2008 is shaping up as a challenging year for Asia. Activity in most economies remains fairly buoyant, but growth in the United States and, to a lesser extent, Europe is slowing sharply. Given its extensive trade and financial linkages with the rest of the world, Asia is unlikely to delink. At...

The November 2008 Asia and Pacific REO focuses on the difficult economic environment facing policymakers in the region. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the outlook for the region. With growth slowing, and the global financial crisis increasingly affecting the region, macroeconomic and...

One year after the deepest recession in recent history, Asia is leading the global recovery. The Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific discusses the near-term outlook for the region, as well as the medium-term policy challenges that countries face. As in many emerging and developing...

This report gives the IMF's view of the outlook for Asia, identifies the main risks to growth, and considers the key factors that will influence capital inflows. The REO also hones in on the policy challenges facing the region, especially the need to spur domestic demand, so that growth becomes...

KEY ISSUES Context. Growth remains strong driven by robust exports, tourism, and construction, despite the recent floods and some slowdown during the 2013 national election. The outlook is favorable with renewed reform momentum after the elections but slow growth in Europe, the U.S. tapering,...

KEY ISSUES Economic context. Growth was strong in 2012, and the economy is overheating from expansionary macroeconomic policies. The current account deficit has deteriorated significantly, a product of a currency appreciation in real effective terms, a growing fiscal deficit, and strong domestic...

KEY ISSUES Context: Growth in recent decades has been sluggish owing to persistent political turmoil, external shocks, and slow progress on structural reforms. Unemployment at nearly 9 percent continues to be stubbornly high, with youth and underemployment at significantly higher rates. The...

KEY ISSUES Context: A slowdown in growth in major emerging market economies (EMEs) and decline in commodity prices, and more recently, a reversal in push factors tied to a prospective exit from extraordinarily easy global monetary conditions, has put pressure on Indonesia’s balance of payments...

KEY ISSUES Context. After a decade of strong growth, Papua New Guinea (PNG) now faces a sharp slowdown in the nonmineral sector as construction winds down on a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. LNG revenue increases are expected to be modest and oneoff over the near to medium term,...