This paper examines Uruguay’s Fifth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Requests for Modification of the Arrangement and Waiver of Nonobservance and Applicability of Performance Criteria. The macroeconomic framework is broadly on track, but progress with structural reform remains...

The Indonesian authorities are to be commended for their continued strong policy performance under their arrangement with the IMF. The economy is sustaining steady growth despite a number of external and domestic shocks; inflation has continued to decline; and there has been an additional buildup...

The staff report for the Third Review under the Stand-By Arrangement and request for establishment of performance criteria focuses on Peru’s economic developments, outlook, and program for 2006. The Peruvian economy continues to perform well. Fiscal transparency has been increased,...

The main priority was to seek assurances that policies were on track to facilitate a smooth transition to the postprogram environment. A stable exchange rate and continued declines in inflation have allowed reductions in interest rates in support of the economic recovery. With inflation risks...

Uruguay’s First Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria are discussed. Growth has slowed from the strong post-crisis recovery, and inflation has remained subdued. Export growth has been strong, and although a sharp recovery in imports...

This paper examines the (quasi-)fiscal impact of the (opportunity) cost of international reserves. It proposes a conceptual framework, with particular emphasis on two hitherto somewhat neglected aspects: a more appropriate measure of gross opportunity cost, and potential savings from lower...

We show that cross-country differences in the underlying volatility and persistence of macroeconomic shocks help explain two historical regularities in sovereign borrowing: the existence of "vicious" circles of borrowing-and-default ("default traps"), as well as the fact that recalcitrant...

Recent improvements in statistical methodologies and data availability are facilitating detailed, high-frequency, timely macroeconomic balance sheet analysis. This paper provides practical instruction on how to design the framework to analyze vulnerabilities in a country as well as an overview...

The Republic of Estonia’s 2007 Article IV Consultation reports that surging domestic demand has widened the external current account deficit and pushed the economy against capacity constraints. Wage increases have begun to erode competitiveness and kept inflation above the Maastricht...

Mexico’s strong policy framework has helped cushion the impact of the global crisis. The staff report highlights Mexico’s review under the Flexible Credit Line Arrangement. The flexible exchange rate has adjusted, the inflation targeting framework has provided an anchor for...