IMF Survey Magazine: What the Numbers Show

IMFSurvey Magazine: What the Numbers Show

Government job center in Madrid: Job losses in Spain have been substantially higher than in previous recessions. (Susana Vera/Reuters)

Comparing Recessions in Germany, Spain, and United Kingdom

November 18, 2009

While the global financial crisis and recession have hit all of Europe’s economies, the impact has varied considerably across countries. Output and employment, for instance, have moved quite differently in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, three of the larger European countries, according to IMF research.

Read the research (Box 1)
Key issues: advanced economies

Key issues: financial crisis
Europe: slow and fragile recovery

Did Foreign Reserves Help Weather the Crisis?

October 08, 2009
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.

Global Recession Triggers Slump in World Trade Volumes

January 28, 2009
Global output and trade plummeted in the final months of 2008, and the IMF said it expects world trade volumes to contract this year, falling by 2.8 percent.

House Prices Compounding Crisis

October 08, 2008
Housing prices have begun falling this year in several advanced economies. This decline is amplifying the effects of the current financial turmoil.

IMF Helping to Improve Quality of Foreign Direct Investment Data

August 01, 2008
The IMF has launched a new initiative to improve the coverage and comparability of foreign direct investment data.

Middle East, Central Asia Oil Output Forecast Higher

May 12, 2008
Crude oil output in the Middle East and Central Asia is forecast by the IMF to rise modestly in 2008 to 29.4 million barrels a day, compared with an average 28.4 million estimated for 2007, but oil prices are expected to fall only slowly.

IMF Income Model Has Five Key Elements

April 08, 2008
Under the new income framework, approved by the Executive Board, the IMF will have three new sources of income, based on the recommendations of the Crockett Report.

IMF Developing New Tools to Find Financial Trouble Spots

January 15, 2008
The IMF is developing new applications for stress tests and other quantitative risk-assessment models to help identify financial system vulnerabilities in member countries, in the wake of the U.S. subprime crisis.

Global Growth Estimates Trimmed After PPP Revisions

January 08, 2008
Based on new statistical calculations of purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates published last month by the International Comparison Program (ICP), the IMF has revised downward its estimates for global growth by around ½ percentage point each year during 2002-07.

Record Oil Prices Unlikely to Dent World Growth Much

November 05, 2007
A confluence of geopolitical tensions, coupled with tight supply and a weakening dollar, has pushed oil prices to record highs. The spike could boost inflation and add to strains on low-income oil-importing countries. But overall, the impact on world growth is likely to be limited.

Euro Holdings Rise in Emerging Markets

September 12, 2007
The U.S. dollar is maintaining its dominance as a reserve currency, according to recent data from the IMF, although it is on a gradually declining trend and the euro is making headway in some areas.

Households Hit Hard by Wealth Losses

June 24, 2009
The financial crisis has erased a considerable amount of household wealth in many advanced economies. The precipitous fall in asset prices—across equity, bond, and housing markets—has eroded the value of financial and housing assets and the net worth of households, according to IMF research.

Commodity Prices Slump, Less Appetite for Oil Amid Downturn

December 10, 2008
Commodity prices have plummeted on expectations of a sharp global downturn, as demand for commodities has weakened in tandem with world economic activity.

Global Economy Hit by Three Major Shocks

October 08, 2008
The IMF's October 2008 World Economic Outlook projects that global growth will slow substantially, hit by three major shocks—illustrated in this series of animated charts based on IMF projections.

New IMF Data Mapper Has Improved Charting and Presentation

May 29, 2008
A recently released new version of the IMF Data Mapper, an interactive tool for visualizing economic data, includes enhanced chart capabilities and expanded presentation features.

Emerging Markets See Sharp Decline in Corporate Funding

April 16, 2008
Capital inflows to the corporate sector in emerging markets have witnessed dramatic declines in recent months, signifying spillovers from the funding and credit risks in mature markets in the wake of the ongoing financial crisis.

IMF Helping Fill Global Securities Data Gap

March 20, 2008
The IMF and other international organizations are stepping up their efforts to improve statistics on local bond markets in emerging market countries to help fill gaps in bond market data.

New Way to Visualize IMF Data

January 10, 2008
The IMF Data Mapper, a new interactive data visualization tool on the IMF's website, allows web users to select data across countries, regions, and groups at the click of a mouse.

IMF Backs UAE in Statistics Overhaul

November 26, 2007
The United Arab Emirates, determined to improve its statistical system, is constructing a monthly consumer price index—set for introduction in early 2009—with support of IMF technical assistance.

Emerging Markets Main Engine of Growth

October 17, 2007
China and India are now making the single largest contributions to global growth, overtaking the United States as the world's main growth engine. Growth in emerging markets is expected to remain very strong in the period ahead.

Who's Driving Financial Globalization?

August 16, 2007
Financial globalization, measured by gross external assets and liabilities relative to a country's GDP, has approximately tripled since the mid-1970s. But this increase masks wide regional differences.

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The IMF Survey Print Edition

Finance & Development Magazine

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