DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China’s leaders speed towards Japanisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China’s real estate market is in decline. The trouble is that China’s economic imbalances are far worse than Japan’s in 1990. Yet China’s GDP per capita has reached only half of Japan’s level in 1990. China’s economic misdirection is catalogued in Yasheng Huang’s “The Rise and Fall of the East”. After 1978 the authorities gave provincial governments substantial freedom to promote economic growth and rewarded them for meeting a growth target.

Persons: Xi, Xi Jinping, Huang, –, Xi’s, Beijing’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Monetary Fund, South, Asian, IMF, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bank for International, MIT Sloan School of Management, HK, Communist, Huawei, Washington, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, People’s Republic, China, South Korea, Japan, deflate, Tokyo, California, Beijing, Taiwan, Communist

☆ Top economists unanimous on 'higher for longer' rates as inflation threats linger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Pedestrians walk past a billboard announcing the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund annual meetings, on the side of the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington DC on October 5, 2023. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty ImagesTop economists and central bankers appear to be in agreement on one thing: interest rates will stay higher for longer, clouding the outlook for global markets. Despite the pause, Fed officials have signaled that rates may have to remain higher for longer than markets had initially expected if inflation is to sustainably return to the central bank's 2% target. The European Central Bank last month issued a 10th consecutive interest rate hike to take its main deposit facility to a record 4% despite signs of a weakening euro zone economy. "We may have more shocks that may drive inflation up, and that's why of course we have to remain very cautious about inflation developments."

Persons: Mandel Ngan, Ajay Banga, Greg Guyett, Guyett, Boris Vujčić, Vujčić, Mārtiņš Kazāks, CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche, Silvia Amaro, Austrian National Bank Governor Robert Holzmann Organizations: World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC, Afp, Getty, U.S . Federal Reserve, World Bank, IMF, Bank, Labor Department, U.S ., HSBC, CNBC, European Central Bank, Council, Croatian National Bank, U.S, Bank of Latvia, ECB, Governing Council, Austrian National Bank Governor Locations: Washington, Central, U.S, Marrakech, Morocco, ECB's, Europe, Marrakech ., Israel

☆ Climate: French Development Agency CEO discusses the role of national development banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailClimate: French Development Agency CEO discusses the role of national development banksRémy Rioux, CEO of the French Development Agency, discusses the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Marrakech.

Organizations: French Development Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Locations: Marrakech

☆ Canada targets Airbnb, others to ease rental shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Canada will take steps in the coming weeks to ease a rental-unit shortage exacerbated by Airbnb (ABNB.O) and other short-term rental platforms, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday. Freeland said the government is examining options to ensure more short-term rentals become available as long-term rentals. Cities around the United States are more closely regulating short-term rentals, including by requiring hosts to obtain licenses and pay registration fees. In that province, there are 28,000 daily active short-term rental listings, up 20% from a year ago. Freeland's comments come a day after the banking regulator Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions shelved some planned mortgage rules related to tighter regulatory limits on debt-service coverage.

Persons: Finance Chrystia Freeland, Susana Vera, Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Airbnb, David Ljunggren, Nivedita Balu, Alistair Bell, Rod Nickel Organizations: Finance, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, British Columbia, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Canada, United States, Florence, Italy, Byron, British, Freeland, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa

High funding needs and central banks removing support are increasing pricing uncertainty for investors, Sophia Drossos, hedge fund Point72 Asset Management's chief economist, said. Spending plans lacking credibility were seen as most likely to spark market turmoil. I suspect not by default, but when markets start reflecting their worries in Treasury prices, by a political crisis and a potentially ugly adjustment," the former IMF chief economist said. "We need more investment, not less," said King's College London professor Jonathan Portes, Britain's cabinet office chief economist during the financial crisis. Not enough reforms are being implemented, OECD chief economist Clare Lombardelli warned.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Peter Praet, Praet, Sophia Drossos, Daniel Ivascyn, Claudio Borio, Olivier Blanchard, Ray Dalio, Janet Yellen's, Yellen, Jim Leaviss, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Daleep Singh, Joe Biden, Britain's, Yellen's, Jonathan Portes, Clare Lombardelli, Moritz Kraemer, Yoruk Bahceli, Maria Martinez, Leigh Thomas, Giuseppe Fonte, Nell Mackenzie, Naomi Rovnick, William Schomberg, Jan Strupczewski, Dan Burns, Elisa Martinuzzi, Riddhima Talwani, Jayaram, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Financial, of, REUTERS, Institute of International Finance, Reuters, European Central Bank, ECB, Bank for International, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Associates, U.S . Treasury, Wall, Economy, Britain's Treasury, Congressional, Britain's, Institution, Reuters Graphics ACT, King's College London, Labour Party, OECD, Graphics, Thomson Locations: of Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Italy, Britain, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Berlin, Paris, Rome, London, Brussels, Washington, Marrakech

