News

February 3, 2012
World Bank to lend Kenya $1.9 bln in 2012-14
The World Bank has committed $1.9 billion for various development projects in Kenya over the next two years, and $400 million has already been disbursed, a senior bank official said.

February 2, 2012
IMF Urges Argentina to Fix Inflation, GDP Data Within Six Months
The International Monetary Fund urged Argentina to improve its consumer price and economic growth data, which economists say underestimates one of the fastest inflation rates in the world.

January 1, 2012
IMF Says Asia Has Room for Stimulus
Asia has so far proved resilient to the European debt crisis and slowing global growth, and countries in the region have room to take growth-boosting steps in case of a sharp downturn, the International Monetary Fund said.

January 27, 2012
Geithner Hints at U.S. Support for More IMF Funds
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner hinted Friday that the Obama administration could support an increase in resources for the International Monetary Fund to fight the euro crisis, and also sounded a note of cautious optimism on the U.S. economy.

January 26, 2012
World Bank gives $27 billion to shield emerging markets from the euro
The World Bank is making $27 billion in funding available over the next two years for countries of emerging Europe and Central Asia impacted by the euro zone crisis.

January 25, 2012
World Bank chief urges Germany to lead on EU crisis
The head of the World Bank urged Germany on Tuesday to take the lead in resolving the euro zone's debt crisis, warning in a Financial Times commentary that simply trying to muddle through was dangerous.

January 24, 2012
IMF Chief Warns Europe Must Fuel Growth
The head of the International Monetary Fund warned that in addition to cutting yawning budget deficits Europe needs to do more to promote growth and stop the crisis from spreading to the world economy.

January 23, 2012
Lagarde, Zoellick urge world leaders to reduce deficits without jeopardizing growth
The International Monetary Fund’s managing director and top global finance officials are urging the world’s political leaders to avoid budget cuts that would hinder economic growth.

January 20, 2012
IMF slashes global forecast on eurozone crisis, with drastic falls in Italy and Spain
The International Monetary Fund has slashed its global growth forecast for this year and exhorted the European Central Bank to boost liquidity to stave off a deeper eurozone crisis.

January 19, 2011
World Bank Warning: 2012 May Look Like 2008
Emerging markets will have to brace for impact in 2012. The Mayan apocalypse might just look a lot like 2008. According to a World Bank report released in Beijing on Wednesday, the Eurozone will post no growth at all in 2012 and overall developed markets, which at this point just includes Japan and the U.S. in a potato sack race, growing at just 1.4%. That’s down from 2.7% in June 2011.

January 18, 2012
World Bank Cuts Global Growth Forecast as Euro Region Contracts
The World Bank cut its global growth forecast by the most in three years, saying that a recession in the euro region threatens to exacerbate a slowdown in emerging markets such as India and Mexico.

January 17, 2012
IMF, EU May Need to Spend More to Avoid East Europe Crunch
The International Monetary Fund and other lenders, who spent $42 billion to stem an eastern European banking crisis after 2009, may be forced to commit more aid to the region to cushion the effects of banks cutting assets.

January 13, 2012
IMF Expects ‘Tangible Steps’ From Hungary Before Aid Talks
The International Monetary Fund expects “tangible steps” from Hungary before deciding “when and whether” to start negotiations for financial aid, Managing Director Christine Lagarde said after meeting the country’s envoy.

January 12, 2012
Zoellick Says European Interbank Market is Frozen
Europe’s interbank market is frozen and the continent’s banks are only lending to each other through the European Central Bank due to a lack of confidence within the financial industry, World Bank President Robert Zoellick was quoted as saying by German daily Die Welt.

January 10, 2012
Lagarde to Meet Merkel as Pressure Rises to Finish Debt Swap
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde will meet in Berlin tonight as pressure grows to complete a Greek debt swap needed to put a rescue plan in place.

January 7, 2012
Chinese Outlook Unusually Uncertain - Experts
The outlook for the Chinese economy is cloudier than it has been in years, experts said. The road ahead for China is the "great unanswerable question," said Lawrence Summers, the former top economic adviser to President Barack Obama, in a speech at the American Economic Association meeting Saturday. "Whatever you think the range of possible outcomes is [for China] over the next 25 years, it is wider," Summers said.

January 6, 2012
IMF Chief: Some EU countries technically in recession, probably not EU or eurozone
The International Monetary Fund chief said Friday that some European countries may be technically in a recession but that does not necessarily apply to the 17-nation eurozone or the European Union.

January 5, 2012
IMF Conducts Stress Tests on Japanese Banks
The International Monetary Fund is conducting stress tests on Japanese banks to gauge how vulnerable they are to a potential drop in the value of their huge holdings of Japanese government bonds, people familiar with the matter said, a move that could sharpen investors' focus on the risk to Japan's economy from its ballooning debt.

January 4, 2012
Pamela Cox Appointed as New World Bank Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific
Pamela Cox, a development professional with more than 30 years experience, has been appointed the World Bank ’s Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, effective this week, according to The World Bank .

January 3, 2011
Hungary to Start IMF Talks by Late January, Szijjarto Says
Hungary is set to start official negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in mid- to late January under the original plans, Peter Szijjarto, spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

December 22, 2011
Economic Turbulence Forecast for 2012
There are encouraging signs for the world's largest economy as 2011 comes to an end. American consumers are spending more, the housing market is improving, and employers are laying off fewer workers.

December 22, 2011
IMF chief warns Africa to prepare for Europe fallout
Many countries in sub-Saharan African are less prepared to deal with an economic shock now than they were during the 2008 food and fuel crisis and the global financial turmoil that followed, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday, urging developing nations to build up their economic defences.

December 20, 2011
Lagarde: Resolving European debt crisis requires global effort
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is calling on countries outside Europe to help battle the region’s financial crisis, warning that the debt problems could drag down nations elsewhere by spilling over into global trade and international bank lending.

December 19, 2011
European Leaders Face Hurdles Over IMF Loan
European Union finance ministers were holding emergency talks Monday in a bid to finalize a multibillion-euro loan to the International Monetary Fund and other steps to build a credible firewall around Italy and Spain, but continued political resistance means commitments are likely to fall short of expectations.

December 16, 2011
Russia set to become WTO member after 18 years of talks
Russia is finally set to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday at a ceremony in Switzerland, after 18 years negotiating its membership.

December 14, 2011
Greece must now cut spending, says IMF
ATHENS: Greece has reached its limit in raising taxes and needs to refocus its austerity program on long-term spending cuts, the International Monetary Fund says. The warning came as the debt-shackled euro zone member heads toward its fourth year of recession, amid weakening revenues despite draconian new emergency taxes.

December 13, 2011
China WTO Anniversary Marked by Progress, Challenges
It was 10 years ago this Sunday, Dec. 11th, when China joined the World Trade Organization. Since then, the country has grown to become the world's second largest economy and millions of Chinese have been lifted out of extreme poverty. But while China made dramatic reforms after joining the global trade club, analysts say the process of moving away from being a state-planned to a more open economy has not been a definitive success, and many challenges remain.

12 December 2011
Chronic Pain for the Euro
VIENNA — The deal on Friday in Brussels to reformulate the rules of the euro zone has probably saved the shared currency for now — but there may be less to it than meets the eye. At least four major issues still need to be resolved: how much money is needed to protect Italy now from speculative attack; whether banks will stumble because of the crisis; the isolation of Britain, which does not belong to the euro zone; and not least, whether the Brussels cure, prescribed by Germany, fits the disease.

12/8/2011
Investment in developing world to rise -World Bank
Investors are cautiously optimistic about their investment plans in developing countries over the next 12 months despite increased concerns about the euro zone debt crisis, a survey by the World Bank's political risk insurance agency found on Thursday.

December 8th, 2011
ECB cool on more bond buying, lending to IMF
The European Central Bank doused on Thursday hopes it will aggressively ramp up its bond-buying programme and allow the euro zone to lend money to IMF so it can help fight the euro zone debt crisis. ECB President Mario Draghi said new forecasts from the central bank showed the currency bloc's GDP could contract by as much as 0.4 percent next year although it could also grow by as much as 1.0 percent.

12/3/2011
European Leaders Look to I.M.F. for Assistance, Again, as Euro Crisis Lingers
European leaders are looking outside the Continent for help solving the longstanding crisis over the euro, but while the International Monetary Fund may be able to help, it will not be the magic wand they seek.

December 2, 2011
Brazil says BRICS offer conditional help to Europe
Major emerging economies will offer cash to help resolve Europe's debt crisis so long as they gain influence at the IMF and Europe does more to address its own problems, Brazil's economy chief said on Thursday.

December 1st 2011
Draghi Says ECB Bond Purchases ‘Limited,’ Pushes Fiscal Union
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the bank’s bond-purchase program “can only be limited” and that “a new fiscal compact” in Europe will be a better way to stop the region’s debt crisis.

November 30th, 2011
Central banks act in unison: Bank of England statement
The Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Swiss National Bank are today announcing coordinated actions to enhance their capacity to provide liquidity support to the global financial system. The purpose of these actions is to ease strains in financial markets and thereby mitigate the effects of such strains on the supply of credit to households and businesses and so help foster economic activity.

November 22, 2011
IMF Offers Short-Term Credit as Insurance for Nations
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday announced a set of measures intended to “bolster the flexibility and scope” of its emergency programs to aid nations that may face liquidity problems.

28th November 2011
IMF’s Lagarde Eyes Latin America Help in ’Historic’ Reverse
Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde will seek support from Latin America’s largest economies this week to help contain Europe’s mounting debt crisis. The visit that kicks off in Peru today, her first to Latin America since taking office in July, marks a role reversal for a region that harbors deep-seated resentment over decades of IMF- imposed austerity measures, said Roberto Abdenur, a former Brazilian ambassador to the U.S.

November 21st, 2011
Global markets down on debt fears in US and eurozone
Markets worldwide have tumbled on fears over global debt - with another impasse due in the US and continuing fears over the eurozone crisis. US shares fell 2.5%. The main German and French indexes fell more than 3%.

November 18, 2011
Hungary Starts Talks With IMF, EU
BUDAPEST—Hungary's economy ministry Friday said that it has started formal talks with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union on securing some form of backing to reassure investors. The ministry said in a statement that it expects a new agreement to be concluded in the initial months of 2012, without disclosing details on the nature of the support it has requested from the IMF. The government would seek a deal with the IMF on an insurance contract to reassure investors and allow Hungary to raise the capital it needs, it said.

November 17th, 2011
IMF Strategy Chief to Head European Unit After Borges Quits
The head of the International Monetary Fund's European department was replaced by a veteran staffer after quitting less than a year into the job as the European debt crisis worsens. Reza Moghadam, who joined the fund in 1992 and was chief of the strategy department, will start today in his new position, where he will oversee bailouts in the euro region. Antonio Borges, a Portuguese native, resigned for "personal reasons," the Washington-based IMF said yesterday in an e-mailed statement.

November 16th, 2011
WTO to Study Relationship Between Trade, Exchange Rates
The World Trade Organization will discuss the relationship between trade and exchange rates and plans to hold a meeting on the topic in March, said Roberto Azevedo, Brazil’s ambassador to the WTO. The trade arbiter’s 153 members, including China, agreed to examine whether trade rules can be used when a currency is artificially cheap, causing global imbalances, Azevedo said.

November 10, 2011
Bretton Woods Committee Experiencing Email and Web Difficulties
Email and Internet access at the Bretton Woods Committee have been temporarily disrupted. Once email and Internet access have been restored, staff will respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. For immediate assistance, please telephone the Committee at (202) 331-1616. Thank you for your patience as we work to address these technical difficulties.

November 9th, 2011
IMF chief: 'world economy has entered a dangerous phase'
The head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, warns of a dangerous and uncertain phase in the world economy and pushes for EU bailout plan to start in December. Speaking at an international financial forum in Beijing, Ms Lagarde said that the global economy was in danger and referred to the high unemployment rate in the US

November 9th, 2011
Ambassador Henry Owen, former Bretton Woods Committee co-chair, dies at 91

November 8th, 2011
Obama Pushes Nine-Nation Trade Deal Hoping for Japan, China
President Barack Obama, working to put his own stamp on the rules of international trade, is pursuing an agreement with eight Pacific nations and looking beyond them to the prospects for adding Japan and China. Obama and leaders of nations from Chile to Vietnam will report on their efforts to forge a Trans-Pacific Partnership on the sidelines of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Honolulu this weekend.

November 7th, 2011
GLOBAL ECONOMY WEEKAHEAD-China, US withstand Europe's turmoil
WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Europe is the largest trading partner for the United States and for China, and its financial system is deeply interwoven with world finance. Until euro-zone leaders draw a line under their debt crisis, risks of upheaval spreading through the global economy will remain high. So far, the United States and China have shown a welcome resilience to turmoil from Europe, revealing a disconnect between sentiment and what is happening in the real economy.

November 4th, 2011
G-20 Fails to Agree on IMF Aid for Europe
CANNES, France—German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday conceded that the Group of 20 industrial and developing nations reached no agreement on how the International Monetary Fund could assist in resolving the euro-zone debt crisis.

November 3rd, 2011
ECB cuts rates in surprise move
(Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter point to 1.25 percent in a surprise move Thursday, acting boldly to support the ailing euro zone economy at President Mario Draghi's first policy meeting in charge. The move gave an immediate boost to stock markets, which will be looking for any signal at Draghi's first post-policy meeting news conference on whether the ECB is ready to boost its bond purchases to calm tensions in the euro area.

November 2nd, 2011
Draghi’s Day One at ECB Blighted as Greece Faces Referendum
Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Mario Draghi’s first day as head of the European Central Bank was blighted by George Papandreou. Italian bonds slid and the risk premium between German debt and the rest of the euro area increased after the Greek prime minister announced late yesterday he will hold a referendum on the terms of his country’s bailout.

November 1st, 2011
Markets Slide After Surprise Referendum Is Set by Greece
ATHENS — European markets slid dramatically on Tuesday after Prime Minister George A. Papandreou stunned the continent’s leaders with a surprise announcement late Monday that his government would hold a referendum on a new aid package for Greece. The proposed ballot measure would put Greek austerity measures — and potentially membership in the euro zone — to a popular vote for the first time, risking Mr. Papandreou’s political future and threatening even greater turmoil both among the countries that share the single currency and further afield.

October 31st, 2011
Chinese president says Beijing following eurozone problems, confident of solution
VIENNA — China’s president says he is confident European Union leaders have the wisdom to solve the financial crisis roiling Greece and threatening to spillover to other countries, but has avoided offering direct help. President Hu Jintao told reporters Monday his country is closely following the EU’s economic development.

October 27th, 2011
Barroso: Europe 'closer to resolving eurozone crisis'
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said Europe has moved closer to solving the eurozone debt crisis, as an agreement was reached in Brussels. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Mr Barroso said the deal showed the EU could unite in the most difficult of times.

October 26th, 2011
Europe Struggles for Crisis Cure Ahead of Summit
European leaders “have risen to the challenge,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy proclaimed their July 21 summit a “historic turning point” and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean- Claude Juncker called it the “final package, of course,” to extinguish the debt inferno. Then they went on vacation. Before they returned to work, the deal fizzled.

October 24th, 2011
Greek bank stocks battered by EU talks about forcing losses on government bond holdings
ATHENS, Greece — Shares in Greek banks plunged on the Athens Stock Exchange Monday amid expectations they will have to accept higher than agreed losses on the country’s government bonds as part of a new eurozone debt deal. Greek banks hold billions in the country’s government debt, and investors fear they will be unable to withstand losses on the bonds without some form of state support.

October 20th, 2011
UPDATE 1-IMF and EU at odds over Greek debt sustainability
BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund disagrees with EU projections on Greece's debt sustainability and wants to wait until a clearer outlook emerges before signing off on the next tranche of financial support to Athens, EU officials said on Thursday. The IMF, which together with the European Commission and the European Central Bank comprises the 'troika' of inspectors in Greece, believes the EU's debt projections are too optimistic and wants to wait until after a euro zone summit on Sunday to see if discussions there produce a clearer picture on how the debt levels can be made more sustainable.

October 19th, 2011
Easing Debt Crisis Will Take Time, E.U. Official Warns
BRUSSELS — The European Union is at a “turning point” and requires decisive action from its leaders on the euro zone debt crisis, the president of the European Commission said Wednesday, but he warned that any agreement to end the crisis would take time to implement. “We are at a turning point, a decisive point that requires clear and determined responses, comprehensive responses,” José Manuel Barroso told reporters in Brussels. “We are at a very, very sensitive point in European construction.”

