Regional Economic Outlook
Sort by: Date Region
October 2016
Regional Economic Outlook (REO) Update: Western Hemisphere - Latin America and the Caribbean: Are Chills Here to Stay?, October 2016
October 7, 2016
Description: Economic activity in Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to bottom out in 2016, before making a modest recovery next year. While weak external demand and persistently low commodity prices continue to weigh on the regional outlook, domestic developments have been the key driver of growth outcomes in some stressed economies. GDP is expected to contract by 0.6 percent in 2016 before recovering to 1.6 percent growth in 2017. Recurrent growth disappointments point to lower potential growth, underscoring the need for structural reforms to boost productive capacity, but these will take time to bear fruit. Exchange rate flexibility has served the region well and, with shifting global trends, should continue to serve as the first line of defense against adverse shocks. In many cases, the need for a contractionary monetary policy stance is no longer evident, with inflation and inflation expectations returning to target levels. With risks still on the downside, countries should use the improved global financial environment to rebuild their fiscal buffers while preserving critical capital expenditures and social outlays. Uncertainty concerning the duration of easy global financial conditions poses risks for the region, while financial and corporate sector vulnerabilities bear closer monitoring.
May 2016
Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific, April 2016: Building on Asia's Strengths During Turbulent Times
May 3, 2016
April 2016
Regional Economic Outlook (REO): Western Hemisphere - Managing Transitions and Risks, April 2016
April 27, 2016
Description: With the global economy still struggling, many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a harsher world than they did just a few years ago. The growth outlook is weaker in advanced and emerging economies alike, while the gradual slowdown and rebalancing of economic activity in China is likely to keep commodity prices lower for longer. Meanwhile, favorable external financial conditions over the past several years have become more volatile, and risks of a sudden tightening are on the rise. Against this backdrop, economic activity in Latin America and the Caribbean has been revised downward, compared with our January update and is likely to contract for a second consecutive year in 2016. But the growth outlook varies substantially within the region. While external conditions have placed a large drag on all commodity exporters, countries expected to post negative growth will do so mainly because of domestic imbalances and rigidities at home, and, in certain cases, temporary impact of policies designed to transition away from earlier distortions. But the news isn't all bad. In the rest of the region—and particularly where policy frameworks have been strengthened over the past two decades—a relatively smooth adjustment continues. Given these broad contours, growth stories vary between the south and north.
IMF Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia, April 2016
April 25, 2016
Description: These reports discuss recent economic developments and prospects for countries in various regions. They also address economic policy developments that have affected economic performance in the regions, and discuss key challenges faced by policymakers. They address regional policy developments and challenges, and provide country-specific data and analysis, including through analytical pieces on issues of interest to a particular region.
IMF Regional Economic Outlook (REO), April 2016: Sub-Saharan Africa Time for a Policy Reset -- Table of Contents
April 20, 2016
Description: Despite setbacks, an uneven global recovery continues. Largely due to weaker-than-expected global activity in the first half of 2014, the growth forecast for the world economy has been revised downward to 3.3 percent for this year, 0.4 percentage point lower than in the April 2014 World Economic Outlook (WEO). The global growth projection for 2015 was lowered to 3.8 percent. Table of Contents
November 2015
Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: Regional Economic Issues; November 2015
November 13, 2015
Description: While a modest contraction in activity is expected this year for the Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) as a whole, this reflects widely divergent country-specific developments. Most economies are growing at a relatively healthy pace, with the exception of Russia and the rest of the CIS, which are in recession. CESEE growth is expected to turn positive in 2016, but risks are tilted to the downside. Regional financial markets have, generally, weathered well the recent bouts of market volatility stemming from worries about Grexit, slowing activity in China, and falling commodity prices.
October 2015
Regional Economic Outlook Middle East and Central Asia; October 2015
October 21, 2015
Description: The Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia (REO) is prepared annually by the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD). The analysis and projections contained in the MCD REO are integral elements of the Department’s surveillance of economic developments and policies in 31 member countries. It draws primarily on information gathered by MCD staff through their consultations with member countries.
Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook Update, October 2015: Asia: Bolstering Resilience amid the Slowdown
October 9, 2015
Regional Economic Outlook (REO): Sub-Saharan Africa - Dealing with the Gathering Clouds, October 2015 -- Table of Contents
October 7, 2015
Description: Sub-Saharan African’s economy is set to register another year of solid growth, although the expansion will be at the lower end of the range registered in recent years, mainly reflecting the severe impact of the sharp decline in oil prices on the region’s oil exporters. In a context of tightening global financial conditions, the large fiscal and current account deficits that prevail in some countries could leave them vulnerable to a potential reduction in external financing. An even global recovery and domestic security-related challenges are also risks to the outlook. Against this backdrop, and beyond the immediate effects of the current shock, further progress toward diversification and structural transformation remain key to sustain high and inclusive growth, generate jobs for the rapidly growing young population and foster integration into global value chains. Table of Contents