Opinion
TURKEY INSIGHT: Erdogan keeps central bank’s pedal to the metal in drive for credit-fuelled political survival
With another 200 bp cut in key rate, regulator has slashed from 24% to 12% since July. Analyst warns it could all “end in tears”. One poll shows 75% of Turks unhappy at management of country’s economy.
ING: Russian balance of payments support a stable ruble in the near term
Improvement in the corporate capital flows in November supports a constructive near-term view on the ruble and adds to the list of arguments in favour of a rate cut
Zimin Foundation: Science at the heart of our philanthropic efforts
On November 21, some of Russia’s top writers, journalists, academics, scientists and publishers gathered in Moscow for the annual “Enlightenment Prize”. The purpose of the annual Prize is to support Russian scientists and science journalists
COMMENT: Turning Ukraine's ship of state around
I recently watched more than 30 new members of Ukraine’s parliament give up their precious time off to spend hours in a windowless room in Kyiv to learn more about the development of the rule of law, market institutions, and policy.
TURKEY INSIGHT: Erdogan extends swap deal with Qatar to $5bn
Turkish president, under pressure to secure capital inflows, also returns to old appeals to “patriotic” Turks to dump foreign currencies. Potential nemesis Imamoglu, meanwhile, has been getting friendly with global financiers.
IMF Blog: Frontier market borrowing binge
Rock bottom global interest rates have been a boon for so-called frontier-market countries, which have been able to borrow cheaply to finance their development needs. But there can be too much of a good thing
COMMENT: Delivering for Dushanbe, now is the time to open the country
Walking down Rudaki Avenue, in the heart of the Tajik capital of Dushanbe the roads have been fixed, but there are few people on the street and even fewer businesses
IIF: Game of loans, debt at record highs, climate concerns to drive up cost of borrowing further
Without question, rising debt levels have supported global growth since the 2008 financial crisis. However, there are increasing questions about the marginal utility of further borrowing—and a lot of concern that a continued ramp-up in debt could sp
COMMENT: Romania’s achievements and challenges. Quo vadis?
30 years after Romania started its post-socialist transition, there are many urgent tasks ahead. Most likely another three decades will be needed to rebalance the macroeconomic disequilibria and put things right.
TURKEY INSIGHT: EBRD encourages investors ‘in’ with eurobond buy while market anomalies say stay ‘out’
As another economically distressed family commits collective cyanide suicide, the question running through all this market movement has to be: Is this regime built to last?
ALACO DISPATCHES: Sarajevo’s balancing act
Bosnia offers cheap and vibrant nightlife for European partygoers — plus Sharia-compliant luxury resorts for Gulf travellers. Its success as a tourist destination will depend on how well it manages a delicate balancing act between the two.
TURKEY INSIGHT: Base effect delivers industrial growth after year of decline but official data continues to bewilder
Import compression is over. Officials are turbo-charging GDP. Lira is held in ‘dirty float’. Turks insist inflation is still high. Authorities are telling them they're wrong. Economics anoraks shouldn't miss an episode of the Erdogan experiment.