October 17, 2011
Germany Shoots Down ‘Dreams’ of Swift Crisis Fix
Germany said European Union leaders won’t provide the complete fix to the euro-area debt crisis that global policy makers are pushing for at an Oct. 23 summit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear that “dreams that are taking hold again now that with this package everything will be solved and everything will be over on Monday won’t be able to be fulfilled,” Steffen Seibert, Merkel’s chief spokesman, said at a briefing in Berlin today. The search for an end to the crisis “surely extends well into next year.”

October 13, 2011
Congress Ends 5-Year Standoff on Trade Deals in Rare Accord
WASHINGTON — Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements on Wednesday, ending a political standoff that has stretched across two presidencies. The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when Republicans and Democrats are bitterly divided over the role that government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.

October 12, 2011
Congress prepares to vote on free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama
WASHINGTON — Acting in rare harmony, Congress is preparing to approve three free trade agreements that advocates say will boost exports, give the economy a needed shot in the arm and help put Americans back to work.

October 7, 2011
EU Leaders Under Pressure for Bank Rescue Plan Before G-20
European Union leaders are under pressure from investors to devise a comprehensive plan to rescue the region's banks before a Group of 20 summit in November.

October 6, 2011
ECB interest rate cut unlikely at Jean-Claude Trichet's final meeting
The European Central Bank is likely to help banks with new credit but is not expected to cut interest rates on Thursday, when Jean-Claude Trichet chairs his last monthly news conference before stepping down as president.

October 5, 2011
U.S. continues push for global development funding
Increased capital funding to multilateral development banks will promote economic prosperity and national security, witnesses told a U.S. House of Representatives committee Tuesday

October 4, 2011
Obama Sends Trade Agreements to Congress, Ending Four-Year Wait
President Barack Obama sent Congress legislation for free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, ending a wait for business supporters that spanned more than four years and two presidencies.

September 29, 2011
Emerging Market Hedging Prices Jump Amid Europe Infection Concern: Options
The price of options to protect against losses on equities from China to India and Brazil has surged to its highest since 2009 relative to U.S. contracts.

September 23, 2011
Citi's Pandit: High Capital Can Up Systemic Risk
The more capital governments require for banks to hold as a buffer against collapse, the more money that flows into unregulated sectors with systemic consequences, Citigroup Inc. CEO Vikram Pandit said Friday.

September 07, 2011
World Bank president says China can help world economy by boosting consumption
China can boost global economic growth by pressing ahead with reforms to promote domestic consumption and reduce reliance on exports and investment, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Monday

September 6, 2011
Shares fall on eurozone debt and world economy fears
US and European shares have both fallen as concerns continue about the high level of eurozone debt, as well as the risk of a return to recession on both sides of the Atlantic.

August 28, 2011
IMF chief Lagarde in warning on economic recovery
The head of the IMF has said the global economy is not growing at a fast enough pace and faces a number of risks to recovery.

August 9, 2011
Asian and European Markets Remain Volatile
A frenzied sell-off caused Asian stocks to nosedive Tuesday, and though most major indexes recovered slightly toward the close of trading, the latest day of losses extended fears of a global economic downturn.

July 26, 2011
Doha Trade Round Suffers Fresh Blow
The likelihood of the Doha round of world trade talks being declared dead this year rose on Tuesday when it became clear that even a partial deal would not be possible.

July 25, 2011
Policymakers Must Reduce Reliance on Credit Ratings
What is the appropriate role of independent credit ratings in the financial system? That is the question raised by recent events in the eurozone and one that has prompted a flurry of suggestions from European policymakers, from intervening in ratings methodologies to suspending certain sovereign ratings.

July 20, 2011
WTO's Lamy Criticizes Small Free-Trade Deals
The World Trade Organization's chief on Wednesday took aim at the growing number of small free-trade deals being signed among the group's 153 member nations, saying such deals could limit opportunities with countries outside the group.

July 18, 2011
Leading Economies Need to Rethink Doha
The world’s leading economies should increase ambition rather than give up on the so-called “Doha round” of trade talks, according to Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank.

July 15, 2011
Germany and Russia to Strengthen Trade Ties
Germany and Russia are set to reinforce their growing economic and trade ties next week at top-level government talks hosted by Angela Merkel, even as the German chancellor’s camp rebuffed claims she was putting a higher priority on the relationship with Russia than the eurozone crisis.

October 11th, 2011
Obama, South Korea’s Lee to Promote Trade Deal in Detroit Visit
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the Detroit area together on Oct. 14 to promote the pending trade agreement between the two countries, two administration officials said.

11th October, 2011
Obama, South Korea’s Lee to Promote Trade Deal in Detroit Visit
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the Detroit area together on Oct. 14 to promote the pending trade agreement between the two countries, two administration officials said.

October 11, 2011
Obama, South Korea’s Lee to Promote Trade Deal in Detroit Visit
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the Detroit area together on Oct. 14 to promote the pending trade agreement between the two countries, two administration officials said.

October 11, 2011
Obama, South Korea’s Lee to Promote Trade Deal in Detroit Visit
President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the Detroit area together on Oct. 14 to promote the pending trade agreement between the two countries, two administration officials said.

July 8, 2011
IMF Greek Loan Decision May Counter Its Own Geithner-Approved Policy Guidelines
The International Monetary Fund may bend its own lending rules to approve the next tranche a Greek loan, and likely won’t provide the details it normally requires for program financing, current and former IMF officials say.

July 6, 2011
Lagarde Pledges Change of Style
Christine Lagarde, the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund, on Wednesday promised a more inclusive style of management and warned about financial contagion if European governments defaulted on debt.

July 6, 2011
World Bank Studying Asset Recovery In Foreign Bribery Cases
Since 2010, the Justice Department has recorded $1.5 billion in criminal fines in foreign bribery cases. Companies from Alcatel-Lucent SA to Johnson & Johnson Co. have ponied up, with the money streaming into the U.S. Treasury.

July 5, 2011
W.T.O. Says Chinese Restrictions on Raw Materials Break Rules
In a dispute that highlights growing tension between China and its Western trading partners, the World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday that Beijing violated global rules by restricting exports of nine raw materials used in the manufacturing of high technology products.

July 1, 2011
'Perfect Round Trip' in Foreign Exchange
Currency markets gave investors a case of whiplash in the second quarter, as expectations swung from optimism about the global economic recovery to worries about a renewed slowdown and yet another flare-up of the European debt crisis.

June 29, 2011
Another Reason for China to Go Slow on Yuan Revaluation
The U.S. and other of China’s largest trading partners have been arguing for years now that revaluing the yuan would be good for China’s economy. Sure, China might lose some jobs in the export sector as the yuan became more expensive in dollar and euro terms. But it would make up for that disadvantage by boosting the purchasing power of Chinese consumers — whose purchases would create jobs in other sectors of the economy, especially services.

June 28, 2011
France’s Lagarde Named New Head of I.M.F.
Christine Lagarde on Tuesday became the first woman to be appointed to the helm of the International Monetary Fund, taking on one of the most powerful positions in global finance as a worsening crisis in Greece threatens the euro currency union and rattles financial markets worldwide.

June 27, 2011
Goldman Sachs: Brics Soon to be in G7
Even the world’s most bullish investment bank didn’t see this one coming so soon. The collective GDP of all four Bric countries is set to overtake that of the US by 2013 according to Goldman Sachs, whose Jim O’Neill first christened the group in 2001.

June 26, 2011
IFC Invests $35m for Finca Loan Expansion
The International Finance Corporation is making its largest single equity investment into microfinance, channelling $35m to jump-start an investment partnership to expand the reach of Finca International, one of the world’s oldest and largest organisations providing small loans to the poor.

June 22, 2011
BNDES Eyes Opening of Asian Office
The Brazilian Development Bank, which is larger than the World Bank, is considering opening an office in Asia to support the international expansion of the country’s leading companies.

June 21, 2011
World Bank in Push for Food Hedging
The World Bank is taking the rare step of encouraging companies in developing countries to buy insurance in the derivatives markets against sudden changes in food prices with a deal that should allow them to hedge $4bn worth of commodities.

June 20, 2011
IMF: Debt Crisis May 'Overwhelm' Euro Zone
The debt crisis in the euro zone's periphery is threatening to shatter the region's economic recovery and may cause a global financial disruption if not stopped, the International Monetary Fund warned Monday.

June 17, 2011
IMF Cuts Growth Forecast for Global Economy
The International Monetary Fund on Friday slightly lowered its estimate for global growth for this year to 4.3%, and said Europe's debt crisis and unexpectedly weak growth in the U.S. pose greater dangers to the global recovery than originally forecast.

June 16, 2011
Carstens Sees World Bank Role in Greece
Mexican central banker Agustín Carstens, campaigning here for the top job at the International Monetary Fund, said to ease the cost of a rescue package for Greece, the World Bank should get involved.

June 14, 2011
The Global Order Fractures as American Power Declines
Harold Macmillan, the prime minister who watched US power rise as the British empire crumbled, used to say that Britain would play ancient Greece to America’s Rome.

June 12, 2011
WTO Scrambles to Salvage Doha Talks
The gradual realisation at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva that the so-called “Doha round” of global trade talks has drifted on to the rocks has led to a scramble to salvage something from the wreck.

June 9, 2011
Report Urges End to G20 Biofuel Subsidies
Government subsidies to promote the use of biofuels should be eliminated, a group of leading multinational organisations has concluded in a report outlining ways to reduce volatility in global food prices.

June 8, 2011
World Bank: EM Inflation on the Prowl
The World Bank has upped its growth forecasts for emerging markets despite all the gloom about the US and Europe and the Middle East turmoil.

June 7, 2011
Food Prices to Stay High, Says U.N.
Drought in some areas and heavy rain in others are keeping world food prices near record levels, threatening the food supply for poorer, food-importing countries, the United Nations' food body said Tuesday.

June 6, 2011
IMF Supports UK Push on Bank Rules
The International Monetary Fund has “strongly” backed efforts by the UK and a number of other European countries to retain their power to impose tighter rules, including higher capital requirements, on their local banks.

June 2, 2011
Trichet Proposes European Finance Ministry
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, setting out a vision for the future of the euro, proposed deeper European intervention in the economic policies of euro-zone countries struggling with debt crises.

June 1, 2011
Chinese Manufacturing Growth Falters
The world’s fastest-growing economy is slowing down – of that there can be little doubt. The question is whether other nations should be nervous or thankful.

May 30, 2011
Developing Countries Fail on IMF Consensus
Lord, give us a non-European managing director of the International Monetary Fund – but not yet.

May 24, 2011
G-8 Expected to Steer Aid to Egypt, Tunisia
Meeting for the first time since social unrest began roiling the Mideast and North Africa, the Group of Eight industrialized economies is set to agree this week to provide more support for countries in the region working to build democracies and market-oriented economies.

May 23, 2011
Hungary Emerges as Surprised Star of EM
Hungary has been the surprise star of emerging markets this year, leading a string of advances in central and eastern European currencies, equities and bonds that few observers had predicted.

May 20, 2011
IMF Says Europe Must Dig Deeper To Tackle Debt Crisis
The International Monetary Fund called on Europe on Friday urgently to agree a more comprehensive sweep of measures to tackle the bloc's debt crisis, stumping up more money to keep countries afloat.

May 19, 2011
Europe and Emerging Nations Vie to Fill I.M.F. Job
Now that Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned as the chief of the International Monetary Fund, the choice of his successor is quickly turning into a competition between Europeans determined to keep the job for one of their own and leaders of emerging economic powers like China, India and South Africa that hope to break Europe’s established grip on the post.

May 18, 2011
World Bank Sees End To Dollar's Hegemony
The World Bank expects the US dollar to lose its solitary dominance in the global economy by 2025, as the euro and the renminbi establish themselves on an equal footing in a new “multi-currency” monetary system.

May 18, 2011
Pressure Builds For Greece And Portugal Despite Bailouts
The International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that Greece’s drive to shore up its troubled finances would fail unless it sharply accelerated its economic overhaul, and the European Central Bank hit back at suggestions that a debt restructuring might be the solution.

May 12, 2011
I.M.F. Warns Europe’s Debt Crisis Could Still Spread
Despite bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, Europe’s debt crisis could still spread to core euro zone countries and the emerging economies of eastern Europe, the International Monetary Fund warned on Thursday.

May 9, 2011
Commodity Prices Threaten Africa's Recovery
The head of the African Development Bank has said that rising oil and food prices are combining to create a “Molotov cocktail” for Africa as the continent attempts to push ahead with its recovery from the economic crisis.

May 9, 2011
U.S. Will Urge China to Boost Interest Rates As Talks Start
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will urge China to allow higher interest rates when he meets with Chinese leaders this week, as the U.S. extends its push for a stronger yuan.

May 5, 2011
Dollar Diplomacy: Public Policy Calls For 'Strong' Currency, But Strategy May Not
When Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner was asked last week whether the dollar’s speedy decline in recent months reflected a deliberate government strategy, he answered with the kind of language used by a generation of Treasury secretaries.

May 4, 2011
Demand for Bank Loans Mounts in Emerging World, Survey Says
Banks in emerging markets report strong and growing demand for loans from consumers and businesses, a sharp contrast with weaker demand in developed countries, a first-of-its-kind survey found.

May 4, 2011
Borrowing Costs Rise For Portugal Despite Deal On Bailout
Portugal was forced Wednesday to offer higher rates to sell short-term debt, suggesting that investors were still nervous, even after its caretaker government agreed with international creditors on a rescue plan.

May 2, 2011
China Currency Under Pressure
For years, the chief source of tension between the world’s two biggest economies has been Washington’s concern that China undervalues its currency to bolster trade.

April 29, 2011
Chinese Currency Rises Above Key Level
The Chinese currency hit a milestone Friday by rising beyond a level closely watched by analysts — the strongest since Beijing began allowing the currency, the renminbi, to rise in 2005 and a sign that the authorities might be using the appreciation as a weapon against inflation.

April 26, 2011
Sovereign Wealth Funds: Foreign Cash has its Drawbacks
State-backed investments into Latin America are set to increase, as developing countries act to secure natural resources, providing the region with a vital source of revenue but also stirring political tensions.

April 25, 2011
CIC Set For Up To $200bn In Fresh Funds
China Investment Corp, the Chinese sovereign wealth fund, will soon receive $100bn-$200bn in new funds from the government, according to three people familiar with the matter.

April 22, 2011
China Hopes Its Bond Buys Will Help Shore Up Europe
China could continue to invest some of its enormous reserves in European government debt, its ambassador to the European Union said Thursday. "It's possible we will purchase more sovereign bonds," said Song Zhe. "We are hoping to achieve stability in European financial markets."

April 20, 2011
Draghi Campaign to Run ECB After Trichet Wins Momentum With German Backing
Mario Draghi’s campaign to run the European Central Bank is gaining momentum as some German officials signal they support the Italian taking charge of euro- area monetary policy.

April 18, 2011
G-20 Names ‘Too Big to Ignore’ Economies As It Downplays Shocks
The U.S., China and five other large economies will face deeper scrutiny from their peers to ensure their policies don’t derail a global expansion that finance chiefs bet is strong enough to absorb recent shocks.

April 15, 2011
China Acts After Inflation Rises
China has imposed strict price controls on basic consumer items and is expected to allow faster appreciation of its currency in the coming months after annual inflation in the country reached its highest level in nearly three years in March.

April 13, 2011
World Bank Sets Loans for Tunisia
The World Bank is laying the groundwork for $500 million in development loans to Tunisia, the first step by international groups to support economic transitions in the Middle East with a mix of governance reforms and funding.

April 13, 2011
US Lacks Credibility on Debt, Says IMF
The US lacks a “credible strategy” to stabilise its mounting public debt, posing a small but significant risk of a new global economic crisis, says the International Monetary Fund.

4/12/11
Commodities Plummet On Demand Fears
Commodities plunged amid a rising chorus of analysts warning that high prices were eating into demand.

April 11, 2011
IMF Remains Upbeat On Global Economy
The global economic recovery is proceeding steadily but with few signs that underlying current account imbalances are being reduced, according to the International Monetary Fund.

April 11, 2011
World Bank Calls For Peacekeeping Rethink
Countries trapped in repeated cycles of war and violent crime are badly served by the global framework for peacekeeping and humanitarian relief, according to the World Bank.

