IMF Blogs

Latest Blogs

Commercial Real Estate Sector Faces Risks as Financial Conditions Tighten

September 22, 2022

Financial conditions are an important driver of prices, and they help to explain recent divergence between different parts of the market

Inclusive growth

Africa’s Rapid Economic Growth Hasn’t Fully Closed Income Gaps

September 21, 2022

Despite decades of rapid growth, regional inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa persist.

Labor

Dominant Employers May Add to Unemployment in Rural US as Fed Raises Rates

September 19, 2022

Employers with labor market power are more likely to fire workers as rates rise because they can more easily hire back when the Fed cuts rates again.

Inflation

Energy Shocks Amid Rapid Inflation Could Fuel Faster Wage Gains

September 12, 2022

When inflation is high, wages tend to rise more in response to a spike in oil prices. And the more wages rise, the greater the risk of a sustained increase in inflation.

Inflation

Africa Food Prices Are Soaring Amid High Import Reliance

September 27, 2022

Factors include the region’s heavy reliance on food imports and changes in food consumption and incomes.

Inflation

How Food and Energy are Driving the Global Inflation Surge

September 12, 2022

Rapid increases in food prices have been one of the main drivers of quickening inflation around the world, as our Chart of the Week shows.

Inflation

Middle East and North Africa’s Commodity Importers Hit by Higher Prices

May 24, 2022

Higher commodity prices, propelled upwards by war in Ukraine, will have a significant economic impact on the region.

Inflation

Africa Faces New Shock as War Raises Food and Fuel Costs

April 28, 2022

The effects of the war in Ukraine leave policymakers with little room to maneuver.

Inflation

Inflation to be Elevated for Longer on War, Demand, Job Markets

April 27, 2022

The war in Ukraine will quicken inflation, which we now expect to remain elevated for longer than previously forecast on higher commodity costs and broader price pressures.

Global Economy

Economic growth

From War and Inflation to Food and Cargo, Charts Chronicle Volatile Year

August 30, 2022

Andrew Stanley, Jeff Kearns

An overview of the top 10 Chart of the Week blogs so far in 2022.

Economic growth

Asia’s Economies Face Weakening Growth, Rising Inflation Pressures

July 28, 2022

A multifaced response, including increasing interest rates, is needed to prevent an upward spiral of price expectations and rising capital outflows.

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Economic growth

Global Economic Growth Slows Amid Gloomy and More Uncertain Outlook

July 26, 2022

The world’s three largest economies are stalling, with important consequences for the global outlook. Inflation is a major concern.

Economic growth

Facing a Darkening Economic Outlook: How the G20 Can Respond

July 13, 2022

As G20 ministers and central bank governors gather in Bali this week, they face a global economic outlook that has darkened significantly.

Economic growth

From 1980s Debt Crisis to Crypto Era, Financial Stability Monitoring is Always Evolving

June 22, 2022

The IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report, introduced in 2002, was a step toward a more comprehensive assessment of risks in financial markets and cross-border capital flows.

Digital Money & Fintech

Fintech

Reimagining Money in the Age of Crypto and Central Bank Digital Currency

September 1, 2022

Letter from the Editor: The recent plunge in crypto assets has left investors numbed by losses and surely in doubt. But the future of money is undoubtedly digital

Fintech

Crypto is More in Line with Asian Equities, Highlighting Need for Regulation

August 21, 2022

Crypto trading volume, and co-movement with equity markets, has surged in the region.

Fintech

More African Central Banks Are Exploring Digital Currencies

June 24, 2022

Several sub-Saharan African central banks are exploring or in the pilot phase of a digital currency, following Nigeria’s October introduction of e-Naira. Nigeria was the second country after the Bahamas to roll out a CBDC.

Fintech

How Crypto and CBDCs Can Use Less Energy Than Existing Payment Systems

June 17, 2022

Environmentally conscious design can make a major difference in the energy efficiency of digital currencies.

Fintech

Crypto Prices Move More in Sync With Stocks, Posing New Risks

January 11, 2022

There’s a growing interconnectedness between virtual assets and financial markets.

Fintech

Making Electronic Money Safer in the Digital Age

December 14, 2021

As e-money use grows, regulators need to focus on consumer protection and the integrity of the overall payments system.

Financial Markets

Financial markets

Global Current Account Balances Widen Amid War and Pandemic

August 4, 2022

The war in Ukraine and resulting increase in commodity prices are expected to contribute to a further widening this year. The lingering pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are dealing a setback to the global economy. This is affecting trade, commodity prices, and financial flows, all of which are changing current account deficits and surpluses.

Financial markets

Capital Markets Regulation Is Stronger, but Some Gaps Still Must be Closed

June 29, 2022

Countries have made substantial progress toward implementing capital markets regulatory reform, but important gaps remain and new challenges have raised the bar.