The Group of 20 major economies did reach consensus on an official communique but omitted any mention of the Israel-Hamas war. Senior World Bank Group officials were more pointed in a statement to staff, saying they were "shocked and appalled by the unprecedented escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza." "We condemn terrorism in all forms, including the abhorrent targeting of innocent civilians and kidnapping," the leaders of the World Bank, the International Finance Corp and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, said in an internal statement seen by Reuters. "Geopolitical shocks are economic shocks now and economic shocks are geopolitical shocks - and they're trying to detach the two." Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder; Editing by Giles Elgood and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, that's, Rachel Nadelman, Joe Biden, China's Xi, Ajay Banga, Josh Lipsky, Andrea Shalal, David Lawder, Giles Elgood, Stephen Coates Organizations: Global, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, IMF, West Bank, Reuters, Research Center, U.S, Treasury, Bank Group, International Finance Corp, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, GeoEconomics, Thomson Locations: MARRAKECH, Morocco, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, United States, China, Africa

☆ IMF warning on China puts 'Japanization' risk in spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Under the Xi administration, China probably shifted its attention away from economics," he told Reuters. "What's fast emerging is the risk of China slipping into deflation, or the 'Japanization' of its economy," Bank of Japan (BOJ) board member Asahi Noguchi said on Thursday. In its World Economic Outlook, the IMF cut China's growth forecast for this year to 5.0% from 5.2% in April, and warned that its property sector crisis could deepen with global spillovers. To be sure, there are differences between what is happening in China and the experience of Japan. "Overall, we believe that China can avoid a prolonged period of sub-par growth with the right policies," Srinivasan said, when asked about the chance of "Japanization" in China.

Persons: Aly, Hiroshi Watanabe's, Hiroshi Watanabe, Japan's, Watanabe, Xi, Asahi Noguchi, Krishna Srinivasan, Srinivasan, doesn't, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Chizu Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, Japan, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Bank of Japan, Economic, Pacific Department, Thomson Locations: Danzhou, Hainan province, China, Japan, MARRAKECH, Morocco, Marrakech, Asia, Beijing, Tokyo

High funding needs and central banks removing support are increasing pricing uncertainty for investors, Sophia Drossos, hedge fund Point72 Asset Management's chief economist, said. Spending plans lacking credibility were seen as most likely to spark market turmoil. I suspect not by default, but when markets start reflecting their worries in Treasury prices, by a political crisis and a potentially ugly adjustment," the former IMF chief economist said. Italy's 2.4 trillion-euro debt pile is the focus in Europe, where the IMF has said high debt leaves governments vulnerable to crisis. "We need more investment, not less," said King's College London professor Jonathan Portes, Britain's cabinet office chief economist during the financial crisis.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva did not mention the new conflict at opening events. The inability to respond extended to chair's statements issued by the Group of 20 major economies and the IMF and World Bank steering committees, which failed to mention the conflict. "You know, without peace, it's hard for people to get stability, growth, look after their children, get jobs," he said. But conflicts remain the biggest challenge to the global economy, said Josh Lipsky, a former IMF official who directs the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. "Geopolitical shocks are economic shocks now and economic shocks are geopolitical shocks - and they're trying to detach the two."

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, that's, Rachel Nadelman, Joe Biden, China's Xi, Ajay Banga, Josh Lipsky, Andrea Shalal, David Lawder, Giles Elgood Organizations: Global, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, IMF, West Bank, Reuters, Research Center, Group, GeoEconomics, Thomson Locations: MARRAKECH, Morocco, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, United States, China, Bali, Africa