April 7, 2011
Rush to Use Crops as Fuel Raises Food Prices and Hunger Fears
The starchy cassava root has long been an important ingredient in everything from tapioca pudding and ice cream to paper and animal feed.

April 4, 2011
Trichet Seen Burying Ailing Nations With Interest-Rate Rise
Jean-Claude Trichet’s shot against inflation may end up inflicting collateral damage on Europe’s most cash-strapped economies.

April 1, 2011
G20 Struggles To Ease Monetary Reform Tension
International tensions between countries representing the world’s largest currencies remained high on Thursday after an inconclusive seminar of G20 heads of government and finance ministers in China.

March 30, 2011
Global Trade Seen Limiting Food Price Volatility
Increased global trade in agricultural commodities can help to limit world food price volatility, while trade restrictions help to fuel it, economists from the World Bank and European Union said on Wednesday.

March 30, 2011
WTO To Rule On Claims Boeing Received Subsidies
A long-running transatlantic trade dispute over illegal state handouts for Airbus and Boeing comes to a head Thursday with the latest ruling from the World Trade Organization.

March 29, 2011
IMF Queries Derivatives Reform Effectiveness
New regulations aiming to reform the vast derivatives markets may fail to remove systemic risks or prevent the need for another taxpayer bail-out of the financial system, according to a research paper published by the International Monetary Fund.

March 28, 2011
ECB Emergency Scheme Seen Capping Irish Bank Bill
European Central Bank support should mean Ireland will not have to spend more than the 35 billion euros set aside to recapitalize its banks and it may also get a cheaper bailout deal next month, an EU source said on Monday.

March 25, 2011
EU Agrees Crisis Package, Portugal Clouds Summit
European leaders agreed a new package of anti-crisis measures at a two-day summit, but were forced to delay increasing their rescue fund and acknowledged they faced new threats from a government collapse in Portugal.

March 24, 2011
Portugal Woes Complicate EU Debt Crisis Summit
A political crisis in Portugal that has forced the resignation of its prime minister dominated the start of an EU summit on Thursday, further complicating efforts to solve the euro zone's debt problems.

March 23, 2011
Unrest Is The Price Of Soaring Food Costs
The political unrest in Libya and surrounding regions, which has hit global crude oil markets, is overshadowing the other big story for commodities markets: high food prices.

March 22, 2011
Inflated Expectations of China Tightening
Higher oil prices and a stronger-than-expected recovery in the U.S. have raised fears that China's inflation may be higher and more persistent than expected. But given that China's government has already tightened more than the markets recognize, the real question is how long before Beijing swings policy back to neutral mode.

March 21, 2011
World Bank Chief Calls For New Role In Middle East
The World Bank needs to rethink its role in the Arab world to find a way to tackle the pressing economic and social problems that sparked political unrest, the bank's President Robert Zoellick said on Monday.

March 20, 2011
Crises in Japan Ripple Across the Global Economy
In the wake of Japan’s cascading disasters, signs of economic loss can be found in many corners of the globe, from Sendai, on the battered Japanese coast, to Paris to Marion, Ark.

March 16, 2011
Ink Barely Dry on Finance Ministers’ Deal, Trichet Calls Europe’s New Fiscal Rules Weak
European Union finance ministers agreed on Tuesday to toughen the fiscal rules for euro zone governments, only to have the proposals dismissed as “insufficient” by the president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet.

March 15, 2011
Higher Food Prices May be Here to Stay
Agronomist Roger Elmore suspected trouble in July, when Iowa’s cool summer nights didn’t get as cool as usual. The evening heat, he knew, could mean a smaller corn harvest at a time when global food markets are so tight that anything less than a bumper U.S. yield can send prices higher.

March 14, 2011
Euro Zone Stalls on Bailout Details
Euro-zone finance ministers debated how they could enlarge the bloc's bailout funds, following the dictates of a pact sealed by national leaders early Saturday, but reached no agreement and put off further discussions to next week.

March 11, 2011
Budget Cuts Risk Loss Of US Global Influence
The US risks a sharp loss of influence at institutions such as the World Bank if Congress will not pay promised contributions, according to officials.

March 10, 2011
IMF Staff Warns Sluggish Bank-Sector Repairs Threaten Recovery
Sluggish repairs to the world’s financial sector are threatening to upset the fragile global recovery, and moral hazard–apathy cultivated when lenders are confident they’ll be bailed out–has grown since the financial crisis began, staff at the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday.

March 9, 2011
EU Debt Crisis Mounts As Market Strains Portugal
Europe's government debt crisis has flared up again in the run-up to two crucial meetings of EU leaders as Portugal had to pay 50 percent more to raise cash in the markets on Wednesday than it had to just six months ago.

March 8, 2011
Africa Growth Brings Local-Born Bankers Home
After decades of losing its best and brightest to New York and London, Africa's fast growth and expanding financial markets are helping it to lure back highly skilled, local-born bankers.

March 8, 2011
Georgia Poses Hurdle for U.S.-Russia Ties
When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. sits down with Russia’s leaders later this week, a central topic will be the payoffs of the “reset” between Russia and the United States, among them Russia’s long-awaited accession to the World Trade Organization, which American officials have vigorously supported.

March 7, 2011
Bar To Be Raised For EU Bank Stress Test
European banking regulators are preparing to introduce a “near fail” category into the new stress test process as part of a mechanism to force recapitalisations on weaker banks.

March 4, 2011
IMF Warns Food Prices To Stay High
The world faces a prolonged period of high food prices, the International Monetary Fund has warned, arguing that the main reason for the sharp rise in agricultural commodities prices is a structural shift in demand.

March 2, 2011
EU Pact Proposals Will 'Not End This Crisis'
Germany and France are pushing for the wrong solution to the eurozone economic crisis by demanding a “pact for competitiveness”, say Germany’s opposition Social Democrats.

March 1, 2011
U.S. Plans for Trade Are Stalled
President Obama has made expanding exports a centerpiece of his plan for accelerating the economic recovery, but in recent weeks, his trade agenda has nearly ground to a halt amid partisan feuding.

February 28, 2011
Debt Crisis Critical Moment For Europe: Portugal
Overcoming the sovereign debt crisis once and for all is a critical test for the European Union, Portugal said on Monday, appealing for urgent and effective support to defend it against renewed market attacks.

February 24, 2011
Global Trade Rises Back to Pre-crisis Levels
World trade has regained the levels it reached before the financial crisis, driven by rapidly rising emerging-market exports and im­ports, research suggests.

February 23, 2011
E.C.B. Criticizes Countries for Dragging Feet on Spending
The European Central Bank criticized political leaders Tuesday on the grounds of moving too timidly against countries whose excessive spending and borrowing had endangered the stability of the euro.

February 23, 2011
I.M.F. Reviews Praised Libya, Egypt and Other Nations
Less than two weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund’s executive board, its highest authority, assessed a North African country’s economy and commended its government for its “ambitious reform agenda.” The I.M.F. also welcomed its “strong macroeconomic performance and the progress on enhancing the role of the private sector,” and “encouraged” the authorities to continue on that promising path.

February 18, 2011
Bernanke Warns of Money-Flow Imbalances Between Nations
As the global economy recovers from the recession, imbalances in flows of money between nations could pose new threats to financial stability and the recovery if unchecked, the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said Friday.

February 16, 2011
Europe Finance Chiefs Delay Decision on Increasing Bailout Fund
European finance ministers want their permanent rescue fund to be able to lend more money to struggling countries, but held off Tuesday from making any formal decisions.

February 15, 2011
Chronic Hunger to Affect 1bn People
The number of chronically hungry people is approaching 1bn, the level last seen during the 2007-08 food crisis, in the clearest sign yet of the humanitarian impact of rising agricultural commodities prices in poor countries.

February 14, 2011
France seeks G20 deal on Imbalances, Unsure of Success
France played down hopes on Monday of clinching a deal at a meeting of G20 finance ministers this week on which indicators should be used to measure global economic imbalances, but said that remained its goal.

Februrary 11, 2011
US Lawmakers Revive China Currency Bill
A group of US lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to punish China for holding down its currency, a bill likely to encounter stiff resistance in the House of Representatives.

February 9, 2011
IMF Warns on Europe Debt Spillover
possible global economic slowdown stemming from Europe's sovereign debt problems could affect currency and stock markets and weigh heavily on Japan's growth prospects, an International Monetary Fund official said on Wednesday.

February 8, 2011
Reform Blueprint Gives G20 Authority Over IMF
A more representative Group of 20 leading economies should take ultimate authority over the International Monetary Fund to give the Washington-based organisation greater political clout in resolving global crises, according to a panel of former policymakers.

February 7, 2011
Romania To Secure Precautionary IMF Loan
Romania is set to obtain a new €5bn precautionary loan deal from the International Monetary Fund and European Union, its president has confirmed.

February 4, 2010
Crops Wither and Prices Rise in Chinese Drought
A severe drought in northern China has badly damaged the winter wheat crop and left the ground very dry for the spring planting, fueling inflation and alarming China’s leaders.

February 3, 2011
Tackle Export Bans to Ease Food Crisis
Listening to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France one can only fear for the G20 agenda for food security and commodities policy.

February 1, 2011
Commodity Super-Cycle is Back in Full Swing
Sovereign debt risks, high unemployment, the threat of deflation, regulatory uncertainty. Just a few of the anxieties currently keeping financial markets on edge and which set a less than auspicious backdrop for commodities to stage a strong performance in 2011.

February 1, 2011
IMF Warns on Asian Economies
Fast-growing Asian economies face a risk of overheating and may need to tighten monetary policy further, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.

January 31, 2011
Boeing Received Improper Subsidies, W.T.O. Says
A panel at the World Trade Organization ruled on Monday that the American plane maker Boeing received improper subsidies for its 787 Dreamliner and other jet models, giving it an unfair advantage against its European rival, Airbus, European officials said.

January 30, 2011
Inflation In China May Limit U.S. Trade Deficit
Inflation is starting to slow China’s mighty export machine, as buyers from Western multinational companies balk at higher prices and have cut back their planned spring shipments across the Pacific.

January 26, 2010
Global Economy Fears Ease at Davos Forum
Participants at the opening sessions of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday shrugged off weak UK growth figures and expressed confidence that the global economy is set fair.

January 24, 2011
Sarkozy Seeks To Regulate Capital Flows
Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, called for a code of conduct to regulate international capital flows on Monday amid warnings that the money pouring into emerging economies would grow again in 2011, exacerbating tensions seen last year in the international financial system.

January 21, 2011
Indonesia To Cut Import Duties
Indonesia will scrap import duties on dozens of goods, from fertiliser to wheat and soya beans, in an effort to curb surging food prices behind higher inflation in south-east Asia’s largest economy.

January 19, 2011
Renminbi Issue Is Put On The Backburner
Before Hu Jintao even set foot in ice-bound Washington this week, the Chinese president’s impending visit was met with a renewed blast of chilly air from Capitol Hill on the tempestuous subject of the renminbi.

January 17, 2011
China’s Lending Hits New Heights
China has lent more money to other developing countries over the past two years than the World Bank, a stark indication of the scale of Beijing’s economic reach and its drive to secure natural resources.

January 16, 2011
‘Bric’ Creator Adds Newcomers to List
Jim O’Neill, who coined the term “Bric”, is about to redefine further emerging markets and will explain the new approach to clients this month.

January 14, 2010
Vietnam's Brands Face Identity Crisis As Affluence Grows
When one of the owners of Quan An Ngon, a popular restaurant group that sells upmarket street food to tourists and office workers, broke away with the group’s Hanoi outlet under the existing brand name, the other shareholders turned to their lawyer.

January 13, 2011
World Bank Backs Efforts to Counter Rapid Inflows
Emerging market countries should consider all possible means to prevent rapid and volatile capital inflows destabilising their economies, according to the World Bank.

January 11, 2011
France, U.S. Diverge on G-20 Goals
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he recognized the importance of the dollar, but vowed after meeting President Barack Obama "to propose new ideas" that could affect the international currency system—suggesting a divergence in economic priorities.

January 10, 2010
Europe's Woes Put Debt Shake-up Back on the Agenda
For some analysts, the prospect of an indebted eurozone nation having to restructure its debts has become as certain as death and taxes.

January 9, 2010
Trade War Looming, Warns Brazil
Brazil has warned that the world is on course for a full-blown “trade war” as it stepped up its rhetoric against exchange rate manipulation.

January 7, 2011
Indian Food Prices Keep Rising
Food prices in India are continuing their sharp rise, increasing concerns among economists about a prolonged period of high prices and adding pressure to the central bank to raise interest rates later this month.

January 6, 2011
Surging Capital Inflows Pull IMF into Fray
The International Monetary Fund has called for global guidelines on managing international capital flows, a sign of rising tensions as governments impose blocks on cross-border movements of speculative money.

January 5, 2011
US Moves to Defuse Trade Dispute
The US is proposing to restrict its own ability to impose emergency tariffs on imports deemed to be priced unfairly low, a move that could defuse a long-running dispute with major trading partners.

January 4, 2011
World Bank Issues Its First Yuan Bond
The World Bank issued its first bond denominated in the Chinese yuan, borrowing 500 million yuan ($75.9 million) over two years.

December 31, 2010
Warning on China, U.S. Feed Spat
An investigation that China launched Tuesday into U.S. exports of an animal feed is "surprising and could be disruptive to trade," the U.S. Grains Council said in a statement Friday.

December 30, 2010
IMF Chides Pakistan on Budget Gap
The International Monetary Fund issued a stern warning to Pakistan to take steps to cut its spiraling budget deficit, said a senior Pakistani government official.

December 22, 2010
African Farmers Displaced as Investors Move In
The half-dozen strangers who descended on this remote West African village brought its hand-to-mouth farmers alarming news: their humble fields, tilled from one generation to the next, were now controlled by Libya’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and the farmers would all have to leave.

December 22, 2010
IMF Completes Gold Sale Programme
The International Monetary Fund has said that it has completed its large programme of gold sales, removing one of the few bearish elements restraining the bullion market.

December 16, 2010
US Claims Progress in China Trade Talks
US officials have claimed “progress” on a number of thorny issues in trade relations with China, from intellectual property to beef to software, following two days of high-level talks in Washington.

December 13, 2010
WTO Upholds US Tariffs on Chinese Tires
The US notched up a win in a trade dispute with China over tyre imports as senior officials gathered in Washington for a round of high-level economic talks.

December 13, 2010
Sarkozy: G-20 Should Set Capital Flow Rules
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday called on the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations to try and devise rules aimed at taming capital flows that can be disruptive to countries' monetary policy.

December 9, 2010
World Bank Investigators Sign Information-Sharing Agreements With Client Countries
The World Bank’s integrity unit, seeking to conduct more parallel investigations with national authorities, has signed cooperation agreements with Sudan, Thailand and Uganda, a bank investigator said.

December 8, 2010
Zoellick: Rule Of Law At The ‘Center’ Of The Development Agenda
The World Bank will play a larger role in fostering global anti-corruption efforts while monitoring its projects, bank President Robert B. Zoellick said Tuesday, calling the rule of law “the center of the development agenda.”

December 7, 2010
EU, Russia Reach Deal Paving Way to WTO Membership
The European Union and Moscow have reached a deal settling outstanding trade issues which should smooth the way for Russia to become a member of the World Trade Organization next year.

December 6, 2010
Merkel Rebuffs IMF Call to Raise Euro Zone Fund
Euro zone finance ministers meeting on Monday face IMF pressure to increase the size of a 750 billion euro ($1,006 billion) safety net for debt-stricken members to halt contagion in the single currency bloc.

December 3, 2010
WTO Blocks EU Tariffs on Chinese Screws
The World Trade Organization Friday condemned European Union antidumping tariffs on imports of Chinese screws, handing Beijing its biggest legal victory yet at the Geneva-based body. EU officials described the decision as a significant setback.

December 2, 2010
IMF Warns India on Overheating Dangers
The International Monetary Fund has warned against the dangers of the fast-growing Indian economy overheating with high inflation and the formation of asset bubbles as it pushes beyond its potential.

December 1, 2010
WTO: World Trade Growth Slowing
The rebound in the value of world trade flows slowed sharply in the third quarter, an indication that the global economic recovery has lost some momentum.

November 29, 2010
IMF Admits Failings In Predicting Irish Crisis
The International Monetary Fund has conceded it could have done better in predicting Ireland’s property and banking crash that led to in Sunday’s announcement of a €85bn bail-out by the fund and Ireland’s European partners.

