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Crypto Boom Poses New Challenges to Financial Stability
As crypto assets take hold, regulators need to step up. Crypto assets offer a new world of opportunities: Quick and easy payments. Innovative financial services. Inclusive access to previously “unbanked” parts of the…
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US Dollar Share of Global Foreign Exchange Reserves Drops to 25-Year Low
The share of US dollar reserves held by central banks fell to 59 percent—its lowest level in 25 years—during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the IMF’s Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange…
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The Great Divergence: A Fork in the Road for the Global Economy
As our note to the G20 meeting points out, there is a major risk that as advanced economies and a few emerging markets recover faster, most developing countries will languish for years to…
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How Poverty Makes Workers Less Productive
Obviously, giving more money to people without much money helps them with money problems. But this study adds to a growing body of research that says that money really does help workers earn…
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A Race Between Vaccines and the Virus as Recoveries Diverge
In just three months since we released our last forecast in October, recorded COVID-19 deaths have doubled to over 2 million, as new waves have lifted infections past previous peaks in many countries.…
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What the Continued Global Uncertainty Means for You,
Global uncertainty reached unprecedented levels at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and remains elevated. The World Uncertainty Index—a quarterly measure of global economic and policy uncertainty covering 143 countries—shows that although uncertainty…
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How To Make A New Year’s Resolution
2020 has been a disaster for meeting new people, which is why Per Carlbring's New Year's resolution is to spend next year trying to connect with someone new every day. Carlbring, a professor…
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Time is Ripe for Innovation in the World of Sovereign Debt Restructuring
When corporations have too much debt and need to restructure it, creditors often end up exchanging bonds or loans for stocks. They trade the guaranteed payout of a fixed-income investment for an equity…
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Data Disruption: The Impact of COVID-19 on Inflation Measurement
Lockdowns, working from home, and physical distancing caused people to spend larger shares of their household budgets on food and housing, while fewer people bought nonessentials, like airline tickets and clothing. And with…
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Bridging the Digital Divide to Scale Up the COVID-19 Recovery
Digitalization has in the past few years enabled developing countries, in particular, to leapfrog on financial inclusion. Countries like Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania have made great advances in connecting their citizens to…
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Public Investment for the Recovery
Governments around the world are taking extraordinary measures to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. While maintaining the focus on addressing the health emergency and providing lifelines for households and businesses, governments need to…
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[INFOGRAPHICS] Banks’ Proportion Of Low-Cost Deposit(% CASA Mix, H1:2020)
High CASA mix enables banks to record lower Interest expenses, hence, a higher net interest margin.
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[INFOGRAPHICS] Regional Unemployment Rate (August 2020)
The regional paradox - The Richer the oil, the higher the unemployment.
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[INFOGRAPHICS] E-Business % Of Revenue of Nigerian Banks (H1’2020)
Nigerian Banks Electronic Transaction Revenue a question on efficiency of cashless policy.
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[INFOGRAPHICS] South African Vs Nigeria Banks (H1’2020)
South African banks are bigger than Nigerian banks in terms of Total Assets. However, Nigerian banks are more profitable, looking at return on Assets. Return on Assets talks about how they are able to utilize their balance…
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[INFOGRAPHICS] Poverty Rate By Sectors In Nigeria
Nigeria’s Poverty Rate by Sectors Will able-bodied young people be better off or worse off with Nigeria’s agricultural practices?
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[INFOGRAPHICS] Loan Book and Non-Performing Loan of Nigerian Banks as at H1’2020
Loan Book and Non-Performing Loan of Nigerian Banks as at H1’2020
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[INFOGRAPHICS] FDI Inflows Into Selected African Countries In 2019
FDI Inflows into selected African countries in 2019
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Trade as a Tool for an Efficient Recovery
As economies now look for paths to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, new evidence reaffirms that policies for more open and trade-integrated economies could significantly benefit domestic competition and ultimately may help lower…
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IMF Lending During the Pandemic and Beyond
In the face of unprecedented uncertainty and the severe economic impact triggered by COVID-19, the Fund continues to adapt its lending. At the same time, it aims to ensure realistic targets, uphold the…
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Charting a Path for a Resilient Recovery in Sub Saharan Africa
As we all continue to grapple with the COVID‑19 crisis, policymakers also need to look ahead. Countries need to ensure that the vast global fiscal support deployed to fight the pandemic also works…
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Air pollution: A silent killer in Lagos
As Nigeria’s economic hub, Lagos is one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities, but this rapid growth has had a downside with high rates of illness and premature death caused by unhealthy air.
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COVID-19: Without Help, Low-Income Developing Countries Risk a Lost Decade
While the COVID-19 crisis is sending shockwaves around the globe, low-income developing countries (LIDCs) are in a particularly difficult position to respond. LIDCs have both been hit hard by external shocks and are…
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Unemployment in Today’s Recession Compared to the Global Financial Crisis
There has been much discussion in recent months about how workers who transitioned to working from home—and those who were deemed “essential”—are less affected by the layoffs and job losses brought on by…
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Uncertainty Grips Markets as Optimism Wanes
Amid the prolonged and painful pandemic, risks to global financial stability have remained contained—so far. But with economic optimism fading, and with financial vulnerabilities intensifying, this is a time for careful policy calibration.…
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A Hobbled Recovery Along Entrenched Fault Lines
The global recovery continues but momentum has weakened, hobbled by the pandemic. Fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, the recorded global COVID-19 death toll has risen close to 5 million and health…
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A Nobel Prize For A Revolution In Economics
Let's time travel back in time to see why Card and Krueger's work was such a revolution. It was the early 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest and Nirvana were blaring on sound systems.…
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Inflation Scares in an Uncharted Recovery
The good news for policymakers is that long-term inflation expectations are well anchored, but economists still disagree about how enduring the upward pressure for prices will ultimately be. Some have said government stimulus…
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Five Lessons Evergrande Taught Us About The Chinese Economy
The Evergrande story is bigger than just one company. It’s about China’s unsustainable model of economic growth, which has relied on endless investment and a mad, debt-fueled development frenzy in recent years. That…
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How Countries Can Diversify Their Exports
By looking beyond commodities, the research shows that economy-wide policies such as governance and education help foster diverse exports more than narrowly targeted industrial policies, a finding that can better guide nations aiming…
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How to Tax in Asia’s Digital Age
Asia alone has roughly two billion internet users, with considerable room to grow. Asia’s advanced and emerging market economies have several locally headquartered tech giants—including Alibaba, JD.com, Tencent, Rakuten—and host foreign tech giants…
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Why Even The Most Elite Investors Do Dumb Things When Investing
If you’re Jeff Bezos, you’re not going to have some random dude manage your money and hope for the best. You’re not gonna open up a Robinhood account and risk it all on…
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How the Pandemic Widened Global Current Account Balances
2020 was a year of extremes. Travel all but ceased for a period. Oil prices wildly fluctuated. Trade in medical products reached new heights. Household spending shifted to consumer goods rather than services…
