| Table 1. SDDS Indicators |
| Indicators |
As of
September 30, 2004 |
As of June 30, 2005 |
As of September 30, 2005 |
| Number of subscribers |
57 |
61 |
61 |
| Number of countries officially in observance1 |
57 |
61 |
61 |
| Number of summary methodologies posted2 |
985 |
1161 |
1168 |
1Observance
of the requirements of the SDDS with respect to the coverage,
periodicity, and timeliness of the data and the use of ARCs. Other
elements of the SDDS dealing with the integrity and quality of
the data are on a self-disclosure basis, with subscribers providing
information on which users can make their own judgments. A subscriber
experiencing difficulties in meeting SDDS requirements is not
automatically in "nonobservance" of the SDDS. When
deviations from SDDS requirements occur, the IMF staff tries to
resolve the issue with the subscriber, and then, if necessary,
through the Executive Director. If these efforts fail, the matter
is brought to the attention of the subscriber's Governor for the
Fund. A subscriber is officially declared in "nonobservance"
only when a note to that effect is posted on the DSBB.
2Out of a required total of 1,297 summary methodologies
(21 data categories per subscriber, plus 16 subscribers that are
currently disseminating the encouraged forward-looking indicators).
All subscribers are disseminating summary methodologies for most
data categories. |
Monitoring Data Releases
The IMF monitors the data and access dimensions of the SDDS for each
subscriber by comparing the first appearance of new information on the
National Summary Data Page (NSDP) against the last release date announced
in the ARC, which should meet the SDDS timeliness requirements.
Compared with the same quarter in 2004, on-time dissemination of monthly
data categories in the third quarter of 2005 improved by 0.4 percentage
points, but on-time dissemination worsened by 1.8 percentage points
for quarterly data categories. Among the monthly data categories, the
timeliness of central government operations releases improved by 3.2
percentage points, reserves template by 3.7 percentage points, and official
reserves by 2.5 percentage points, while production index timeliness
worsened by 4.1 percentage points, and producer prices by 2.6 percentage
points. Under the quarterly data categories, the timeliness of unemployment
improved by 3.2 percentage points, and balance of payments by 2.4 percentage
points, while national accounts timeliness worsened by 9.0 percentage
points, and central government debt by 3.9 percentage points. (Table
2).
Compared with the second quarter of 2005, there was an improvement
of 0.3 percentage points in on-time dissemination of monthly data categories,
while the timeliness of quarterly categories worsened by 3.1 percentage
points. Among the monthly data categories, the timeliness of official
reserves improved by 3.6 percentage points, and central government operations
by 1.4 percentage points, while the timeliness of consumer prices worsened
by 3.4 percentage points. Among the quarterly data categories, the timeliness
of external debt worsened by 10.7 percentage points, national accounts
by 2.4 percentage points, and balance of payments by 2.0 percentage
points.
Annual data experienced an improvement of 5.9 percentage points in
the number of on-time releases compared with the previous quarter, and
an increase of 11.5 percentage points compared with the same quarter
in 2004.
Sixth Review of the Data Standards Initiatives
The Fund's Executive Board conducted its Sixth Review of the
Data Standards Initiatives on November 2, 2005. For the SDDS, this Review
focused on consolidating the benefits of SDDS subscription, streamlining
the processes supporting the Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board
(DSBB), and improving the user functionality of the DSBB. The Board
paper specifically considers how to further automate and enhance the
transparency of the Fund's monitoring of subscribers' observance
of the SDDS. An important development will be implementation and posting
of annual subscriber SDDS observance reports, beginning in 2007 and
covering 2006 observance. For further information please see the Public
Information Notice on the Sixth Review at http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2005/pn05155.htm.
Table 2. Monitoring
of Data Releases
2004 Quarter 3 – 2005 Quarter 3
Percentage of data categories subscribers disseminated on their
National Summary Data Pages (NSDP) in accordance with SDDS timeliness
requirements
(quarterly averages) |
| Data Categories |
Q3/04 |
Q2/05 |
Q3/05 |
| Monthly data |
89.7 |
89.8 |
90.1 |
| Production index |
93.8 |
90.6 |
89.7 |
| Consumer prices |
92.9 |
96.1 |
92.7 |
| Producer prices |
96.3 |
94.3 |
93.7 |
| Central government operations |
78.9 |
80.7 |
82.1 |
| Analytical accounts of banking
sector |
92.3 |
90.3 |
90.4 |
| Analytical accounts of central
bank |
88.8 |
88.3 |
90.1 |
| Official reserves |
87.1 |
86.0 |
89.6 |
| Reserves template |
86.5 |
88.9 |
90.2 |
| Merchandise trade |
91.1 |
93.3 |
92.2 |
| Quarterly data |
91.5 |
92.8 |
89.7 |
| National accounts |
98.4 |
91.8 |
89.4 |
| Employment |
91.2 |
93.2 |
92.3 |
| Unemployment |
89.4 |
94.2 |
92.6 |
| Wages and earnings |
93.0 |
91.8 |
88.1 |
| Central government debt |
87.9 |
83.7 |
84.0 |
| Balance of payments |
90.2 |
94.6 |
92.6 |
| External debt |
90.6 |
100.0 |
89.3 |
| Annual data |
77.9 |
83.5 |
89.4 |
| General government operations |
89.7 |
75.9 |
86.5 |
| International investment position |
93.88 |
91.1 |
92.3 |
Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board