The Americas
IMF: local currency lending cushioned crisis blow
IMF study shows increased domestic currency lending led to relatively strong access to credit in American countries following credit crunch
Post-crisis bank behaviour: lessons from South America
International Monetary Fund paper uses data from banks in Mercosur trading bloc to investigate longer-term impact of turmoil on industry
Lat Am's progress highlighted by crisis: BIS
The development of Latin America's financial markets and policymakers' enhanced credibility have been underscored by the region's ability to withstand the worst ravages of the crisis, a paper published by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said.
LatAm leaders pledge $7bn to Bank of the South
Leaders from seven of Latin America's biggest economies have agreed to provide $7 billion as start-up capital to the Bank of the South, a proposed regional counterweight to the Washington-based Bretton Woods institutions.
Education pays more in the US than Canada
Education has more impact on pay in the United States than in Canada, posits research from the Bank of Canada.
Restrict money issuance to foster stability
Pouring central bank money into Latin American financial systems in times of uncertainty fails to promote economic stability, research published by the International Monetary Fund states.
Stiglitz praises Chavez's "Bank of the South"
Joseph Stiglitz, a former World Bank chief economist and Nobel laureate, commended plans put forward by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez for a regional lender for Latin America.
Latin America set to escape worst of turmoil
Rodrigo de Rato, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expects Latin America to avoid most of the effects of the recent financial turmoil, though its economy may be hampered by the aftermath.
IMF paper on public debt markets
This IMF paper reviews the state of domestic public debt markets in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
IMF's Rato at the MIT Latin Conference
In a speech given on 27 April Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF said Latin America's future is not entirely in its own hands.
IMF's Rato on Latin American economies
In a speech given on 2 May Rodrigo de Rato of the IMF said the economies of the Americas are increasingly linked, by financial flows, by trade, and by common interests.
Is the IADB becoming irrelevant?
Alternative lenders could make the Inter-American Development Bank increasingly obsolete if it does not find a niche for itself, this article from Latin America Press published Monday 23 April says.
IMF's Lipsky on outlook for L America & Caribbean
In the speech 'Improving the Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean' given on 13 April John Lipsky of the IMF said the outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean region has been favorable but with some work it could be better still.
Canada's Dodge on sound economic policies
In the speech 'Promoting sound economic policies globally and locally' given on 29 March David Dodge of the Bank of Canada said the Americas need an organisation modeled after the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, where countries can…
Chilean cb's study of sovereign debt in Americas
This paper contains the first comprehensive database on sovereign debt systematically compiled to ensure comparability for all countries in the Americas, the authors claim.
IMF paper on policy lessons from Latin America
The IMF Working Paper "Macroeconomic volatility: The policy lessons from Latin America" traces how the history of macroeconomic volatility and financial crisis over the past century has adversely impacted on growth and other development indicators.
Comment: Latin America spurns the Fund
Last week Brazil and Argentina surprised the international community by announcing that they both intend paying off all of their outstanding debt to the IMF before the end of the year.
Comment: Latin America's challenge
The latest edition of Finance and Development, the IMF's quarterly magazine with reader-friendly summaries of its research activities, argues that Latin American central banks face significant challenges in restoring market confidence in domestic…
IADB president announces his resignation
The president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Enrique V. Iglesias, on Tuesday 31 May informed the IDB Board of Executive Directors that he is resigning his post, effective September 30, 2005.
IDB meeting to focus on trade and investment
The April 10-12 meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, to be chaired by Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, will bring together finance ministers and central bank governors from its 46 member countries, officials said at a news…
Interview: Alexander Swoboda
Governments, not central banks, hold the future of the world economy in their hands. Without action, preferably coordinated, on both sides of the Atlantic and in Asia, the outlook is grim says Alexander Swoboda.
Barbados - CSME is important 'launching pad'
The governor of the central bank of Barbados, Marion Williams, has said the Caribbean must use the Caricom Single Market and Economy as a "launching pad" for international negotiations with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and World Trade…
US finance chief backs steel moves
US - US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has rejected suggestions from Europe that America's push to protect the domestic steel industry is simply a matter of treating the symptoms of an overvalued dollar.
BIS to open office for the Americas in Mexico City
LATIN AMERICA - The Bank for International Settlements announced on Mar 30 that it is planning to establish a representative office for the Americas in Mexico City.