KEY ISSUES Inflation subsided in 2013 but preexisting and emerging macro-financial vulnerabilities need to be tackled. After reaching a 15-year high in 2012, inflation is coming back within the central bank’s target thanks to tighter monetary policy and fiscal consolidation. However, a recent...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country

Staff Report for the 2012 Article IV consultation, prepared by a staff team of the IMF, following discussions that ended on July 23, 2012, with the officials of Sudan on economic developments and policies. Based on information available at the time of these discussions, the staff report was...

This paper discusses Morocco’s First Review Under the Arrangement Under the Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL). Significant progress was made in implementing the reform agenda. The program remains broadly on track, and Morocco continues to meet the qualification criteria for a PLL. The...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Context. On June 7, 2013, the Executive Board approved a 24-month Stand-By Arrangement in an amount equivalent to 400 percent of quota (SDR 1.146 billion or about $1.75 billion). To date, SDR 573 million equivalent to $877 million has been disbursed. The pillars of the program...

KEY ISSUES Political Context: Sudan is embarking on a difficult national dialogue with the opposition and some armed groups in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions. The objective is to break the current destructive cycle of instability and prepare for the upcoming presidential election in...

This issue discusses economic developments in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAP), which continue to reflect the diversity of conditions prevailing across the region. Most high-income oil exporters, primarily in the GCC, continue to record steady growth and solid...

KEY ISSUES Context. Saudi Arabia's economy has grown very strongly in recent years, benefitting from high oil prices and output, strong private sector activity, and government spending. It has played a systemic and stabilizing role in the global oil market. The economy has not been affected by...

KEY ISSUES Context. High oil prices and production have contributed to sizable fiscal and external surpluses. Non-oil growth has picked up, mainly driven by consumption and investment. Political developments in the last few years have had an adverse impact on the implementation of public...

This Selected Issues paper discusses the designing and implementing of Kuwait’s fiscal policy for the medium term. Fiscal policy has a major role to play in supporting macrostability and diversification. The fiscal strategy design and implementation on a yearly basis are based on a few key...