November 23, 2010
World Bank Gives China Measured Praise on Green Energy
China is making progress in meeting targets to get 15% of its energy from non-fossil fuels by 2020, but it needs to improve and expand hydropower generation and deal with inefficiency in its wind-power sector, the World Bank said Tuesday.

November 22, 2010
Creativity is Key if Latin America is to Progress
Successful Latin American countries will have to learn to live with appreciated currencies.

November 19, 2010
IMF Head Urges Policy Coordination
The global economy's recovery is under threat from uneven performances around the world, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Friday, suggesting that countries need to collaborate more on economic policy.

November 18, 2010
Latin America's Tumble Puts Decoupling Thesis to Test
Is it time to revisit the notion that emerging markets have decoupled? Maybe, at least in Latin America.

November 17, 2010
Fears of New Food Crisis as Prices Soar
The bill for global food imports will top $1,000bn this year for the second time ever, putting the world “dangerously close” to a new food crisis, the United Nations said.

November 15, 2010
Bank Execs Warn Against Over-Regulation
Top executives from several major European banks on Monday warned against over-regulating financial markets, which the executives fear could make Germany and other countries less attractive as financial centers.

November 12, 2010
G-20 Meeting Puts Off Hard Calls on Trade Imbalances
Leaders of the world’s biggest economies agreed on Friday to curb “persistently large imbalances” in saving and spending but deferred until next year tough decisions on how to identify and fix them.

November 11, 2010
Zoellick Warns on Currency Tensions
World Bank President Robert Zoellick on Wednesday said global tensions about foreign-exchange rates are likely to remain, and he warned they may lead to greater protectionism if not managed properly.

November 10, 2010
Regime for Big Banks Kept Fluid
Governments and financial regulators will keep fluid a list of big banks that should be classed as global systemically important financial institutions – or GSifis – as they strive to deal with the potential danger of a two-tier system.

November 9, 2010
Poor Nations Also on G-20 Agenda
Although this week's Group of 20 summit is focusing on currency turmoil, the summiteers are also putting together a plan to give the G-20 a big role in spurring economic development in poor nations.

Novermber 8, 2010
Trichet Plays Down Currency-War Fears
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet tried Monday to calm an increasingly heated argument over foreign-exchange policies, dismissing suggestions that the world's major powers are deliberately weakening their currencies.

November 5, 2010
South Korea Urges Policy Shift Over Aid
The world’s largest economies are expected to announce next week that they will shift the focus of their international development programmes away from financial aid towards investment, trade and infrastructure.

November 5, 2010
Race for Resources Tests Trade Openness
An Australian minerals company failing to take over a Canadian fertiliser producer hardly sounds like the turning-point at which globalisation went into sharp retreat.

November 2, 2010
Move Aims to End Trade Talks Deadlock
An attempt to breathe new life into flagging multilateral trade talks has been launched by a combination of advanced and emerging economies, spearheaded by the UK, Germany, Indonesia and Turkey.

November 1, 2010
U.S. Is Seeking `More Progress' by Emerging Markets on Currencies at G-20
The U.S. wants emerging markets to show progress toward greater flexibility in their exchange rates at the Group of 20 summit next week, said Lael Brainard, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for international affairs.

October 29, 2010
Private Sector Interest Grows in African Farming
Mounting concern over security of food supplies is spurring a wave of private-sector investment in Africa that many hope will put it at the center of a green revolution.

October 27, 2010
EU Pushes China to Open Bidding
Amid the global brawl over Beijing's exchange-rate policy, the European Union is leading a push against China on another front: public contracts.

October 26, 2010
IMF Lifts Africa Growth View
Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to post better-than-expected growth this year and next, due in part to increased trade with China and other fast-growing economies in Asia and Latin America, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund.

October 25 2010
G-20 Presses On With Plan to Cool Currency Battles
The Group of 20 nations are pursuing an accord to end battles over currencies that relies on goodwill and peer pressure rather than enforceable sanctions.

October 22, 2010
G-20 Proposal on Curbing Trade Imbalances Faces Opposition
A proposal among the Group of 20 nations to target curbs on current-account imbalances, meant to avert a "currency war," itself ran into opposition from industrial and developing nations Friday.

October 20, 2010
Summers: Russia to Join WTO Within a Year
Russia's 17-year bid to join the World Trade Organization may be successfully completed within a year, an economic adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday.

October 19, 2010
World Bank Warns on Asian ‘Bubble’
Inflows of capital are posing a growing risk to East Asian macro-economic stability, according to the World Bank’s half-yearly review of regional trends.

October 18, 2010
China Escalates Trade Fight With U.S. on Energy Aid
A dispute between China and the United States over Beijing’s subsidies to clean energy industries escalated on Sunday when a senior Chinese economic official warned that Washington “cannot win this trade fight.”

October 15, 2010
U.S. Plans Inquiry on China’s Subsidies of Clean Energy
The Obama administration announced Friday that it would investigate a complaint accusing China of illegally subsidizing its clean-energy industries, in another sign of its newly assertive posture over China’s trade and commercial policies.

October 14, 2010
Trade: Export Bans Prompt Reviews of Security of Supplies
The 2007-08 food crisis, when there were riots as the price of agricultural commodities such as wheat and rice reached record highs, also saw the first widespread use of export controls in global trade in more than 30 years.

October 13, 2010
Asia Faces Challenge of Channelling Floods
As money surges with ever greater force from the west into emerging markets, nowhere does fear of asset bubbles and currency volatility run deeper than in the fast-growing economies of Asia.

October 12, 2010
From Currency To Current Account?
As China faces the prospect of increasing international pressure over its exchange-rate policy, its leaders are looking for new ways to defuse those trade tensions.

October 11, 2010
G20 Currency Fist Fight Rolls into Town
Pity the South Koreans. They had wanted next month’s G20 summit in Seoul to create a new financial safety net for troubled governments, seal agreement on banking capital accords and reorientate poor countries’ development policy towards the investment-led growth that Korea itself so spectacularly achieved.

October 9, 2010
IMF Report Calls for Updating Surveillance Role
Under an International Monetary Fund proposal, the fund's board would authorize its managing director to broker compromises on major issues such as currency strains that impact the global financial systems.

October 8, 2010
World Bank Steps Up Corruption Fight
The World Bank has sharply stepped up its fight against bribery and other corruption and expects to bring several high-profile cases next year, Leonard McCarthy, vice-president for institutional integrity, told the Financial Times.

October 7, 2010
Interventionist Talk Ahead of IMF Meeting
Strong labour force data drove the Australian dollar to its highest level since it was floated on foreign exchange markets in 1983.

October 6, 2010
IMF Says Public Debt, Fragile Banks Pose Risks to Growth
High unemployment, public debt and fragile banking systems pose risks to global prosperity, the International Monetary Fund said, urging policy makers to take bolder steps to assure a sustained recovery.

October 4, 2010
China Calls for More Asian Clout in Global Economy
The surging economies of the East should be granted more power in the traditionally Western-dominated global financial institutions, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday at the opening of the Euro-Asian summit.

October 1, 2010
Russia and U.S. Reach WTO Agreement
The U.S. and Russia have settled all of their differences regarding Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Friday.

September 30, 2010
Eye on China, House Votes for Greater Tariff Powers
The House of Representatives sent an unusually confrontational signal to the Chinese leadership on Wednesday, voting overwhelmingly to give the Obama administration expanded authority to impose tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports to the United States.

Septermber 29, 2010
Zoellick Seeks Development Reform
Economists from rich nations should modify their approach to international development in order to reflect the rise of emerging economies and lessons from the financial crisis, according to Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank.

September 27, 2010
Emerging Nations to Outgrow Rich Ones by 2015, World Bank Says
Emerging nations will account for a bigger portion of the global economy than developed countries by 2015, as middle-class populations from southeast Asia to Latin America expand while public and private investment grows, according to a World Bank report.

September 24, 2010
Europe Pressed to Surrender IMF Board Seats
European countries must give up seats on the board of the International Monetary Fund if the institution is to remain credible, the Brazilian representative at the IMF has warned.

September 22, 2010
Romania Needs to Borrow $7.9 billion in 2011
Romania needs to borrow almost euro6 billions ($7.9 billion) next year to cover its budget deficit and plans to sign a new deal with the International Monetary Fund in 2011 to shore up the ailing economy, the president said.

September 21, 2010
Russian WTO Bid Picks Up Momentum
Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization picked up steam on Tuesday and the United States said there was new energy in the 17-year-old talks.

September 20, 2010
World Trade ‘Set to Surge 13.5%’
World trade is expected to grow by 13.5 per cent this year, a third higher than the previous estimate, according to Pascal Lamy, head of the World Trade Organisation .

September 20, 2010
EU, IMF Assure Investors on Greek Aid: Source
Greece's international lenders assured investors this week that they would not abandon Athens at the end of a 3-year bailout plan if it fulfilled tough reforms but failed to regain market trust, a source told Reuters on Sunday.

September 17, 2010
IMF Would Consider Extending Greece More Aid
The International Monetary Fund hasn't ruled out putting together more aid for Greece to help the country stave off an unlikely default, if ever needed, a person familiar with the matter said.

September 15, 2010
WTO Sends Boeing Ruling to U.S., EU
The World Trade Organization Wednesday at 4 p.m. CET (10 a.m. Eastern time) sent its ruling on U.S. government help for Boeing Co. to officials from the U.S. and European Union, the two parties fighting this six-year-old dispute, the most expensive in WTO history.

September 14. 2010
I.M.F. Calls for Countries to Focus on Creating Jobs
Rising long-term unemployment, especially among young people, poses the next big threat to the global economic recovery, the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday.

September 10, 2010
U.S. Pressures I.M.F. to Expand Role of Growing Economies
In a move that has met with resistance in Europe, the United States is pushing to reduce the Continent’s influence over the International Monetary Fund and grant more of a say to economies outside of Europe that are growing and leading the global recovery.

September 9, 2010
Union Accuses China of Illegal Clean Energy Subsidies
The United Steelworkers union plans to file a legal case with the Obama administration on Thursday, accusing China of violating World Trade Organization rules by subsidizing exports of clean energy equipment, the union’s president and his advisers said.

September 8, 2010
Argentina Ready for IMF Deal on Paris Club Debt
Argentina has reversed policy and is ready to accept International Monetary Fund scrutiny of its much-questioned public accounts in order to reach a deal to repay $7bn owed to western government creditors in the Paris Club.

September 7, 2010
World Bank Backs Investment in Global Farmland
The World Bank has backed the controversial practice of countries selling large tracts of agricultural land to overseas investors but is urging vendors to demand much more to increase their farming productivity and peoples’ livehoods.

September 3, 2010
EU Wants to Keep IMF Seats
European Union finance ministers are unlikely to decide to cut the number of European seats at the executive board of the International Monetary Fund any time soon, according to EU sources, despite pressure from the United States.

September 2, 2010
Monetary Fund Warns G-7 on Debt Levels
The world’s most developed economies, which have been racking up spending since the mid-1960s, face record levels of debt as a result of the 2008-9 financial crisis and have little room for maneuver, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday.

September 1, 2010
Hints Of Change In The World Monetary System
Ever since its inception 66 years ago, the International Monetary Fund has fancied itself at the center of the global economy.

August 31, 2010
IMF Expands Loan Offerings to Developing Countries
The International Monetary Fund said Monday it would broaden the kinds of loans it offers to encourage a large swath of developing countries to get financial help before they are engulfed in crisis.

August 27, 2010
Syria Seeks First Foreign Investment in Power Plants
Syria wants international companies to set up the country's first private power-generation plant north of the capital Damascus at a cost of about $300 million as it seeks to open up more of its economy to foreign investment.

August 26, 2010
US Plans for Easier Way to Set Import Tariffs
The US on Thursday proposed a raft of measures to make it easier for companies to slap emergency tariffs on unfairly priced or subsidised imports but avoided the vexed question of whether such measures should reflect misaligned exchange rates.

August 24, 2010
Hungary Rules Out New IMF Loan
Hungary said on Wednesday that it would not seek a new loan deal with the International Monetary Fund when talks resume in the autumn, insisting it was able to borrow on financial markets without the assistance of the Washington-based lender.

August 23, 2010
World Bank Defends Controversial HFC Carbon- Cut Plants
The World Bank has defended its investment in chemical plants accused by green groups of raising production of greenhouse gas HFC-23 with the aim of incinerating it to get extra carbon offsets worth millions of dollars. Approved under the Kyoto Protocol's $2.7 billion Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) scheme, 19 plants mainly in China and India are issued offsets by the UN for incinerating the refrigerant waste gas called hydrofluorocarbon-23.

August 20,2010
Greek Government Plans New Taxes, Spending Cuts
The Greek government is preparing a series of new tax increases and spending cuts to comply with deficit limits set for 2011 by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

August 19, 2010
Floods Spur Pakistan To Seek $10bn IMF Loan Restructure
Pakistan is to ask the International Monetary Fund to ease restrictions on a $10bn loan it received in 2008 after concluding that the recent devastating floods had made the conditions attached to the lending programme impossible to meet.

August 18 ,2010
Vietnam Devaluation Fails to Stem Dong's Fall
Vietnam must have hoped that Tuesday’s devaluation of the dong would stem the downward pressure on the currency, but on Wednesday it was trading even lower on the black market suggesting the possibility of further devaluations.

August 16, 2010
WTO Delivers Second Rebuff to Brussels
The European Union lost its second big trade battle in as many weeks after a World Trade Organisation panel ruled that its duties on electronics products broke international rules.

August 16,2010
As Economies Diverge, So Could the Fate of EU Leaders
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has seen her popularity ratings fall, dragged down by squabbling in her centre-right government and accusations she mismanaged the euro crisis.

August 11, 2010
WTO Rebuke Spurs EU Rethink On Duties
The European Union has been rebuked by the World Trade Organisation for the way it imposes extra duties on imports it deems unfairly priced, with potential implications for a wide range of products ranging from shoes to glazed tiles.

August 12, 2010
Web of Shadow Banking Must be Unravelled
A couple of years ago, it occurred to me that the 21st century financial system had come to resemble a huge ball of candy floss (or cotton candy, as Americans might say). For bankers had become so adept at slicing and dicing debt instruments, and then re-using these in numerous deals, they had in effect spun a great web of leverage and trading activity – in much the same way that sugar is spun in a bowl to create candy floss.

August 9, 2010
WTO Condemns Australian Ban on New Zeland Apples
Australia's decades-old restrictions on imports of New Zealand apples break international trade laws and should be amended, the World Trade Organization said on Monday. The WTO panel ruling should open the way for New Zealand to resume sales of apples to its biggest trading partner after nearly 90 years, and holds out the possibility of access to other Asian markets where its apples are banned for similar reasons.

August 11, 2010
The Demographics Driving Nations' Wealth
Demography is not destiny. In 1300, China was bigger than Europe and had the world's most sophisticated technology. But China blew it. By 1850, its population was 65% larger than Europe's, but—thanks to the Industrial Revolution—Europeans were far richer.

August 10,2010
World Bank Urgues Nations to Avoid Food Export Bans
The World Bank on Monday urged countries to refrain from imposing policies that could trigger a new global food price crisis as drought-hit Russia said it could extend a grain export ban into next year.

August 6, 2010
Greece Meets Austerity Targets
Greece met all its targets under an austerity plan mapped out by the European Union and International Monetary Fund, according to the external agencies monitoring the program, but they warned that overspending by local governments, hospitals and social-security funds were offsetting a better-than-planned fiscal performance by central government.

August 8, 2010
US Plan Fails to End Africa’s Trade Isolation
Ten years ago, the US unveiled a programme which boldly proclaimed it would help end Africa’s isolation from world trade. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) has extended duty-free access to the US market to about 40 countries, including in the highly contentious area of garments and textiles.

August 5, 2010
Milestone Issue For Renminbi Debt
Plans by the Asian Development Bank and International Finance Corporation to issue renminbi-denominated bonds in Hong Kong could provide a big boost to the fledgling market in offshore renminbi debt being developed by China.

August 5, 2010
Taiwan Begins Trade Talks With Singapore
Taiwan achieved a big breakthrough in its attempts at formal integration into the international economy on Thursday as it announced the start of trade negotiations with Singapore.

August 3, 2010
World Bank Probes $3.75 Billion Loan to South Africa's Eskom
The World Bank has launched a probe into its procedures related to the approval of a $3.75 billion loan to South Africa's Eskom, but the loan to the power firm is unlikely to be affected.

