This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that reforms initiated earlier this decade in Nigeria have averted the boom–bust pattern that characterized previous oil price cycles and better prepared the economy to deal with the global financial crisis. Non-oil growth averaged 9 percent...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that macroeconomic performance in the United Kingdom remains impressive. After softer growth in 2005, the acceleration in GDP in 2006 was broadly based. Business investment was boosted by high net rates of return; private consumption by robust...

This staff paper on euro area policy 2013 Article IV Consultation discusses economic development and policies. Severe market stresses have subsided, although private borrowing costs have remained too high in the periphery. In these economies, sovereign borrowing costs have declined from...

Tunisia’s macroeconomic situation has recovered from the post-revolution trough, but fiscal and external buffers have been eroded. Prudent management of monetary policy is crucial for short-term macroeconomic stabilization goals and to build external buffers. The challenges arise from...

KEY ISSUES Economic background and outlook. Tanzania has enjoyed strong and stable growth, projected to remain at 7 percent next year and in the medium term. Inflation is at 6 percent, gradually converging to the authorities’ 5 percent medium-term objective. The external current account...

The economy has experienced seven consecutive years of robust growth, buoyed by high commodity prices, foreign direct investment and expansion of private sector credit. As part of a strategy to sustain growth, reduce poverty and curtail dependence on imported oil, the authorities are pursuing...

This paper discusses Liberia’s Second Review Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement and Request for Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of a Performance Criterion. Program performance has weakened relative to the previous review, as well as the...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that South Africa’s growth has slowed in recent years, specifically relative to other emerging markets. Although weak trading partners’ growth contributed to the slowdown, increasingly binding structural constraints, such as protracted...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that the euro area recovery is taking hold. Real output has expanded for four consecutive quarters, and financial market sentiment has improved markedly. Complementary policy actions have supported demand, boosted investor confidence, and eased...