World Bank project documents will make it clear that LGBTQ Ugandans should not face discrimination and that staff will not be arrested for including them, Victoria Kwakwa, the bank's head for eastern and southern Africa, told Reuters. She declined to give a timeline for assessing the measures' efficacy and moving to a decision on whether to resume new funding for Uganda. When the World Bank suspended new funding, Ugandan officials accused the development finance institution of hypocrisy, saying it was lending to countries in the Middle East and Asia that have the same or harsher laws targeting LGBTQ people. The World Bank's portfolio of projects in the East African country was $5.2 billion at the end of 2022. Reporting by Rachel Savage and Jorgelina do Rosario, Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ashley Karungi, Victoria Kwakwa, Kwakwa, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Bank, Reuters, Rights, World Bank, International Monetary, Uganda, Government, Thomson Locations: Kulambiro suburb, Kampala, Uganda, MARRAKECH, Morocco, Africa, Marrakech, East, Asia, Rosario

☆ IMF steering committee calls for new funds, share plan by June 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) chair Nadia Calvino leaves after a press conference during the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 14, 2023. A statement issued by the Fund's steering committee chair, Spanish economy minister Nadia Calvino, also called for proposals to change the Fund's shareholding formula by June 2025. The statement did not specify any funding amounts but left the door open to a potential near-term funding increase without changes in near-term shareholding. "In order to maintain the Fund’s current resource envelope until a quota increase becomes effective, we call on the Executive Board to propose transitional arrangements," the statement said. Reporting by David Lawder; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nadia Calvino, Susana Vera, David Lawder, Diane Craft Organizations: Monetary, Financial, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH

☆ Key takeaways from the IMF/World Bank meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Global inflation is seen dropping from 6.9% this year to a still-high 5.8% next. Italian central bank governor Ignazio Visco said there was an impression markets were "reevaluating the term premium" as investors become more nervous about holding longer term debt. One debt restructuring deal emerged: Zambia finally agreed a debt rework memorandum of understanding with creditors including China and France. Sri Lanka said on Thursday it reached an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China covering about $4.2 billion of debt, while talks with other official creditors are stalling. There was much talk ahead of Marrakech on revamping the IMF and World Bank to better reflect the emergence of economies like China and Brazil.

Persons: Ajay Banga, Mercy Tembon, Finance Serhiy Marchenko, Ceda Ogada, Kristalina Georgieva, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Ignazio Visco, Joyce Chang, Vitor Gaspar, Mehmet Simsek, Murat Ulgen, Kate Donald, Ahmed El Jechtimi, Andrea Shalal, David Lawder, Leika Kihara, Elisa Martinuzzi, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Rosario, Balazs Koranyi, Mark John, Christina Fincher Organizations: Bank, Finance, International Monetary Fund, Emerging, Research, HSBC, Reuters, Export, Import Bank of, World Bank, Oxfam International's Washington DC Office, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, MARRAKECH, Morocco, Moroccan, Marrakech, Israel, Central, United States, China, Italy, Italian, Turkey, Kenya, Zambia, France, Sri Lanka, Import Bank of China, Brazil, U.S

☆ IMF sees recent yen falls as reflecting fundamentals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. "On the yen, our sense is that the exchange rate is driven pretty much by fundamentals. As long as interest rate differentials remain, the yen will continue to face pressure," Sanjaya Panth, deputy director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, told reporters. Authorities in Japan are facing renewed pressure to combat a sustained depreciation in the yen , as investors bet on higher-for-longer U.S. interest rates while the Bank of Japan remains wedded to its super low interest rate policy. "I don't think any of the three considerations are existing right now," he said, when asked whether recent yen falls call for authorities to intervene in the currency market.

Persons: Florence Lo, Panth, Leika Kihara, Emelia Sithole, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Pacific Department, Authorities, Bank of Japan, IMF, Thomson Locations: Rights MARRAKECH, Morocco, Asia, Japan

Zambia will pay about $750 million in the next decade compared to almost $6 billion that was due to official creditors before the debt restructuring. "The next step is to secure a comparable agreement with our private creditors," Zambia's finance minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, said. Zambia is committed to remaining in arrears to its commercial external creditors, the ministry said, until it secures a debt deal with comparable terms to the official creditor agreement. It is unclear how long the signing of the agreements between Zambia and each bilateral creditor is going to take. On Thursday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Zambia had signed the MoU with official creditors, which was later walked back by Zambia's finance minister and the IMF.