August 2, 2010
Hungary Does Without EU and IMF
Inside the Ministry for National Economy here, a sign proclaims a "revolution" in Hungarian politics and declares that the country has regained its "ability for autonomy."

July 30, 2010
IMF: France Needs Further Steps to Deliver on Fiscal Goals
The International Monetary Fund Friday urged France to take additional measures to meet its medium-term deficit reduction targets, warning that economic growth is fragile and risks to the outlook are slanted to the downside.

July 29, 2010
IMF Sees China's Trade Surplus Ballooning
China's trade surplus is set to balloon again unless the government takes more steps to support domestic consumption, including letting its currency strengthen, the International Monetary Fund warned in its annual review of the nation's economy.

July 27, 2010
World Bank Warns On "Farmland Grab"
Investors in farmland are targeting countries with weak laws, buying arable land on the cheap and failing to deliver on promises of jobs and investments, according to the draft of a report by the World Bank.

July 25, 2010
Troika to Assess Greek Economic Reforms
A team from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund will on Monday start a rigorous check of Greece’s progress with implementing economic reforms.

July 22, 2010
Business Groups Press Emerging Economies Over Doha
Brazil, China and India must use their growing economic might to help revive deadlocked global trade talks, a coalition of business lobby groups said in a letter to U.S. and European Union trade negotiators.

July 21,2010
IMF Shifts Advice to Banks on Asset Bubbles
The International Monetary Fund's executive board said central banks may want to use interest rates in a "limited" way the next time they encounter an asset bubble that needs to be pricked, weighing in as the Federal Reserve and other major central banks reevaluate their bubble-fighting strategies.

July 20, 2010
IMF Stand-Off Hits Hungary Debt Sale
Hungary suffered its second debt auction failure in the space of two months on Tuesday as fears rose over the country’s commitment to economic reforms.

July 19,2010
I.M.F. Turns on the Charm in Asia
That warm glow and soft purring emanating from South Korea was the International Monetary Fund trying, yet again, to put the Asian financial crisis behind it.

July 16, 2010
U.S. Business Sees Doha Trade Deal Momentum in 2011
Trade is moving back up the U.S. political agenda and there is scope to reach a deal next year in the long-running Doha round and other stalled trade negotiations, industry lobbyists said on Friday.

July 15, 2010
US Trade Official Calls for China to Address "Serious" Concerns
The U.S. continues to have "serious" concerns about China's restrictive trade policies despite some recent moves to improve market access, a senior trade official said Thursday.

July 11, 2010
IMF Warns On Emergng Market Currency Controls
Tighter capital controls in Asia and Latin America should only be used to combat short-term surges in investment and must not become permanent, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned yesterday.

July 13, 2010
IMF Halts Funds to Central African Bank In Fraud Concern
The International Monetary Fund has halted disbursements to the regional bank used by oil-producing nations in Central Africa because of persistent concern about fraud, Fund and other officials said.

July 12, 2010
Seoul Forum Helps Heal IMF Wounds
SEOUL—A conference the South Korean government is co-hosting with the International Monetary Fund on Monday is designed to yield high-minded discussions and headlines about Asia's growing importance in the world economy.

July 12, 2010
Crisis Awaits World’s Banks as Trillions Come Due
The sovereign debt crisis would seem to create worry enough for European banks, but there is another gathering threat that has not garnered as much notice: the trillions of dollars in short-term borrowing that institutions around the world must repay or roll over in the next two years.

July 9, 2010
WTO to Delay Boeing Subsidy Ruling
BRUSSELS—The World Trade Organization said Thursday it will delay until mid-September its ruling on a complaint by the European Union accusing the U.S. of providing illegal public subsidies to aircraft giant Boeing Co.

July 8, 2010
IMF Warns On Global Recovery
The risk of a slowdown in the global economic recovery has risen sharply, but governments should continue planning to tighten fiscal policy, the International Monetary Fund has said.

July 8, 2010
IMF Warns of Contagion Threat to US
The US economy has rebounded faster than expected but faces the threat of contagion from sovereign debt problems in Europe, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

July 6, 2010
African Development Bank Bullish on Continent
Africa is making a "spectacular" recovery from the global recession thanks to decades of market reform and strong trade ties with China, the chief economist for the African Development Bank said Tuesday.

July 6, 2010
Russia and 2 Neighbors Form Economic Union
The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan took their longest stride to date in linking their economies, forming a customs union that they say will soon evolve into a more ambitious common market, with Russia at its hub.

July 2, 2010
IMF Considers 'New Tool Kit' to Head Off Market Meltdowns and Hoarding
The world's top economic powers and the International Monetary Fund are studying creation of a global financial safety net that would give countries quick access to large amounts of cash as a way to stave off crises and discourage emerging-market nations from hoarding foreign reserves.

July 1, 2010
Emerging Asia Toys with Capital Controls
It used to be something of a backpackers' special, but these days they are calling the Monday morning flight from Singapore to Jakarta the bankers' express.

June 30, 2010
U.S. Dollar Share of Global FX Reserves Slips in Q1
(Reuters) - The U.S. dollar's share of global currency reserves eased slightly to 61.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010 as total holdings climbed to a new record, International Monetary Fund data showed on Wednesday.

June 25, 2010
WTO's Lamy: Yuan Flexibility 'Significant,' But Not Cure-All
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--China's decision to allow flexibility in the yuan's exchange rate is a "very significant development," but one that will have a greater impact globally on the political front than on the economic front, according to the head of the World Trade Organization.

June 28, 2010
IMF Report Shows Deeper Cuts Would Boost Growth
TORONTO—The International Monetary Fund estimates that global growth in five years would expand 2.5% faster if the U.S. and other wealthy countries slash budget deficits more deeply than they are planning, and if China and other large emerging countries do more to boost domestic consumption

June 22, 2010
U.S. Rejects WTO Panel On Clove Cigarette Ban
(Reuters) - The United States rejected on Tuesday a call by Indonesia for a World Trade Organization panel to rule on their dispute over the U.S. ban on clove-flavoured cigarettes.

June 23, 2010
G20 To Warn Against Complacency On Economy
(Reuters) -The Group of 20 major economies will warn against complacency in tackling the global economic crisis and say that sickly public accounts could hit long-term growth, a draft G20 document shows. The draft version of the summit communique, obtained by Reuters and drawn up ahead of a G20 leaders meeting this weekend in Toronto, reflected the different views within the G20 on how to proceed with economic policy.

June 22,2010
The Economy: Effort to Speed Up Pace of Development
Western donors need success stories in Africa to justify their efforts and, for 15 years or more, Mozambique’s economic performance has fitted that requirement. Since the country’s recovery from civil war began in 1993, it has had one of the continent’s best track records, with growth averaging about 8 per cent a year. But the question a number of international officials and economists ask is whether, given all the funding flowing into the country, it should have been growing even faster.

June 21, 2010
Sleight of Hand is Not the Best Reform
A US House-Senate conference has started work on merging the chambers' respective financial reform bills. This tortuous process still has some way to go. The good news is that the plans are similar, and not that different from the blueprint suggested by the administration last year. Agreement will most likely be reached, and the final measure will tick the main boxes. It will be better than nothing. The bad news is that it will be no more than a start.

June 17, 2010
Trade Tensions With China Shadow G-20 Meeting
Anger toward China’s currency, trade and industrial policies has been steadily mounting in Congress, adding pressure on President Obama to take a tough stance with his Chinese counterparts at the Group of 20 leaders’ meeting next week in Toronto.

June 16, 2010
Steep Price Rises Spark Fears Over Global Food Security
Food commodity prices will increase more than previously expected in the next decade because of rising energy prices and developing countries' rapid growth, two leading organisations said yesterday, worsening the outlook for global food security.

June 13, 2010
Analysis: Donor cuts add pressure to World Bank aid drive
The World Bank will need to get creative in raising funds to help the poorest countries now that the richest ones are feeling pinched themselves. In 2007, the World Bank collected $42 billion for the International Development Association, or IDA, the world's largest fund for the poor.

June 11, 2010
Bank Regulation Seen Hurting Commodity Exporters
Tighter banking regulation could increase the borrowing costs of commodity exporters, including African companies which are already struggling to access needed trade financing, senior bankers said on Thursday.

June 10, 2010
World Bank Urges Fiscal Tightening
Rich countries can help developing economies grow faster by rapidly cutting government spending or raising taxes, the World Bank said yesterday.

June 9, 2010
World Bank-Double-dip Recession Can't be Ruled Out
The World Bank on Wednesday said a double-dip recession could not be ruled out in some countries if investors lose faith in efforts in Europe and elsewhere to tackle rising debt levels.

June 7, 2010
Group Scraps Stimulus Plans
Finance ministers of the world's leading economies have been so spooked by the sovereign debt crisis that they have decided they can no longer wait until economies are growing strongly before they remove fiscal stimulus.

June 5, 2010
Regional Pacts Must Not Sap Doha Talks: WTO Chief
Regional trade negotiations are a good idea so long as they do not sap energy from the main Doha round of world trade talks, the World Trade Organisation's head said on Saturday.

June 3, 2010
G-20 Draft Warns of Fragile Recovery
The Group of 20 industrial and developing powers warned of risks to the global economic recovery while urging quick efforts to cut budget deficits, in a draft statement seen by Dow Jones Newswires Thursday.

June 2, 2010
EU Commissioner Wants U.S. Action on Trade
Karel De Gucht, the European Union's trade commissioner, challenged the U.S. Wednesday to break an impasse in the current round of global trade talks.

June 2, 2010
China to Submit New Procurement Proposal to WTO
China will submit a new proposal by mid-July to the World Trade Organization to join the WTO government procurement agreement, which regulates trade in public-sector purchases, trade officials said on Wednesday.

June 1, 2010
Bernanke Says Global Recovery Depends on Emerging Markets, Central Banks
The global economy will depend increasingly on emerging markets to foster strong growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said, adding that central banks worldwide must carefully weigh the timing of their withdrawals from various economic stimulus programs put in place during the financial crisis.

May 29, 2010
African Bank to Triple its Level of Capital
The African Development Bank overtook the World Bank as the leading multilateral lender to Africa during the financial crisis last year and now plans to triple its capital base to $100bn.

May 26, 2010
Africa's Local Champions Begin to Spread Out
Foreign consumer-goods companies including Coca-Cola Co., Nestlé SA and Unilever PLC have been in Africa for decades without much competition from local players. Now, home-grown companies are expanding aggressively across the continent, eager to accommodate a growing middle-class among the billion-person population.

May 25, 2010
New Plans Try to Revive Carbon Trading
Carbon trading was meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by making polluting more expensive for heavy industries, encouraging them to invest in cleaner technology. But even supporters admit that the system, also known as cap and trade, is falling far short of that goal. Critics decry it as just another form of financial profiteering with little environmental benefit.

May 25, 2010
To Avoid a Lost Decade, Look to the Developing World
Riots, debts and the creeping fear of a looming Lost Decade - no wonder there is pessimism in Europe. But what we are seeing is not just "financial crisis, part two"; it is "sustainable growth challenge, part one". The difference has implications for policy. Get the diagnosis wrong and the wrong treatment will follow.

May 24, 2010
U.S. Businesses Back More Trade Action vs. China
American companies are becoming more comfortable with the U.S. Congress taking a role in trying to level the playing field for businesses in China, said Thomas J. Donohue, chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

May 21, 2010
Senators Seek Curbs on Foreign Bailouts
The Senate approved Monday a measure that could make it harder to deploy U.S. funds in rescuing foreign governments, signaling Congress's unease with the sort of global economic aid recently given to Greece.

May 20, 2010
WTO's Lamy Sees Trade Pact Boosting Green Goods
Talks on freeing up commerce in environmental goods and services, which will have special treatment in a new global trade pact, are making progress, the head of the World Trade Organisation said on Thursday.

May 18, 2010
Belarus May Attract $3 Billion in FDI, Snopkov Says
Belarus wants to attract as much as $3 billion in investments from abroad this year to fuel economic growth, Economy Minister Nikolay Snopkov said.

May 18, 2010
Russia Eyes Plunge into Deep End of World Trade
In roughly a year, Maksim Medvedkov hopes to be toasting membership of the World Trade Organisation with Russian champagne.

May 14, 2010
IMF Warns Rich Countries on Debt
The world’s rich economies are continuing to pile up public debt in spite of a recovery in the global economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.

May 13, 2010
Immigrants Send More Money Home as Economy Revives
Immigrant workers in the US have started sending more money back to their home countries after cutting back sharply last year, yet another sign that the global economy is showing resilience.

May 13, 2010
How Republicans Would Stop U.S From Funding IMF Loans to Greece
When the International Monetary Fund first said it would contribute $39 billion to a $145 billion bailout fund for Greece, blogosphere commentators said the U.S. shouldn’t pay its share. But the IMF doesn’t make that possible.

May 11, 2010
IMF's Reach Spreads to Western Europe
Within a month, the International Monetary Fund has moved from a euro-zone pariah to an essential institution whose blessing is necessary for euro-zone countries that need rescue packages.

May 10, 2010
Europe Officials Move to Carry Out Rescue Package
European officials on Monday took steps to tackle the widening sovereign debt crisis that has destabilized the Continent. Just hours after leaders agreed to provide nearly $1 trillion as part of a huge rescue package, central banks began buying euro-zone government bonds directly on Monday — an unprecedented move to inject cash into the financial system.

May 7, 2010
Cost to Insure European Banks Soars
The European bank crisis hit fresh heights on Friday as the cost to insure eurozone financials against default increased to levels last seen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008.

May 6, 2010
Jakarta Minister Quits in Power Struggle
A lengthy power struggle at the top of the Indonesian government took a surprising twist yesterday when Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the finance minister and reform champion, resigned to take a senior position at the World Bank in Washington.

May 5, 2010
Indian Companies Feel the Wrath of the World Bank
In India, a corporate governance watchdog has emerged from a relatively unexpected quarter – the World Bank.

May 3, 2010
IMF's Sweeping Demands Signal Shift
With its €30 billion ($40 billion) loan program for Greece, the International Monetary Fund is back in the nation-building business.

April 29, 2010
US, Europe Press China to Drop Tech Security Rule
Global technology suppliers face a looming Chinese deadline to reveal the inner workings of computer encryption and other security products in a move the United States and Europe say is protectionist.

April 28, 2010
Greek Rescue Plan Seen Topping €100 Billion
The bill for bailing out Greece just got more expensive, but Germany pledged Wednesday to rush through Germany's share provided there is a successful outcome to debt-reduction talks with the International Monetary Fund and European Union.

April 27, 2010
Russia to Pursue Solo WTO Bid
Russia will revive its bid to join the World Trade Organization on its own, reversing course and removing a major obstacle to membership for the largest country outside the trade block.

April 26, 2010
World Bank Gives More Clout to a Rising China
The World Bank recognized China's growing economic influence and agreed Sunday to elevate Beijing's voting power, placing it behind only the United States and Japan in the 186-nation lending organization.

April 22, 2010
World Bank to Sell First Peso Bonds in Colombia Since 2004
he World Bank plans to sell as much as 1.5 trillion pesos ($766 million) of bonds in its first offering in Colombia since 2004, said George Richardson, head of capital markets at the bank.

April 22, 2010
A Reach Regained
Pundits repeatedly reach for the same metaphor when describing the resurgence of the International Monetary Fund over the past few years. "The IMF has risen like a phoenix," says Ken Rogoff, formerly the institution's chief economist.

April 21, 2010
IMF to Nations: Tax Finance Firms
The International Monetary Fund advised Group-of-20 nations to tax balance sheets, profits and compensation of financial institutions to reduce the chances of another financial crisis, and pay for the costs if one occurs.

April 20, 2010
IMF: Sovereign Debt Could Trigger `New Phase' In Crisis
Greece's upheaval could mark the starting point of a "new phase" in the global crisis if countries don't get their fiscal houses in order, despite the low risk of contagion, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.

April 19, 2010
World Bank Gets Help From Sovereign Wealth Funds to Invest in Developing Nations
As the World Bank tries to rebuild after a global economic crisis that arguably boosted its reputation but left it strapped financially, the agency will get support from a new quarter: sovereign wealth funds.

April 16, 2010
For Europe, IMF Aid May Be Hard To Swallow
The evolving economic problems in Greece have pushed the International Monetary Fund and European leaders into sometimes tense talks over how deeply an agency associated with propping up developing countries should push into one of the developed world's major economic zones -- negotiations that could shape future European economic policy.

