IMF Staff Country Reports

Panama : Staff Report for the 2004 Article IV Consultation

Author/Editor:

International Monetary Fund

Publication Date:

January 6, 2006

Electronic Access:

Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file

Summary:

This 2004 Article IV Consultation for Panama reports that the medium-term outlook is encouraging, assuming implementation of the authorities’ fiscal program, which should put the public debt ratio on a steadily declining path. The banking system experienced a substantial recovery in 2003–04, and the financial system remains essentially sound, with favorable performance indicators and a strong regulatory framework. An expansion of the Panama Canal at an estimated cost of more than 30 percent of GDP could, if approved in a national referendum, have a far-reaching impact on the economy’s growth prospects.

Series:

Country Report No. 06/7

Subject:

Article IV consultations Balance of payments statistics Debt sustainability analysis Economic indicators Exchange rates Export performance Financial sector Fiscal policy Fiscal reforms Millennium Development Goals Panama Public information Recent Economic Developments Reports Social indicators Staff appraisals Staff Reports