Persons: Situmbeko Musokotwane, Susana Vera, Musokotwane, Kristalina Georgieva, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Giles Elgood Organizations: Zambia's, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Paris Club, OCC, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, Zambia, China, France, Africa, Rosario

☆ Colombia eyes two rate cuts before year-end, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | Thomson Reuters | Jorgelina Do Rosario Is Emerging Markets Correspondent At Reuters Based In London | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The expectation is for another cut in December," Bonilla told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Marrakech. "The message of reducing the key rate is for all the banks, because today the rate is an obstacle for economic recovery," he added. The central bank held the key rate steady at 13.25% in September for the third time in a row, citing stubborn inflation. That was down from highs in 2022, but still more than double the central bank's long-term target of 3%. The central bank's technical team expects Colombia's economy to grow 0.9% this year, compared with an expansion of 7.3% in 2022.

Persons: Ricardo Bonilla, Susana Vera, Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Jorgelina, Julia Symmes Cobb, Mark Potter, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Colombia's, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Colombian Finance, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, Israel, Hamas, Rosario

☆ Yellen, UK's Hunt discussed 'joint actions to deny Russia revenue' -US State Dept
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen visits a school that has housed students from the last month's deadly earthquake stricken area to continue their education, on the second day of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 10, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with U.K Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Marrakech, Morocco on Friday, the U.S. State Department said. Yellen and Hunt discussed "joint actions to deny Russia revenue to fund its brutal war and highlighted the importance of collectively supporting Ukraine’s economic assistance needs," the State Department said. Reporting by Dan Whitcomb Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Susana Vera, Jeremy Hunt, Yellen, Hunt, Dan Whitcomb, Chris Reese Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Bank, REUTERS, . Treasury, World Bank, U.S . State Department, State Department, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Russia

A child collecting chunks of coal looks on at a colliery while smoke rises from the Duvha coal-based power station owned by state power utility Eskom, in Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, June 2, 2021. South Africa is facing its worst power crisis, with Eskom's ageing, coal-fired plants often breaking down. "It's a policy development loan which supports critical reforms," Marie-Nelly said of the potential World Bank funding. The World Bank loan would also support South Africa to make a "just transition" away from coal, to ensure vulnerable people do not suffer as a result, Marie-Nelly said. In November 2022, the World Bank approved $497 million in financing to decommission and repurpose one of Eskom's coal-fired power plants.

Persons: Siphiwe, Marie Francoise Marie, Nelly, Marie, Eskom, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Kopano Gumbi, Mark Potter, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, World, Reuters, Bank, South, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Emalahleni, Mpumalanga province, South Africa, MARRAKECH, Morocco, Marrakech, Africa, Rosario

☆ Euro zone labour market shows no sign of weakening: Lagarde
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MARRAKECH, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The euro zone labour market shows no sign of softening, despite a near recessionary environment and a record string of interest rate hikes, European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Saturday. "The labor market still shows no real sign of weakening," Lagarde told a conference. "The numbers we see both in terms of actual participation in the unemployment and unemployment in nominal numbers are quite striking." The ECB has been raising rates to dampen demand and persistently low unemployment is a key reason why some policymakers worry that high inflation could get stuck above target as workers enjoy the some of the best wage growth in years. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Balazs Koranyi, Mark Potter Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: MARRAKECH

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine is finding it harder to secure financial support as the attention of officials in key donor countries shifts to upcoming elections and geopolitical tensions heighten, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Reuters on Saturday. As the war with Russia rages on, Ukraine needs to secure Western financial support to cover a $43 billion budget gap in 2024. Marchenko said "a geopolitical shift and internal political context in different countries" was dampening governments' appetite to support Ukraine, mentioning elections scheduled in the U.S. and the European Union next year. Marchenko said Ukraine is seeking 18 billion euros of that in 2024, matching the package received for this year. Ukraine's economy is set to grow 5% in 2024, Marchenko told the meetings earlier this week, and sufficient gas storage for the winter should buttress the economy from a potential rise in prices, he told Reuters.

Persons: Finance Serhiy Marchenko, Susana Vera, Serhiy Marchenko, Marchenko, Jorgelina, Rosario, Elisa Martinuzzi, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Finance, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Bank, European Union, IMF, EU, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, U.S, Japan, United Kingdom, United States

☆ BoE's Bailey says he's puzzled by stubborn pay growth in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk outside the Bank of England in the City of London financial district in London, Britain May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Saturday he was puzzled by the continued strength of pay growth in Britain which, unlike other areas of the economy, has not yet responded to the BoE's run of 14 back-to-back interest rate hikes. The increases in borrowing costs were having an impact on employment numbers and in the housing market, Bailey told a panel discussion on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund meetings in Morocco. "I should say what is more puzzling and in a sense we wait to see is the situation on pay and earnings where... the usual transmission mechanism is not yet being demonstrated," he said during the event organised by the Group of 30 consultative body. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi Writing by William SchombergOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Andrew Bailey, Bailey, Balazs Koranyi, William Schomberg Organizations: Bank of England, REUTERS, Rights, International Monetary Fund, Group, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Rights MARRAKECH, Morocco