April 15, 2010
Doha Deadlock Continues
The WTO's Doha trade negotiations, launched eight years ago, have been deadlocked since mid-2008, when a marathon meeting of WTO ministers broke down in mutual recrimination. Although summit meetings of the G20 and other bodies have repeatedly set deadlines for completing the negotiations, and technical work has continued, governments have not taken the political initiatives needed to overcome their differences.

April 13, 2010
Capital-Control Confusion at the IMF
In February, the International Monetary Fund, which had long opposed controls on capital inflows, published a surprising paper that reversed course.

April 13, 2010
ADB Ups Asia GDP Forecasts
The Asian Development Bank raised its 2010 economic growth forecast for developing Asia, but cautioned that maintaining strong momentum will be challenging once governments start withdrawing the stimulus that has driven the region's recovery.

April 12, 2010
Palestinian State On Track Says World Bank
The Palestinian government is on track to deliver on its promise of building the institutions of an independent state, the World Bank said on Monday.

April 9, 2010
Treasury Department Statement on the U.S. Position on the World Bank’s Eskom Investment Support Projec
Today, the United States abstained on the vote by the World Bank's Board of Directors on the Eskom Investment Support Project. This reflects concerns about the climate impact of the project and its incompatibility with the World Bank's commitment to be a leader in climate change mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, the United States recognizes South Africa's pressing energy needs and the lack of near-term feasible low-carbon alternatives.

April 8, 2010
Development Banks Ally to Fight Corruption
The World Bank and four regional development banks, aiming to crack down on corrupt practices in developing countries, plan to jointly blacklist any company that one of the banks finds guilty of graft or collusion, said officials involved with the deal.

April 8, 2010
Schism Remains as World Bank Nears Vote on $3B S. Africa Loan
The World Bank will vote Thursday on whether to lend $3 billion to South Africa's state-owned utility to build a giant new coal plant over the objections of environmentalists and South African trade unions who say the money should be spent on renewable energy projects.

April 8, 2010
I.M.F. Says West Bank Economic Growth Is Imperiled by Israel and Arab States
The International Monetary Fund is preparing a report on the Palestinian economy that praises the actions of the West Bank government and the large donations of Western countries, especially European ones, but argues that healthy recent growth rates are imperiled by the parties that claim to have the most at stake — Israel and the Arab states.

April 6, 2010
U.S. Seeks To End Brazil Cotton Spat With Changes
The United States on Tuesday headed off a move by Brazil to impose penalties on a wide range of U.S. goods by offering concessions on a export loan guarantee program and said it would try to negotiate an end to a long-standing trade spat over cotton.

April 6, 2010
U.S., India Must Push For Balanced Growth: Geithner
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday that the United States and India must work together on rebalancing global growth and revamping a battered financial system.

April 1, 2010
US Report Faults China For Unfair Trade Rules
China uses a large array of dubious measures to prevent foreign companies competing fairly in its market, a US government report said on Wednesday.

March 31, 2010
Discord Persists Over Bank Global Tax
The idea of a global levy on banks has gained momentum in international discussions, but Germany’s support for such a levy on Wednesday still leaves a global deal among the Group of 20 leading economies this year far from guaranteed.

March 30, 2010
Consensus For Financial Regulations Fading: IMF
An international drive to impose new regulations in the wake of the financial crisis is fading and global cooperation is diminishing, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

March 27, 2010
Some Say Trade Numbers Don't Deliver the Goods
Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization, carries in his briefcase a folder full of numbers he uses to brief audiences from Boston to Beijing on the state of global commerce.

March 26, 2010
WTO Forecasts Big Rise in Global Trade
World trade will rebound in 2010 as international commerce continues its rapid recovery from the falls during the financial crisis, the World Trade Organisation said on Friday.

March 25, 2010
Euro Zone To Back Greek safety Net With IMF Role
The leaders of Germany and France clinched a deal on a joint European-IMF financial safety net for debt-stricken Greece at a EU summit on Thursday, in an effort to restore confidence in the euro.

March 25, 2010
China Officials Wrestle Publicly Over Currency
Signs are emerging of conflicting views among China’s leaders over whether to allow the country’s currency to rise against the dollar.

March 24, 2010
W.T.O. Affirms Ruling of Improper Airbus Aid
The World Trade Organization ruled on Tuesday that the European plane maker Airbus received improper subsidies for its $13 billion A380 superjumbo jet and several other airplanes, hurting Boeing, its American rival, industry officials in the United States and Europe said.

March 22, 2010
Greece's Woes Will Keep Euro Under Pressure
More volatility and weakness are in store for the euro this week as European Union leaders debate whether to offer a lifeline to debt-strapped Greece.

March 22, 2010
India Wins Solar Power Funding
The International Finance Corporation is investing in India's first commercially viable solar power project, giving a vote of confidence to ambitions to develop the technology there.

March 22, 2010
The Weak Renminbi Is Not Just America's Problem
Back in 1971 John Connolly, then US Treasury secretary, told his European counterparts that the dollar was "our currency, but your problem". Today, it seems that China has returned that favour. Its currency has become a problem for the US.

March 19, 2010
Berlin Shifts Stance on IMF Role in Greece
Germany is leaning towards involving the International Monetary Fund should Greece call for help to stem its budget crisis, a move Berlin hopes would help avoid potential constitutional court objections to a German bail-out.

March 18, 2010
World Bank Urges China to Bolster Rates and Let Currency Rise
The World Bank recommended higher interest rates and a stronger currency for China on Wednesday, as it raised growth forecasts for the country. China’s rapid economic growth has led to expectations of rising inflation and concerns that a bubble is building in the property industry.

March 17, 2010
India’s Sovereign Wealth Fund
Once again New Delhi is toying with the idea of setting up a sovereign wealth fund. The temptation is obvious. India is the only Bric country without such a fund, de rigueur among up and coming emerging economies.

March 16, 2010
China Asks US Groups To Back Currency Stance
China urged US multinationals to lobby the Obama administration against taking protectionist measures over the renminbi, just as attitudes towards Beijing appear to be hardening in the US Congress.

March 15, 2010
Emerging Markets Deals Surge
The extent to which emerging economies have broken clear of recession far quicker than their developed economy counterparts is highlighted by a study of cross-border deal activity.

March 12, 2010
Why Europe's Monetary Union Faces Its Biggest Crisis
Greece has reached a crossroads. For the first time, we in the eurozone are engaged in full surveillance over the fiscal and economic policy of one of the member countries of the European monetary union.

March 11, 2010
U.S. Nears a Crossroads on Trade
After a year in which global exports declined 12 percent in the biggest contraction since World War II, trade policy is heating up again.

March 10, 2010
China Plans New Trade Office as Global Disputes Grow: Sources
China is setting up a new agency to help streamline its trade negotiating bureaucracy as the world's third-largest economy faces a growing number of commercial disputes.

March 9, 2010
Brazil Slaps Trade Sanctions On US Over Cotton Dispute
The Brazilian government has announced trade sanctions against a variety of American goods in retaliation for illegal US subsidies to cotton farmers.

March 8, 2010
Sarkozy Makes Nuclear Energy Plea
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France on Monday called for an international effort to finance civil atomic energy in developing countries, with an appeal to the World Bank to reverse a 50-year abstention from funding the construction of nuclear reactors.

March 7, 2010
China’s Bank Chief Says Currency Is Unlikely to Rise
China’s central bank governor indicated Saturday that the government was unlikely to detach the value of China’s currency from that of the dollar anytime soon, echoing Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s statement on Friday that exchange rates would remain “basically stable” for now.

March 6, 2010
Three Frenchmen Play Leads in Greek Drama
Three Frenchmen are among the key actors pulling the strings behind the Greek crisis, but they frequently pull in different directions.

March 5, 2010
ECB Puts Greek Aid Up to EU
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet rejected calls for more IMF involvement in Greece, saying it is up to Europe to look after its own.

March 4, 2010
The IMF's Inflation Illusion
The International Monetary Fund's chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, recently published a paper ("Rethinking Macroeconomic Policy") that attempts to distill preliminary lessons from the financial crisis. The paper contains much that is useful and worthy of further consideration—but it also suggests that central banks should aim for higher inflation during normal times, say 4%.

March 3, 2010
We Need A Plan B To Curb The Debt Headwinds
Policymakers have responded to successive economic downturns in essentially the same Keynesian way since the 1950s. Fiscal deficits have been allowed to rise and interest rates to fall to stimulate aggregate demand.

March 1, 2010
IMF Says Chinese Currency Substantially Undervalued
The U.S. dollar is still somewhat overvalued while the Chinese renminbi is substantially undervalued, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday in an assessment of Group of 20 major economies.

February 26. 2010
IMF Must Better Spot Risks, Offer Liquidity, Strauss-Kahn Says
The International Monetary Fund must better detect risks that individual economies pose to the rest of the world and offer liquidity early during a financial crisis, taking over a role played by central banks, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said.

February 25, 2010
Chinese Official To Become Adviser To IMF Head
Zhu Min, one of the most prominent financial officials in China, is to become a special adviser to the head of the International Monetary Fund in the latest sign of China's increasing voice in global financial institutions.

February 24, 2010
Merkel: Euro In Difficult Situation For 1st Time
The euro is in a difficult situation for the first time since its launch, but the 16-nation currency will come through, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published Thursday.

February 24, 2010
World Trade Contracted 12 percent In 2009: WTO's Lamy
Global trade contracted by about 12 percent in 2009 but has started to pick up, the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday.

February 22, 2010
IMF Reconsiders Capital Controls Opposition
The International Monetary Fund has shifted its long-held stance against capital controls as it seeks to help emerging economies protect themselves from future economic crises.

February 19, 2010
IMF Left Holding its Gold as Buyers Fail To Materialise
When India bought 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund late last year, investors assumed other countries would follow, viewing New Delhi's move as a sign that Asia's central banks were diversifying their swelling reserves from US dollar assets into bullion.

February 17, 2010
Morocco May Top BRICs As Rains Help Reverse 2009 Drop
Morocco’s stocks are laggards no more as the strongest rains in three decades help boost agricultural output in the only emerging-market nation where equities fell in 2009.

February 16, 2010
An Alternative Route to Appreciation for China’s Yuan
With China’s economy surging and flirting with a property bubble, most analysts are prescribing the same remedy: a stronger Chinese currency that would help contain inflation.

February 16, 2010
Cracks in the BRICs?
As all else has crumbled, the BRICs have come through the crisis looking relatively solid. Yet clear differences have opened up among the fast-growing emerging-market quartet consisting of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

February 12, 2010
IMF Floats Plan To Raise Targets For Inflation
International Monetary Fund economists are challenging economic orthodoxy today by suggesting that many pre-crisis policy tools should be redesigned and some sacred cows considered for slaughter.

February 11, 2010
Global Bank Tax Deal Near, UK's Brown Says
Leaders from the world's top economies are close to agreeing on a global bank tax and a deal could be reached at a meeting of the Group of 20 nations later this year, according to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

February 10, 2010
From Sarkozy to Soros
Bill Gates: Making the difference between a bleak and a bright future

January 30, 2010
IMF to Launch $100 Billion Green Fund
The International Monetary Fund will launch a $100 billion green fund as part of global efforts to stimulate economic growth, managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Saturday.

February 7, 2010
Arctic Meeting A Turning Point For G-7
A meeting of finance officials from the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries in this tiny Arctic outpost certainly lived up to host Canada's billing as a gathering with a difference.

February 5, 2010
IMF Head Hints At Return To French Politics
Dominique Strauss-Kahn signalled yesterday that he could step down early as managing director of the International Monetary Fund to stage a return to French politics and run against Nicolas Sarkozy for the presidency.

February 4, 2010
Currency Dispute Likely to Further Fray U.S.-China Ties
To the growing list of grievances between the United States and China, add one more: the Obama administration is reviving American pressure on China to stop artificially depressing its currency, a policy that fuels its persistent trade gap with the United States.

February 3, 2010
How Best To Boost U.S. Exports
President Obama has smartly suggested that a new export strategy could support 2 million very good American jobs, more than created by his stimulus initiative

February 2, 2010
World Bank May ‘Co-Invest’ With China in Africa
The World Bank may seek to “co- invest” with China in African manufacturing projects, helping poor nations to add value to exports and create jobs, President Robert Zoellick said.

February 1, 2010
Out Of The Bottle
In 1979, when Standard Bank published Pioneer Bank in a Pioneer Land , the title of the corporate history had a distinctly nostalgic feel.

January 31, 2010
Global Co-Operation On Financial Reforms Needed: IMF
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Sunday urged the United States, Britain and other countries to cooperate on new policies and regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

January 30, 2010
Trade Ministers Gloomy On WTO Prospects
Trade ministers expressed gloom on Saturday about the prospects of concluding stalled global trade liberalization talks this year, with many blaming the United States for foot-dragging.

January 29, 2010
Development: Organisations Wake Up To The Potential Of Young Perspectives
“We need to step away from the cliché that youth should be placed in the kiddy corner while world leaders make decisions on our futures.” This statement, from the website of the Global Humanitarian Forum’s Youth Forum, shows young people are keen to get involved in helping to solve problems – whether at local or global level.

January 29, 2010
G20 Seeks Role in Post-Crisis World
The financial crisis forced leading economies to engage in unprecedented cooperation, but as the immediate threat to common survival eases, policy makers are searching for ways to make working together a permanent feature of global economic governance.

January 28, 2010
EU Governments Scramble to Cut Budgets
A growing number of European governments are rushing to announce spending cuts and medium-term plans to reduce budget deficits as they scramble to avoid the intense scrutiny Greece is enduring in the credit markets.

January 28, 2010
World Bank Wants Tiger Farms Shut
China and other Asian nations should shut privately run tiger farms as they are inhumane and fuel demand for the endangered big cat's bones and skin, the World Bank said Thursday.

January 27, 2010
IMF Warns on Japan's Rising Debt
An International Monetary Fund working paper warned that the market's ability to absorb Japanese public bonds will likely diminish in years ahead as the country's population grows older, in a view that could add to market concern about whether Japan's massive debt is sustainable.

January 22, 2010
Obama's 'Volcker Rule' Shifts Power Away From Geithner
For much of last year, Paul Volcker wandered the country arguing for tougher restraints on big banks while the Obama administration pursued a more moderate regulatory agenda driven by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner.

January 21, 2010
Europe's Troubled IMF Borrowers
Amid the global financial crisis, several European countries faced serious economic distress and turned to external creditors, including the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, for emergency financing. This multilateral support relieved investors and calmed worries of full-fledged balance of payment crises. Nevertheless, these economies are not out of the woods. Political developments in countries like Iceland, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine could push the IMF loan programs off track, reigniting crisis fears.

January 19, 2010
Zoellick Warns Haiti Donors Of Long Haul
International donors need to start preparing for the long-term challenge of reconstructing Haiti even as they ramp up near-term emergency relief, Bob Zoellick, president of the World Bank, has told the Financial Times.

January 15, 2010
Inflation Threat To China And India
Inflation is emerging as the key economic problem for India and China as growth surges in the wake of the global financial crisis, the Asian Development Bank warned on Friday.

January 14, 2010
Sovereign Defaults Top 2010 Risk Hitlist for WEF
The risk that deteriorating government finances could push economies into full-fledged debt crises tops a list of threats facing the world in 2010, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

January 13, 2010
Central Banks Diversify but Don't Dump Dollars
Diversification of central bank foreign-exchange reserves is more a change in management style than a rejection of the dollar.

January 12, 2010
EU Debt Crisis Imperils Bulgaria's Euro-Zone Bid
Bulgaria, the newest and poorest member of the European Union, is emerging as a fiscal model for a number of EU countries struggling to fend off debt crises.

January 12, 2010
Beware The Lure Of GDP When Seeking Stocks In Brics
Emerging markets used to be known as the markets you couldn't emerge from in an emergency. They are now mainstream. Consultants are recommending greatly increased allocations to take advantage of the hottest growth story of our times. Mutual fund investors are syphoning money from developed markets and pouring it into EM funds - just as 10 years ago they cashed out of "old economy" stocks to chase the dotcoms.

January 11, 2009
Japan's High Debt Not A Problem Short-Term: IMF
Japan's public debt is very high but is not a serious problem in the short-term as private savings are abundant and investors continue to buy government bonds, a senior International Monetary Fund official told the Nikkei newspaper.

