This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix reviews the past conduct of monetary policy of Tonga. The paper considers the problems in the current system and discusses the policy options available to the authorities. It reviews Tonga’s exchange rate policy and explores its...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that during the first four years of the Third Five-Year Development Plan (2000/01–2003/04), Iran’s real GDP grew by 5.6 percent on average. The external current account was in surplus, external debt was reduced to a very low level,...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes inflation in Norway with a view to shedding light on this surprising development and the possible near-term course of inflation, using statistical and econometric analyses. The paper reviews recent developments of monetary policy and inflation in Norway,...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that Spain experienced a second year of subdued growth in 2002—albeit at a rate still well above the euro area average. This was largely owing to the relative resilience of Spain’s domestic demand, which in turn was supported by a...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that in 2003, the economy of Ireland rebounded with GNP growing by almost 3 percent. Recent indicators suggest that activity has continued to strengthen in 2004. During 2003, inflation decelerated and is now close to the euro area average. Most...

This 2003 Article IV Consultation highlights that following a solid expansion in 1997–2000, economic growth in Switzerland is currently stalled as exports have been hurt by the global slowdown and domestic investment has undergone a sharp downward correction from earlier high levels. The...

This Selected Issues paper reviews Vietnam's inflation dynamics, trade regime, performance, and external competitiveness. It analyzes the policy issues associated with strengthening of the revenue base and the changing role of government-owned firms in the national economy. It examines the...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that Norway’s real mainland GDP growth rebounded strongly in 2004, after a slowdown that began in late 2002. Very supportive monetary conditions, high oil prices, rising housing prices, strengthening consumer and business confidence, and an...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix examines inflation and wage dynamics in Finland. The paper discusses the data set used (quarterly data covering from 1975 to 1995) and the statistical properties of the relevant time series. It presents the model and the empirical estimates,...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that the Israeli economy is in the midst of a deep recession. Waning exports and investment, combined with stagnant private consumption, led to negative growth in 2001 and 2002. The stagnation can be attributed to the burst of the technology bubble,...