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Launching a New Academic Year under the Cloud of COVID-19
The next few weeks mark the beginning of the school year across the northern hemisphere. Per the World Bank School Closure data, (School Closures and Affected Students by country; a World Bank tracking…
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Tourism Trauma and COVID-19
Pandemic-related lockdowns, flight cancellations, and border closures may be putting a crimp on summer vacation plans. However, the precipitous drop in tourism will have an outsized impact on countries that rely on foreign…
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How The Pandemic Is Making The Gender Pay Gap Worse
A new study finds that this recession is hitting women harder. Between February and April 2020, male unemployment increased 9.9 percent; female unemployment increased 12.8 percent. The pandemic has ravaged in-person service jobs…
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H1’20 Review of Activities in Nigeria Equities Market
Although Stock bourses are forward looking in nature, they generally portray the momentum of the economy. An upward trend could signal investors' confidence in the market while otherwise could mean sell-offs and economic…
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Aging Economies may Benefit Less from Fiscal Stimulus
A new IMF research finds that age matters when considering fiscal stimulus. Specifically, the study found that fiscal policy isn’t as effective in boosting growth in economies with older populations, compared to economies…
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COVID-19 Response in Emerging Market Economies: Conventional Policies and Beyond
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging market economies far exceeded that of the global financial crisis. Unlike previous crises, the response has been decisive just like in advanced economies. Yet,…
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Global Imbalances and the COVID-19 Crisis
A new IMF External Sector Report shows that overall current account deficits and surpluses in 2019 were just below 3 percent of world GDP, slightly less than a year earlier. The latest forecasts…
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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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Tracking Trade During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Most trade takes place by sea, and—for navigational safety purposes—virtually all cargo ships report their position, speed, and other information many times a day. A new IMF methodology using these data can help…
