According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Indonesia’s economy should grow at a slightly faster rate in 2016 after slowing for several years. The growth comes because of higher public investment and improving sentiments around the world toward the Southeast Asian nation’s economy, the largest in the region.
After two weeks of recovery, the Chinese yuan is expected to fall after further data shows Asia’s largest economy continues to slow. Production in China’s industrial sector rose just 5.4% in the first two months of 2016, a disappointment that has led many analysts to warn that the country’s new sub-7% GDP growth target is still too optimistic.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow’s administration is on the line as low oil prices and a Russian recession drags down the economy. The oil sector in particular is plagued with corruption, and the nation’s inefficient weather prediction system affects such vital sectors as agriculture and transportation. Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia and is bordered by such nations as Iran, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
The World Bank has recently released its Macroeconomic Outlook, 2015. In the report, the World Bank predicts strong growth for Pakistan for the next two years. That growth includes steady expansion with low inflation supported by an improving external position and strong new fiscal policies.
Expectations of corporate bankruptcies and debt defaults have skyrocketed, with America’s companies struggling to stay afloat.
Credit research firm, Fitch Ratings, has increased its high yield bond default prediction for 2016 by 33%, now saying that the high yield bond market, also known as the “junk bond” market, will see default rates of 6%, significantly higher than the historical average and about 300% higher than in 2015.
While most parents caution their children that it is important to get all of their vitamins and minerals, few probably realize the important role that advice can play in a nation’s economy. According to a World Bank Specialist on Welfare Economics (Professor Foluso Okunmadewa), Nigeria loses an estimate $1.5 billion from its gross domestic product (GDP) each year due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
People are spending more on services and less jobless claims hint at a recovering American labor market. Initial weekly jobless claims fell from 18,000 to 259,000, far below expectations of a 5,000 drop to 272,000. Continuing claims also fell slightly, as 2.225 million unemployed workers in the United States continue to request help, as they cannot find work. Initial claims fell to the lowest point since October 2015, after several weeks of broad increases. The 4-week moving average for initial claims fell to 267,500.
Liberia closed the Liberian chapter of the Red Cross amid alleged misuse of funds, according to Reuters. The decision comes after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s dismissal of Red Cross board members in response to the supposed spending abuse. Liberia’s economy has suffered due to an Ebola outbreak that wreaked havoc throughout West Africa. Over 4,800 Liberians died during the outbreak.
Around the world, while women have gained significant ground on the issue of equal treatment under the law and norms of society, they still are not treated the same as their male counterparts in many economies. Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says, “Inequality is sexist,” and argues that it actually hurts global economic growth.
American and Chinese markets suffered a setback after Chinese exports plummeted by over 25%. Exports fell by 25.4% according to official figures, while imports fell by over 14%. Both numbers are the worst seen since 2009, as Chinese consumers spend less and Chinese companies find less opportunities to sell to foreign firms.
The decline drove the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to issue another warning on global growth—the recent of several in the last few years.