January 8, 2009
Clean Energy Sources: Sun, Wind and Subsidies
In frigid water four miles off England's east coast, a floating crane is installing the last of 48 wind turbines. The 40-story-tall pinwheels are driven by two plentiful resources: ocean breezes and public funds.

January 7, 2010
Domestic Politics Imperil IMF Deals In Europe
From Ukraine to Iceland, domestic politics and popular discontent are threatening International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue deals, unsettling investors who view them as vital for financial recovery.

January 6, 2009
India Seeks World Bank Support For Tiger Conservation Plan
New Delhi is seeking the support of the World Bank in highlighting efforts to keep alive India's national emblem, the near-extinct wild tiger, as China and Russia champion their own conservation efforts.

January 6, 2009
Asia's Recovery Raises Pressure to Curb Stimulus
Asia's emerging economies entered the new year with a strong manufacturing recovery firmly in place, new data show, adding to pressure on regional authorities to consider pulling back some stimulus policies.

January 5, 2009
Iceland Faces Crisis After Icesave Rejection
Iceland's president refused on Tuesday to sign into law a bill to repay more than $5 billion lost by savers in Britain and the Netherlands, forcing the issue to a referendum and stirring fresh turmoil in the crisis-hit country. President Olafur Grimsson's rejection of the unpopular bill put aid from international lenders and his country's aspirations to join the European Union in serious jeopardy, analysts said.

January 4, 2009
U.S., China Locked In Trade Disputes
Trade disputes between Beijing and Washington over exports of tires, chickens, steel, nylon, autos, paper and salt are multiplying and further damaging the already tense relationship between the two economic powers.

December 31, 2009
Dollar Share of Emerging-Market Reserves Drops, Goldman Says
Emerging-market central banks cut the dollar’s share of their foreign reserves for a second straight quarter, supporting the view that the greenback is becoming less attractive, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

December 29, 2009
Self-Doubt Tarnishes Brand America
If a week is a long time in politics, a decade is starting to look like an age in geopolitics. Comparing the America that began the 21st century with the America of today is to witness a country that has in some ways quite radically altered its view of itself and its relationship to the world.

December 27, 2009
China Won't Be Pressured Over Yuan Peg: Wen
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday struck a defiant note about the country's controversial exchange rate policy, saying the government would not give into foreign demands to let the yuan rise.

December 22, 2009
The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence
Call him Hummer Man -- our man of the decade.

December 21, 2009
WTO: China Unfairly Restricting American CDs, DVDs
The World Trade Organization's top arbitrators upheld a ruling that China is illegally restricting imports of U.S. music, films and books, and Washington pushed forward with a new case accusing China of manipulating the prices for key ingredients in steel and aluminum production.

December 18, 2009
Unrest Risks Seen Rising In 2010 As Stimulus Ends
Civil unrest and attacks on minorities did not rise sharply during the economic crisis in 2009 as many predicted, but with unemployment still high and stimulus packages being withdrawn the risk could rise next year.

December 17, 2009
Breaking The Deadlock At Doha
The World Trade Organization's latest confab on the Doha Round didn't produce a deal, and public statements in the wake of the meeting suggested that any agreement may be a long way off. But behind closed doors, there is some cause for optimism—if political leaders among the 153 member countries, especially those in the United States, can summon the political will and courage to move forward.

December 16, 2009
As Microfinance Grows In India, So Do Its Rivals
The practice of making tiny loans to poor people, or microfinance, was supposed to help drive traditional village moneylenders from rural India.

December 15, 2009
End Of ‘Banana Wars’ Brings Hope For Doha
The longest-running trade dispute of the modern era came to a close last night when parties from Europe, Latin America, the US, the Caribbean and Africa initialed a treaty in Geneva to end the so-called “banana wars”.

December 14, 2009
International Regulation
Who should be driving improved and better coordinated global regulation?

December 11, 2009
EU Calls For Global Financial Levy
European Union leaders called for a global financial transaction levy and more responsible banking pay in the hopes it could help buffer against future market crises, according to a joint statement published Friday.

December 10, 2009
Helping Brazil To Help Itself
In an effort to stem the appreciation of its currency, the real, Brazil has twice resorted to capital controls. In response to these measures, IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn says capital controls are "not something that come from hell", but the IMF won't be recommending them any time soon to remedy the current crisis.

December 9, 2009
A New Spirit Of Solidarity Rises In The South
A significant global financial landmark is passing virtually unnoticed - obscured, perhaps, by the ongoing fallout from the economic and financial crisis in industrialised countries.

December 9, 2009
US Rules Out Climate Aid For China
China will receive no significant funding from the US to combat climate change, the US delegation leader at the Copenhagen conference vowed on Wednesday.

December 8, 2009
China Has Much to Lose In Copenhagen
China has lots at stake if Copenhagen climate change talks don’t come up with a comprehensive green energy package, including financing for two potentially huge growth areas–solar power and carbon capture.

December 7, 2009
World Bank Looks To India For Rail Expansion
The World Bank and New Delhi are in talks about financing the international expansion of Indian Railways, one of the largest and most profitable networks in the world, to bring transport infrastructure to African countries and other developing nations.

December 6, 2009
If It Warms Up, Who's Going to Pay?
As the most important environmental conference in more than a decade gets under way in Copenhagen this week, much of the talk, as usual, is on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. But there's another issue that needs to be addressed—one that is crucial for reaching an overall agreement, but doesn't get nearly as much attention. That issue is adaptation.

December 4, 2009
China And World Bank In Talks To Establish Industrial Zones In Africa
The World Bank and Beijing are in discussions about setting up low-cost factories in industrial zones in Africa to help the continent develop a manufacturing base and reverse its declining share of global trade.

December 3, 2009
Poorer Nations Sign Deal On Trade Tariff Cuts
More than 20 emerging economies - including Brazil, Egypt, India and South Korea - yesterday signed a tariff-cutting deal between themselves that served to underscore mounting frustration among poorer nations with the lack of progress in broader global trade talks

December 2, 2009
Rethinking the Chinese Yuan’s Re-Peg to the Dollar
For the last few years, China has monotonously and rather unhelpfully told the outside world that it runs a “managed floating exchange rate regime based on market supply and demand with reference to a basket of currencies.”

December 1, 2009
Retread Required
Protesters dressed as sea turtles; teargas billowing through the streets; the ignominious collapse of efforts to launch a new round of global trade talks. It is 10 years since the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle broke up in chaos.

November 30, 2009
China-EU Talks End With Little Progress
Chinese and European Union leaders appeared to bridge few differences over currency, climate and market access in a round of high-level talks that ended Monday in this eastern Chinese city.

November 29, 2009
EU Business Calls On WTO To Speed Up Doha Talks
European businesses, growing frustrated at slow progress in the World Trade Organization's Doha round, called on Sunday for the WTO to tackle the negotiation at next week's conference.

November 29, 2009
ECB Spurns IMF With Early Exit Strategy
If you are a slow mover, you start early. That will be the European Central Bank’s leitmotif as it presses ahead this week with plans to unwind exceptional measures taken to combat the economic crisis.

November 25, 2009
World Bank To Start Agriculture Fund With $1.5 billion
The World Bank will start a trust fund to boost agriculture in poor countries with an initial $1.5 billion, its president Robert Zoellick said on Tuesday, warning of the risk of another food price crisis.

November 24, 2009
A To-Do List For China’s Statisticians
For skeptics of Chinese economic data – you know who you are – a recent report by the International Monetary Fund makes some interesting reading. The IMF is one of the main international agencies advising China on how to improve its economic statistics, and thus has more access and influence than most outsiders.

November 23, 2009
IMF Chief: Late Stimulus Exit Better Than Early
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Monday that it is still too early for a general exit from stimulus policies and governments should err on the side of caution, with a late exit being potentially less damaging than an early one.

November 20, 2009
Transcript: View From The Top With Robert Zoellick, President Of The World Bank
PART 1: On China and the dollar FT: Thank you for joining us, Mr Zoellick. RZ: Pleased to be with you. FT: What’s your verdict on Obama’s trip to China? How important is it and what’s come out of it?

November 19, 2009
U.S. Dollar To Be Reserve Currency For Years: IMF
The U.S. dollar will remain the world's primary reserve currency for many years or decades, an International Monetary Fund official said on Thursday.

November 18, 2009
Obama Toughens Resolve To Reach Deal On Climate
Just days after playing down the prospects for a full treaty, Barack Obama, the US president, yesterday gave his strongest commitment yet to reaching a deal on climate change at next month's Copenhagen conference.

November 17, 2009
Much Work Needed For 2010 Doha Deal: WTO's Lamy
World Trade Organization members still have much work to do if they want to achieve their goal of reaching a new deal on opening up global commerce in 2010, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said on Tuesday.

November 16, 2009
IMF Chief Urges China To Let Yuan Rise
A stronger yuan is part of the policy mix that Beijing needs to increase domestic consumption and help ease global imbalances, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

November 13, 2009
IMF Chief Does Not See Double-Dip U.S. Recession
The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday the pace of the recovery in the U.S. economy remains sluggish but he does not believe there will be a double-dip recession.

November 12, 2009
Emerging Nations Act To Curb Dollar Impact
Nowhere is the weaker dollar hurting more than in emerging markets. The US currency has fallen by as much as 40 per cent since March against some emerging market currencies - such as the Brazilian real and the South African rand - which is making life extremely painful for some of their exporters.

November 11, 2009
World Bank Warns Unemployment Threatens US Economy
Stubbornly high joblessness threatens to trigger loan defaults and drag on consumption next year, hobbling a U.S. economy struggling to rebound from recession, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Wednesday.

November 10, 2009
WTO's Lamy Says U.S. Slowing Doha Talks
The U.S. is slow in reaching a negotiating position in the Doha round trade liberalization talks, the World Trade Organisation's Director General said in an Italian business daily on Tuesday.

November 9, 2009
World Bank's Lin Warns Against Yuan Appreciation
World Bank Chief Economist Justin Yifu Lin staked out a strong position against forcing China to let its currency appreciate as a way to rebalance the world economy. "Currency appreciation in China won't help this imbalance and can deter the global recovery," he said in a lecture Monday at the University of Hong Kong.

October 6, 2009
Internet Censorship Seen Liable To WTO Challenge
Censorship of the Internet is open to challenge at the World Trade Organization as it can restrict trade in services delivered online, a forthcoming study says.

November 5, 2009
G20 Officials To Wrestle Over Economic Imbalances
Leaders of rich and developing countries pledged at their last summit to even out the glaring imbalances that are weighing on the world economy. Their finance officials now face the daunting task of finding common ground on just how to do that.

November 4, 2009
IMF Chief Sees Postcrisis Progress, Warns of Complacency
World leaders seem, at least for now, committed to better coordinating economic policies but the financial sector is returning too rapidly to "business as usual," the managing director of the International Monetary Fund said.

November 3, 2009
Debt High, Too Early To Adjust Fiscal Policies-IMF
The International Monetary Fund Tuesday projected higher debt levels for the world's major economies but emphasized it was too soon to begin scaling back fiscal support for their economies.

November 2, 2009
EBRD Cautions On Currency Debt
Central and eastern Europe must get rid of its “addiction to foreign currency debt” by improving macroeconomic management, building local currency markets and tightening regulation, says the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in a hard-hitting report published on Monday.

October 30, 2009
An Orderly Decline
The financial crisis has pushed the issue of the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency to the forefront of the market’s agenda. And as ultra-loose US fiscal and monetary policies have weighed on its value, so calls for an alternative to the US currency as the world’s numeraire have increased.

October 30, 2009
Replacing The U.S. Consumer: Is China Up To The Job?
China’s rapid growth is leading the recovery in the Asian and world economies, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest regional economic outlook. The fund now forecasts China will grow an outsize 8.5% in 2009 and 9% in 2010, driven by strong investment spending and surging loan growth. By contrast, Japan’s economy is expected to shrink 5.4% in 2009, and other Asian emerging markets are forecast to grow a combined 1.7%. But how much does China’s recovery help the rest of the world?

October 29, 2009
Battle To Restore Confidence In Securitisation
The securitisation markets are increasingly coming into the spotlight of regulators and policymakers seeking to restore investor confidence in the financing techniques that blew up during the financial crisis.

October 28, 2009
Copenhagen Won’t Be An End To Climate Talks, EU Says
The Copenhagen climate summit in December won’t be an end to international negotiations to slow global warming, the European Commission’s director general for the environment said today.

October 27, 2009
UN Signals Delay In Climate Change Treaty
Just weeks before an international conference on climate change, the United Nations signaled it was scaling back expectations of reaching agreement on a new treaty to slow global warming.

October 27, 2009
IFC To Issue First Bond For Microfinance Programs
The International Finance Corp, the World Bank's private-sector lender, said on Tuesday it will seek to raise $300 million through a bond issue targeted at Japanese investors to finance microfinance programs for the poor.

October 26, 2009
Trade Data Underscore Weakness of Recovery
Global trade flows slipped in August after rising for the two previous months, an indication that the economic recovery is more fragile and anemic than previous data have hinted.

October 26, 2009
U.S.Serious About Getting Doha Round Trade Deal: EU
A top European Union official said Monday she believed President Barack Obama was serious about reaching a deal in long-running world trade talks, but the time has come for all countries to show their cards.

October 23, 2009
Russia 'Will Join WTO' Despite Confusion
Dmitry Medvedev says Russia is committed to joining the World Trade Organisation despite hold-ups and confusion caused by its plans to bid for membership in partnership with Kazakhstan and Belarus, writes Isabel Gorst .

October 22, 2009
More Room To Raise Voting Rights In IMF
The proposed transfer of 7% of voting rights held by developed members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to emerging markets will be a welcome start to governance reforms in the multilateral lender.

October 21, 2009
Barriers Failing To Dent Global Trade
A sharply rising number of attempts to block imports has led to a much smaller increase in actual tariffs and affected only a limited share of global trade, according to World Bank research.

October 20, 2009
World Bank Finds Limited Effects From Protectionism
A sharply rising number of attempts to block imports has led to a much smaller increase in actual tariffs and affected only a limited share of global trade, according to World Bank research.

October 19, 2009
China Eyes Key IMF Post
China is grooming a veteran banker with a doctorate in economics to vie for a senior job at the International Monetary Fund, in the latest sign of the country's desire to increase its role at the global financial institution.

October 17, 2009
Irish Warned of Possible IMF Aid
A senior Irish minister has for the first time warned Ireland could be forced to go to the International Monetary Fund for help if the country cannot implement the necessary cuts in the December budget.

October 16, 2009
Eurozone Exports Tumble Sharply
Eurozone exports tumbled unexpectedly sharply in August, raising fresh doubts about the strength of the 16-country region’s economic recovery.

October 16, 2009
US Hardens Stance On Renminbi Rigidity
The Obama administration said on Thursday that it had “serious concerns” about the value of the renminbi, but stopped short of accusing China of manipulating its currency in a closely watched report to Congress.

October 15, 2009
Europe and South Korea Take Step Toward Trade Pact
The European Union and South Korea took a major step Thursday toward a free trade deal aimed at generating billions of euros in new trade flows.

October 14, 2009
ECB Faces Challenge Over Rising Euro
Just when eurozone economic prospects have turned for the better, a new policy challenge is facing the European Central Bank: an unwelcome appreciation of the euro.

October 13, 2009
China, Russia Sign Trade Pacts
China and Russia, in a bid to repair ties strained by a trade spat this summer, signed contracts valued at several billion dollars but didn't reach a breakthrough in protracted negotiations on a deal to supply Russian gas to China.

October 8, 2009
US Clashes With EU And China On Trade
Global trade tensions ratcheted up on Thursday as the US opened an investigation into Chinese steel imports and clashed with the European Union over chickens.

October 7, 2009
Nations Cast Plan For Expanded IMF
The push to reinvent the International Monetary Fund took a significant step forward this week, with nations agreeing to a rough timetable to come up with plans to reform its governance and expand its role in the global economy.

October 6, 2009
Emerging Economies Shine In Dark Times
For many people the future of investing can be summed up in two words: emerging markets.

October 6, 2009
Statement by Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to the Plenary Session of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings
On behalf of Secretary Geithner and the U.S. delegation, thank you to the people of Istanbul and our host country Turkey. It is fitting that we meet today in this great country - a land at the crossroads of history and civilization.

October 5, 2009
IMF Gets New Role Of Serving The G-20
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn is using the IMF's annual meeting here to campaign for turning the fund into a kind of global central bank with at least $1 trillion for lending developing nations in a crisis.

