Economic growth in Spain is set to slow down

Significance Despite the absence of an effective government since December, the economy has maintained growth above an annualised 3%, higher than in most other Western European countries. Impacts Sustained growth will enable further job creation and reduce unemployment. Low interest rates and higher employment will support demand, especially in the housing market. Public debt will remain high in the short-to-medium term and the deficit will not be reduced to below 3% until 2018, dragging on growth. There is little macroeconomic space for further stimulus, although both the PP and Citizens have pledged to reduce taxes.

Subject Economic outlook for Switzerland. Significance Switzerland’s GDP growth disappointed in the first quarter of 2017: it increased by 0.3% on a quarterly and 1.1% on a yearly basis, held back by weak private consumption growth. However, exports rebounded after the long blight of the 2015 franc appreciation shock. Impacts Private consumption should improve after stagnating in 2015-16, benefiting from the labour market recovery. Low interest rates are likely to boost private investment. Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, engineering, electrics and the watch-making industry are likely to benefit from the expected revival in exports. Inflation is likely to average around 0.4% in 2017 and 2018.


Subject ND development plan. Significance Fuelling economic growth is the highest priority for the new government. New Democracy (ND) came to power in July in a relatively benign domestic and external environment, with a steadily (albeit slowly) expanding economy, falling unemployment, low government debt yields and contained future public debt-service costs, thanks to the previous government restructuring most public debt to carry fixed coupons locking in historically low euro-area interest rates. Impacts Draft labour laws restricting collective bargaining and simplifying firing processes could erode workers’ rights in the medium to long term. Hastily approving projects to attract FDI raises environmental risks and in the Eldorado Gold case could alienate local communities. The government’s focus on supporting the middle class could speed up replenishing the human capital eroded during the crisis years.


Subject Brazil social conservativism and politics. Significance A recent survey has shed new light on the profound divisions that cut through Brazilian society. The study reveals the extent to which views vary along lines defined by, among others, religion, income, education and political ideology. However, it also shows an overall picture of a country significantly less conservative than the election of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in October 2018 suggests. Impacts Bolsonaro’s popularity in the medium term will largely depend on faster economic growth and job creation. Business optimism and investment hinge on passing a pension reform, which looks feasible but not easy. Over time, potential corruption scandals, such as a probe involving Bolsonaro’s son Flavio, could dent the government’s popularity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-335
Author(s):  
Robert Verner ◽  
Peter Remiáš

The aim of this paper is to examine the growing popularity of debt financing in European based subjects. The development of issued volume was examined on the sample of 9,293 public debt offerings denominated in EUR issued between 30th November 2007 and 30th November 2016 and the impact of declining market interest rates on primary bond market was explored. More than 7.666 trillion EUR of debt were analyzed and the results indicate that despite low interest rates, the volume of issued bonds does not increase over time. Decline of interest rates only compensates slow economic growth as well as increasing global market and political risks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68
Author(s):  
Jens Südekum

Abstract Germany and other European countries have piled up considerable public debt in response to the Corona crisis. But owing to the ultra-low interest rates, which are likely to remain for the foreseeable future, there are no concerns regarding debt sustainability. Quickly paying down this debt by imposing austerity would be the wrong strategy from an economic point of view, but it could nevertheless imposed by existing fiscal rules. Those rules should be reformed quickly. The right way to handle the Corona debts is to engage in debt rollover, that is, to essentially inflate them away in times of negative real interest rates.


Significance With an election due soon, the governing Liberal-National Coalition’s pledge to ring-fence the defence spending commitments made in 2016 was under some pressure. However, defence spending in fiscal year 2021/22 will grow by over 4% in real terms and stay above the symbolic level of 2% of GDP. Impacts Growing popular and bipartisan concern with Chinese aggression is a conducive environment for increased defence spending. Low interest rates and a stronger Australian dollar are also supporting sustained levels of defence expenditure. Washington may increase pressure on Australia to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. Major business groups are concerned that increased criticism of China in national politics will produce yet more punitive backlash.