China, whose economy is now three times the size it was in 2010, continued to push for more IMF shares. IMFC members agreed to add a third IMF Executive Board chair to represent African countries, a key sweetener for the U.S. "equi-proportional quota plan. Pan said China supported this move but it was a separate issue from the shareholding formula. It also called for the IMF's Executive Board to propose options for changes to the shareholding formula by June 2025. This would accelerate the next five-year review of quotas and meet IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's call for a deadline on adjusting its shareholding to preserve its credibility.

Persons: Nadia Calvino, Kristalina Georgieva, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Kristalina, Georgieva, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Sharon Singleton, Christina Fincher, Franklin Paul, Diane Craft Organizations: Monetary, Financial, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, The U.S . Treasury, People's Bank of China, Beijing, IMF's, U.S . Treasury, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, MARRAKECH, U.S, China, CHINA, The U.S, India, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, United Arab Emirates

☆ IMF Has Reached Goal to Add $3 Billion to Trust Fund for Poorest Countries-Georgieva
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund has met its fundraising target to increase concessional trust fund resources for the world's poorest countries by $3 billion, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Saturday. She said that PRGT lending has increased five-fold to $30 billion since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 30 countries still with loan programs. Demand for the trust's resources is expected to reach $40 billion through 2024, about five times the historical average. The IMF had urged member countries to fill a $1.2 billion gap in the $3 billion subsidy account endorsed by the membership in 2021. Georgieva said 40 countries had stepped up to contribute, and one-third were emerging-market economies.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, David Lawder, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank Locations: MARRAKECH, Morocco

☆ Key takeaways from the IMF-World Bank meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen arrives for a bilateral meeting on the third day of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meeting, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 11, 2023. Susana Vera | ReutersOvershadowed by fresh Middle East violence and hosted by a country still recovering from an earthquake, the week-long annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank wrapped up on Saturday. Global inflation is seen dropping from 6.9% this year to a still-high 5.8% next. Italian central bank governor Ignazio Visco said there was an impression markets were "reevaluating the term premium" as investors become more nervous about holding longer-term debt. One debt restructuring deal emerged: Zambia finally agreed a debt rework memorandum of understanding with creditors including China and France.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Susana Vera, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Italy —, Ignazio Visco, Joyce Chang, Vitor Gaspar, Mehmet Simsek, Murat Ulgen Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Bank, Reuters, Emerging, Research, HSBC, Export, Import Bank of Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Moroccan, Israel, Central, United States, China, Italy, Italian, Turkey, Kenya, Zambia, France, Sri Lanka, Import Bank of China

Janet Yellen, United States Secretary of Treasury, participates in global infrastructure and investment forum in New York, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Seth Wenig/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that she still believes U.S. shelter inflation will continue to ease despite new consumer price data on Thursday showing a jump in housing costs, but the process may take some time. "We do definitely believe that's coming down over time," Yellen said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Morocco. Yellen has long said that housing costs, will ease over time, helping to bring down core inflation, and said Thursday's CPI report has not deterred her from that view. "I think we have very good reason to believe, with lags, that will come down, and I don't think there's anything in the report that would cause us to think that's a mistake in judgment," Yellen said.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Seth Wenig, Yellen, David Lawder, Andrea Ricci, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Treasury, Rights, . Treasury, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Federal Reserve, CPI, Thomson Locations: United States, New York, Rights MARRAKECH, Morocco

☆ Yellen: met with S.Korean finance minister, looking forward to trilateral with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen attends a Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) roundtable at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday said she met with South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, and looked forward to a trilateral meeting with Japan's finance minister. Yellen, in a posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, said she met with Choo on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Marrakech, Morocco and they discussed recent macroeconomic developments and security issues. It was not immediately clear when the U.S., Japanese and South Korean finance ministers would meet for a trilateral engagement. Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Susana Vera, South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung, Yellen, Choo, Andrea Shalal, Franklin Paul Organizations: Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, . Treasury, South Korean Finance Minister, Twitter, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, U.S, Korean

Search resuls for: "MARRAKECH"

25 mentions found