Jamaica was hit hard by the pandemic. An early lockdown in the Spring of 2020 helped contain the number of Covid-19 cases but the impact on the economy was severe, with real GDP shrinking by 10 percent. To counter the social and economic effects of the pandemic, the government temporarily...

The NBRB has made substantial progress in improving its forecasting and policy analysis system (FPAS) and integrating it into monetary policy decision-making. The FPAS, and the model-based forecasts and policy analysis, is now well integrated into the policy-making process. Staff are well...

Opening remarks / Boštjan Jazbec, Giovanni Dell'Ariccia -- Panel 1, The coordination of monetary and fiscal policy principles and practical experience / chair: Nikolay Gueorguiev ; lead speaker: Steven Phillips ; panellists: Jan Smets, Lars Rohde, Dimitar Bogov, Nerses Yeritsyan -- Panel 2....

The WAEMU has, so far, demonstrated strong resilience to the Covid crisis. The economic rebound that started in the second half of 2020 firmed up in 2021, while fiscal and monetary policies remained supportive. External reserves have risen to comfortable levels and the financial system appears...