Significance The RBA has cut its growth forecasts amid rising job losses, weakening demand and increasing signs that the latest COVID-19 lockdowns will continue to slow the economy until the pace of the vaccine roll-out programme can be increased. Impacts Although the RBA is independent, the government will hope it keeps rates low ahead of the elections due next year. Commercial lenders could raise interest rates independently of the RBA if inflation remains high. Wage pressures will re-emerge as labour markets tighten but may be mitigated by the extent of underemployment. Economic growth will be uneven across the country in coming months as pandemic-related restrictions vary by location.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinando Ofria ◽  
Massimo Mucciardi

PurposeThe purpose is to analyze the spatially varying impacts of corruption and public debt as % of GDP (proxies of government failures) on non-performing loans (NPLs) in European countries; comparing two periods: one prior to the crisis of 2007 and another one after that. The authors first modeled the NPLs with an ordinary lest square (OLS) regression and found clear evidence of spatial instability in the distribution of the residuals. As a second step, the authors utilized the geographically weighted regression (GWR) to explore regional variations in the relationship between NPLs and the proxies of “Government failures”.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first modeled the NPL with an OLS regression and found clear evidence of spatial instability in the distribution of the residuals. As a second step, the author utilized the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) (Fotheringham et al., 2002) to explore regional variations in the relationship between NPLs and proxies of “Government failures” (corruption and public debt as % of GDP).FindingsThe results confirm that corruption and public debt as % of GDP, after the crisis of 2007, have affected significantly on NPLs of the EU countries and the following countries neighboring the EU: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, and Turkey.Originality/valueIn a spatial prospective, unprecedented in the literature, this research focused on the impact of corruption and public debt as % of GDP on NPLs in European countries. The positive correlation, as expected, between public debt and NPLs highlights that fiscal problems in Eurozone countries have led to an important rise of problem loans. The impact of institutional corruption on NPLs reports that the higher the corruption, the higher is the level of NPLs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naeem Akram

Purpose – Over the years most of the developing countries have failed to collect enough revenues to finance their budgets. As a result, they have to face the problem of twin deficits and to rely on external and domestic debt to finance their developmental activities. The positive effects of public debt relate to the fact that in resource-starved economies debt financing (if done properly) leads to higher growth and adds to their capacity to service and repay external and internal debt. The negative effects work through two main channels – i.e., “Debt Overhang” and “Crowding Out” effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine the consequences of public debt for economic growth and investment for the Philippines. Design/methodology/approach – The present study examines the consequences of public debt for economic growth and investment for the Philippines during the period 1975-2010, by using autoregressive distributed lag technique. Findings – The results reveal that in the Philippines, public external debt has negative and significant relationship with economic growth and investment confirming the existence of “Debt Overhang effect”. But due to insignificant relationships of debt servicing with investment and economic growth, the existence of the crowding out hypothesis could not be confirmed. The domestic debt has a negative relationship with investment and positive relationship with economic growth. Research limitations/implications – First and foremost implication of the study is that heavy reliance on external debt must be discouraged. Therefore, in order to accelerate economic growth, developing countries must adopt those policies that are likely to result in reducing their debt burden, and it must not be allowed to reach unsustainable level. In the case of domestic debt, the present study finds that investment is negatively affected by domestic debt due to the crowding out effect; yet real GDP has a positive relationship with domestic debt. Thus, if policy makers want to use domestic debt as a tool to stimulate real GDP then it must keep an eye on the consequences of domestic debt on the investment. Practical implications – First and foremost implication of the study is that heavy reliance on external debt must be discouraged. Therefore, in order to accelerate economic growth, the Philippines must adopt those policies that are likely to result in reducing their debt burden, and external debt it must not be allowed to reach unsustainable level. In the case of domestic debt, the present study finds that investment is negatively affected by domestic debt due to the crowding out effect; yet real GDP has a positive relationship with domestic debt. Thus, if policy makers want to use domestic debt as a tool to stimulate real GDP then it must keep an eye on the consequences of domestic debt for on the investment. Social implications – It also follows from the estimation results that population growth rate is harmful for the economic growth. So in order to stimulate the growth performance, it must adopt effective population control policies. Similarly, since openness and investment are growth enhancing so there is need for the trade and investment supportive policies. Originality/value – From the review of literature on the issue, it can be broadly summarized that most of the studies are on the relationship of external debt and economic growth, neglecting domestic debt entirely or mentioning it in the passing. Second, most of these studies have been conducted by using panel data. However, as the different countries vary in socio-economic conditions so it is better to conduct the country specific study. The present study is an attempt to fill these gaps in the existing literature.


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