Financial markets

Dollar Dominance and the Rise of Nontraditional Reserve Currencies

June 1, 2022

The greenback’s share of global foreign-exchange reserves has extended a two-decade decline, but it’s still used more than all other currencies combined.

Financial markets

Private Debt to Weigh on Global Economic Recovery

April 18, 2022

A record rise in private debt could slow the economic recovery, but the drag on growth will vary across countries and within them.

Financial markets

Emerging-Market Banks’ Government Debt Holdings Pose Financial Stability Risks

April 18, 2022

Banks’ holdings of sovereign debt rise to a record as governments spend to cushion pandemic impact.

Financial markets

First Global Bank Stress Test Highlights Increased Financial Resilience

April 6, 2022

The world’s banking systems saw significant capital increases ahead of the pandemic and are resilient to very large shocks.

Inclusive Growth

Inclusive growth

Africa’s Rapid Economic Growth Hasn’t Fully Closed Income Gaps

September 21, 2022

Habtamu Fuje, Jiaxiong Yao

Despite decades of rapid growth, regional inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa persist.

Inclusive growth

Where Are the World’s Fastest Roads?

June 15, 2022

Finance and Development Magazine

The magazine publishes cutting-edge analysis & insight on the latest trends & research in international finance, economics, & development.

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Inclusive growth

Response to High Food, Energy Prices Should Focus on Most Vulnerable

June 7, 2022

Countries should allow international prices to pass through to domestic prices while protecting households that are most in need.

Inclusive growth

Fragile and Conflict-Affected Economies Are Falling Further Behind

January 21, 2022

Even before the pandemic, fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS) already confronted some of the greatest challenges among the world’s economies.

Inclusive growth

How To Escape The Perils of Fragility

August 3, 2021

Already facing huge development needs, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the challenges facing fragile and conflict states—a group of currently about 40 countries trapped in cycles of low administrative capacity, political instability, conflict, and weak economic performance.

Gender Gap

Gender

How to Close Gender Gaps and Grow the Global Economy

September 8, 2022

Capturing the dividends from women’s economic equity. Too many women are locked out of economic opportunities, which is not only unfair but also harms growth and resilience for all.

Gender

Gender Budgeting Is More Widespread But Implementation Remains a Challenge

March 8, 2022

The pandemic has deepened long-standing gender gaps, with women continuing to bear the burden of unpaid work. By structuring spending and taxation in ways that advance gender equality—a process called gender budgeting—governments can help close the gap.

Gender

Engendering the Recovery: Budgeting with Women in Mind

March 5, 2021

International Women’s Day, March 8, marks a year from the start of widespread lockdowns in response to COVID-19. As an IMF blog warned back in July, women have borne the economic and social brunt of the pandemic.

Gender

Guilt, Gender, and an Inclusive Recovery: A Lesson from Japan

September 9, 2020

Japan’s voluntary month-and-a-half shutdown of the economy in April due to COVID-19 has had a higher cost for women than men. A key reason: a “guilt gap” between women and men, where women often feel compelled to take on more professional sacrifices.

Gender

Voting on Gender Parity

September 17, 2019

Electoral violence occurs in many African countries. Tragically, thousands are killed and displaced during election cycles on the continent. Over the next year and a half, Presidential elections are scheduled in thirteen sub-Saharan African countries, raising fears that, as in the past, violent incidents or conflict may erupt again. But what can African nations do to lessen electoral violence?

Gender

A Global Imperative

March 8, 2019

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, which provides a chance to reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality. The roots of this annual event reach back more than a century, yet its focus on respect and opportunities for women remains strikingly relevant today—from sexual harassment and violence to unequal laws and unfairness in the workplace, where women are too often underemployed, underpaid, and underpromoted.

Climate

Climate change

How Africa Can Escape Chronic Food Insecurity Amid Climate Change

September 14, 2022

Laurent Kemoe, Pritha Mitra, Cedric Okou, D. Filiz Unsal

The toll of extreme weather events on crops underscores the region’s challenges and need for policies to save lives and protect livelihoods.

Climate change

Achieving Net-Zero Emissions Requires Closing a Data Deficit

August 23, 2022

High-quality, reliable, and comparable gauges are lacking. Here’s how to close the gap.

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Climate change

Public Sector Must Play Major Role in Catalyzing Private Climate Finance

August 18, 2022

Climate change is one of the most critical macroeconomic and financial policy challenges that IMF members face in coming decades.

Climate change

Climate Change Mitigation Will Cause Large Adjustments in Current Account Balances

August 16, 2022

A climate mitigation policy mix of carbon taxes, green subsidies, and infrastructure investment could reduce global balances by a quarter by 2027. But only if countries coordinate their response.

Climate change

More Countries Are Pricing Carbon, but Emissions Are Still Too Cheap

July 21, 2022

As the world gears up to avoid a climate catastrophe by limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, more countries are putting carbon pricing at the center of their mitigation strategies.