This paper on Romania was prepared by a staff team of the International Monetary Fund as background documentation for the periodic consultation with the member country. It is based on the information available at the time it was completed on September 13, 2012. The views expressed in this...

This Selected Issues paper discusses opportunities and challenges of climate adaptation policies in Moldova. Strengthening resilience to natural disasters will require significant adaptation investments in the coming years. This paper shows that such investments can substantially reduce output...

The Selected Issue Paper discusses the Swiss National Bank’s (SNB) balance sheet risks and policy implications. Despite increased profit allocations, SNB capital has not kept pace with its growing balance sheet. The paper also explores the empirical determinants of pressures on the Swiss...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation focuses on the financial sector and macroeconomic situation in Vietnam. The authorities adopted a stabilization package in February 2011 in response to increasing pressures on prices and the exchange rate in late 2010. Executive Directors commended the...

Economic outcomes in Jamaica have fallen short of the authorities’ objectives in recent years. As the government looks to reinvigorate its growth and debt reduction strategy, it is instructive to examine how exogenous shocks and other unanticipated developments can affect economic...

The analysis is structured around the standard taxonomy of transmission channels. A monetary tightening must limit banks' ability to supply loans by reducing bank reserves/bank credit. The direct interest rate channel is the strongest channel of the monetary policy transmission mechanism (MPTM),...

The Selected Issues paper examines the dynamics of the inflation process in the United Kingdom, particularly the influence of external shocks. The paper provides a brief summary of existing empirical work. It presents the expectations-augmented Phillips curve model used in the analysis. The...

This Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix paper analyzes monetary transmission in Croatia. The evidence analyzed in this paper supports the view that monetary policy in Croatia is not an effective tool for aggregate demand management. One of the main conclusions is that financial conditions...

This paper explores how monetary policy affects other macroeconomic variables, mainly output and inflation. First, it provides an overview of the framework for implementing monetary policy and then discusses the transmission mechanism itself. In this study, the following statistical data are...

Iceland’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that new projects have rekindled rapid growth and the economy is exhibiting signs of overheating, with imbalances evident in inflation, the current account, and external debt. GDP grew at an average rate of 3.8 percent between 1995 and 2004,...