “crises”.
Global oil demand will increase further next year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted. The IEA, which represents the main oil consuming nations, said the increase in crude usage would continue to be driven by emerging economies.
US Federal Reserve rejected criticism that its actions (‘accommodative monetary policy’) have pushed down the foreign exchange value of the US dollar and thereby boosted the price of commodities, adding that the Fed is “fully committed” to maintaining the dollar’s purchasing power and to keeping inflation in check.
Capital flows to emerging markets won’t significantly slow when the US Federal Reserve ends its bond-purchasing program known as quantitative easing, said Olivier Blanchard, chief economist at the IMF.