October 5, 2009
Calls For Change At World Bank
Finance ministers from developing countries said Monday that they should get more voting power at the World Bank, echoing calls for change at the International Monetary Fund.

October 4, 2009
G7 Struggles To Remain Relevant
The rise of the group of 20 advanced and emerging economies to a central position in global governance is an ultimately inevitable transformation. But the outbreak of a financial crisis in the world’s advanced countries greatly accelerated the transition. The latter have lost not just the prestige, but even the ability to steer the world economy. The result must be a rethink of informal global institutions, not least of the meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors of the group of seven leading high-income countries.

October 3, 2009
Doubts Remain On IMF Global Power
For most of the past decade, the International Monetary Fund has been a bored coastguard staring across a calm sea. The past 12 months have seen it back in action, rescuing a series of boats from the unprecedented economic storm. Now, as that tempest appears to be subsiding, can it expand that role into controlling the shipping lanes?

October 2, 2009
IMF Chief Renews Call For Currency Reform
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, on Friday reiterated his criticism of China’s “undervalued” currency, but said reforms to exchange rate policies were part of wider moves to create more balanced global growth.

October 2, 2009
Surplus Nations Urged To Take Baton
Growth has returned to the world economy, the International Monetary Fund announced yesterday, but the coming recovery will be weak unless countries with large trade surpluses pick up the baton as the motors of demand.

October 1, 2009
IMF Warns Countries to Sustain Stimulus
The global economy is staging so modest a recovery that additional fiscal stimulus may be needed to prevent another slump, the International Monetary Fund said.

September 30, 2009
IMF Says Estimated Crisis Losses Down By $600 Bln
Likely losses from the financial crisis in the three years to 2010 have been reduced by $600 billion to $3.4 trillion as the world economy grows faster than previously expected, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

September 30, 2009
Many Support $100 Billion A Year On Climate Change
Many world leaders have expressed support for a proposal that would earmark $100 billion a year for the next decade for concrete actions to curb greenhouse gases and help countries cope with the impact of climate change, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

September 29, 2009
World Bank Chief Leery Of More Fed Power
The head of the World Bank said Monday that the U.S. Treasury Department should be given more authority for financial regulation as he waded into the debate over how the federal government should oversee the banking system.

September 28, 2009
Nations Agree to Vet Each Others' Policies
The Group of 20 nations agreed to establish an elaborate structure to coordinate economic policies, but without any enforcement mechanism to make countries live up to their word, critics warned the plan could be toothless.

September 25, 2009
Tensions Over IMF Threaten To Mar G20
European differences with the Obama administration threaten to overshadow Friday’s G20 summit in Pittsburgh, with Britain and France resisting US plans to overhaul the International Monetary Fund .

September 24, 2009
China Bank Urges Fund for Poorer Countries
The Group of 20 industrial and developing economies should consider setting up an international wealth fund that would invest a portion of its members' current-account surpluses in developing economies, People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Hu Xiaolian said in a paper released Tuesday.

September 24, 2009
IMF Is Poised to Be Policy Watchdog
The International Monetary Fund was the surprise winner at the last summit of the Group of 20 leaders, which agreed to quadruple the organization's resources to $1 trillion. This time it may earn a nod as best supporting actor.

September 23, 2009
For G-20 Summit, Old Issues Give Way to New
Having moved with unprecedented speed and coordination five months ago to head off what many feared might be another Great Depression, the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies are set to gather Thursday in Pittsburgh to discuss whether it is time to wind down stimulus efforts and talk about what can be done to prevent a repeat of the crisis.

September 22, 2009
Global Growth Policy Will Lack Penalties
The framework for sustainable economic growth that the Group of 20 leaders are poised to agree on Friday will lack a powerful enforcement mechanism, officials conceded yesterday.

September 21, 2009
IMF Defends Securitisation Markets
Restarting securitisation markets is “critical” to a wider economic recovery, the International Monetary Fund claimed on Monday as it warned new regulatory proposals might kill the market.

September 21, 2009
US Focus On Health Threatens To Derail Doha
The US's all-consuming debate over healthcare reform is threatening to snuff out efforts to conclude the Doha round of world trade negotiations, Europe's senior trade chief has warned.

September 18, 2009
Russia's Putin Hails U.S. Shield Move, Calls For More
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed as "correct and brave" a decision by the United States to roll back a missile shield plan but called on President Barack Obama to make further gestures to Moscow.

September 18, 2009
IMF Approves Sale Of Some Of Its Gold
The International Monetary Fund approved on Friday the sale of a limited amount of its gold to help provide loans to poor countries and shore up its finances.

September 17, 2009
IMF Issues Guidelines For Ending Bank Relief
The International Monetary Fund, reinforcing its role in remaking the global economy, laid out detailed principles for scaling back government support of the financial industry over coming years.

September 16, 2009
World Bank: Poor Face Long Recovery
The global recession is expected to push 89 million more people into extreme poverty by the end of 2010, the World Bank said Wednesday as it called on the leaders of the 20 largest economies to engage in "responsible globalization."

September 15, 2009
G20 Uses Aid To Beat Pledge On Protection
The world's leading economies have continued to break their pledge of no protectionism with a raft of restrictions on trade and investment, say two authoritative reports.

September 14, 2009
U.S. May Invite Singapore, Thailand To G20: Report
The United States is considering inviting Singapore and Thailand to a Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh this month to reflect broader views from developing countries, Japan's Nikkei business daily reported without citing sources.

September 14, 2009
China Wants Support On IMF Voting At G20
China wants the G20 summit next week to throw its support behind an increased role for Beijing and other developing countries in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, two officials said on Tuesday.

September 13, 2009
US Tire Duties Spark Clash
A full-blown trade row erupted on Sunday night between the US and China after Beijing accused Washington of “rampant protectionism” for imposing heavy duties on imported Chinese tyres and threatened action against imports of US poultry and vehicles.

September 12, 2009
IMF Chief: Economic Crisis Not Over Yet
The global economic crisis isn't over yet, despite positive signals from Europe's biggest economies, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned in comments published Saturday.

September 10, 2009
EU Steps Up Efforts For New Global Climate Pact
Fearing that a possible global deal on climate change is in danger, European foreign ministers announced Thursday they were stepping up efforts to make sure that nations around the world face up to global warming.

September 10, 2009
U.S. Must Lead At G20 On Climate, Says Group
The United States should show decisive leadership at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh this month and rally heads of state to prepare for the next global crisis -- climate change.

September 9, 2009
US Drops Down Competitiveness League Table
The US government's sweeping intervention in the private sector has taken its toll on the country's competitiveness, according to an annual survey by the World Economic Forum.

September 9, 2009
World Bank's IFC Duspends Palm Oil Investments
The International Finance Corp (IFC), the World Bank's private sector lender, said on Wednesday it had suspended investments in palm oil businesses until after a review of its practices in the sector.

September 8, 2009
Trichet Warns Of Dangers Of Bad Policy
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet on Monday warned policy makers and banks on the price of mishandling the world's fragile economic recovery.

September 7, 2009
Doha Deal Possible, Needs Political Shove
A new global commerce deal is within reach if World Trade Organization members are willing to compromise to close the remaining gaps, trade ministers say. But agreement in the WTO's stalled Doha round will require a sustained political push from presidents and prime ministers if the long-running talks are not to stall yet again, they say.

September 5, 2009
Group Of 20 Seeks Curbs On Bonuses, But Not Caps
Top finance officials from rich and developing countries agreed Saturday to curb hefty bonuses for bankers, but the proposed crackdown on high payouts fell short of European demands after the United States and Britain shied away from imposing a cap.

September 4, 2009
Washington Aims To Shuffle IMF Seats
The U.S. is pressing Europe in behind-the-scenes negotiations to sharply reduce its clout at the International Monetary Fund in favor of developing countries such as China and Brazil.

September 3, 2009
Obama Picks Punke To Be U.S. Ambassador To WTO
President Barack Obama intends to nominate Michael Punke to be U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization, the White House said on Thursday.

September 2, 2009
Factbox-What Is Likely To Emerge From London G20 Meeting
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 developed and developing economies meet in London this week to assess how far the world economy and banking system is recovering from two years of crisis.

September 1, 2009
Lamy Says Job Losses Will Hit Free Trade
Growing job losses will fuel protectionist pressures “for years to come” despite signs that the collapse in world trade may be bottoming out, warned Pascal Lamy, head of the World Trade Organisation.

August 31, 2009
UK Ready To Commit Extra $11bn To IMF
The UK is ready to provide an additional $11bn as part of a drive to bolster the International Monetary Fund’s finances, Alistair Darling, chancellor of the exchequer, pledged on Monday.

August 28, 2009
Chinese Tire-Import Spat Puts Obama In Trade-Policy Pickle
A politically charged case involving Chinese tire imports will soon force the hand of an Obama administration that has yet to articulate a clear trade policy to anxious global trading partners.

August 27, 2009
Official Who Helped To Resolve IMF Crisis
Sir Derek Mitchell, who has died at the age of 87, was a Treasury knight at a time that inspired books such as Goodbye Great Britain and Britain in Agony, which captured a sense of decline and crisis in Whitehall.

August 27, 2009
Is China Ready To Play Ball On Global Warming?
China is finally tackling climate change head on. Sort of. The Chinese parliament passed a resolution today calling for the country to “control” greenhouse-gas emissions and promote energy efficiency, lower energy consumption, and more renewable energy, Reuters reports. That’s the culmination of a spate of Chinese reports from government and academia warning about the environmental impacts of the country’s current growth path.

August 26, 2009
G20 Not Expected To "Cap And Tax" Bank Bonuses
G20 finance ministers will discuss next week how to curb excessive bankers' pay but the group of leading nations is not expected to heed a French call to "cap and tax" bonuses, officials and analysts said.

August 25, 2009
U.S. Needs Climate Law Before Copenhagen: Officials
The United States needs to have a climate change law in place before international talks on a climate pact begin in December, two top Obama administration officials said on Monday.

August 24, 2009
Policymakers Cautious As They Take Credit For 'Breaking The Fall'
Economic catastrophe has been averted, but the road to recovery is likely to be long and bumpy in spite of a surprisingly brisk start in recent weeks, according to policymakers and economists at the Fed conference.

August 22, 2009
Doha Breakthrough Possible With More Focus: Official
An early agreement on a global trade deal is possible with more cooperation and negotiators are working overtime for the success of the Doha round of talks, a World Trade Organization (WTO) official said on Saturday.

August 21, 2009
WTO To Adopt Dumping Report, Retaliation On U.S. Looms
The World Trade Organization is due on August 31 to adopt a ruling by its top court condemning U.S. anti-dumping measures, allowing Japan to seek retaliation against Washington, a WTO agenda showed on Friday.

August 20, 2009
Agency Warns Current Climate Proposals Won't Work
Reversing global warming will cost up to $185 billion (euro130 billion) a year before 2020 and require more action by world governments than currently pledged, an international environmental analysis group said Thursday.

August 19, 2009
WTO Supports Japan On 'Zeroing' Tariffs
A World Trade Organisation court yesterday reaffirmed a ruling against the US for the way it calculates emergency tariffs on imports it deems unfairly priced, the latest stage in a long-running case brought by Japan.

August 19, 2009
How The World Bank Let 'Deal Making' Torch the Rainforests
The World Bank ignored its own environmental and social protection standards when it approved nearly $200 million in loan guarantees for palm oil production in Indonesia, a stinging internal audit has found.

August 18, 2009
Asia Is Urged To Increase Irrigation Spending
Asian governments need to spend billions of dollars modernising their irrigation systems to boost food output or take the politically difficult choice of relying more on imports, a United Nations-backed report says.

August 17, 2009
Lessons From the Developing World
The developing world is home to some of the most challenging markets for any business: Urban slums. Rural backwaters. Lawless regions and battle zones. But hundreds of millions of potential customers live in these places, and a few pioneering companies are thriving there. Their success offers lessons on how to tap these complex environments for profits and growth.

August 16, 2009
Doha Deal Could Boost World GDP $300-700 Billion: Study
A successful Doha round trade deal could boost the global economy by $300-700 billion a year, a study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics said.

August 14, 2009
IMF Eyes Future Of China’s Export Jobs
In a new pair of working papers for the International Monetary Fund, Kai Guo and Papa N’Diaye tackle two of the biggest questions for China’s economic future: what will happen to the export manufacturing base that has driven so much of its recent growth? And what other options are there to create more new jobs for poor farmers eager to better their lot?

August 13, 2009
W.T.O. Rules Against China’s Limits on Imports
The World Trade Organization gave the United States a victory on Wednesday in its trade battle with China, ruling that Beijing had violated international rules by limiting imports of books, songs and movies.

August 12, 2009
Not Clear If QE Aiding Economy, IMF Study Says
Long-term UK government bond yields appear to have been suppressed by about 40 to 100 basis points by the Bank of England as a result of its unorthodox monetary policies, an International Monetary Fund study has calculated.

August 11, 2009
Will Trade Lead Or Lag The Recovery?
As signs grow that the worst of the global slowdown is passing, fears are being voiced that world trade could hold back the recovery. The answer depends on whether trade is seen as a reflection of the broader economy or a transmission belt for the downturn. The links between finance and trade are still little understood.

August 10, 2009
Progress Seen On China-DR Congo Deal - World Bank
World Bank President Robert Zoellick on Monday cited signs of progress in talks to adjust a $9 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal between China and Democratic Republic of Congo that has raised IMF concerns.

August 10, 2009
Tokyo Frets Over 'Murky Protectionism'
Japan is seriously concerned about the rising use of anti-dumping charges and other forms of "murky protectionism" being taken by trading partners amid the global economic slowdown, according to a senior trade official.

August 7, 2009
World Food Prices Stabilise, No Drop In Sight -WFP
World food prices have stabilised but will not return to levels seen before 2008 when commodity prices skyrocketed pushing up inflation in many emerging markets, the U.N. food agency said on Friday.

August 6, 2009
China, Others Shove U.S. in Scramble for Africa
A presidential visit followed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's African tour cannot conceal a stark reality: China has overtaken the United States as Africa's top trading partner.

August 5, 2009
Emerging Nations Stand Firm on IMF Vote Reform
Emerging economies have dug in their heels over power sharing in the International Monetary Fund, insisting realigning voting shares must come before any other governance reforms are tackled.

August 4, 2009
US Car Aid Plan Irks Trading Partners
The US House of Representatives has inserted an amendment into a $33bn (€23bn, £19bn) spending bill that would stop any of the money being spent on cars not made by the US "big three", prompting alarm from its trading partners in Europe and Japan.

August 3, 2009
Emerging-Market Stock Rally Recoups Loss Since Lehman Collapse
Developing-nation stocks recouped their losses since the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as the benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed above its closing level on Sept. 12.

August 2, 2009
IFC To Boost Agricultural Lending By 30%
The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector arm, will boost lending to agribusiness by up to 30 per cent in the next three years, as it promotes the role of the private sector in the fight against hunger.

July 31,2009
Rich Nations Fall Short on Bank Recovery Spending
Wealthy industrialized nations have provided less than half of the support they pledged to prop up their financial sectors, according to new data from the International Monetary Fund.

July 31, 2009
IMF: Worst Over for U.S. but Recovery to be Slow
The sharp contraction in the U.S. economy "seems to be ending" but recovery will be slow with risks still looming from the weak labor and housing markets, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.

July 30,2009
Flu Threat to Economy Mostly in the Mind for Now
One of the few certainties about the H1N1 swine flu virus is that it would have to turn much deadlier than it seems right now to cause a major drop in global economic output.

July 29, 2009
EU Trade Officials Approve Penalties on Chinese Steel Pipes
European Union trade officials approved preemptive penalties on steel pipe imports from China, a precedent-setting move that suggests the trading bloc is growing more protectionist in the face of the economic downturn.

July 29,2009
US and China Display United Economic Stance
The US and China sought to present a common front on Tuesday on economic co-operation but remained at odds over climate change at the end of two days of top-level consultations that highlighted Beijing’s growing confidence and assertiveness.

July 29,2009
IMF Boosts Lending to Poor States
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it will take "unprecedented" measures to help poor countries cope with the economic downturn.

July 28, 2009
World Bank Warns of Growing Risks in Poor Countries
The global economic crisis could have a "disastrous" impact on health and school projects in the developing world unless rich nations spend a tiny fraction of stimulus measures to help the poor, a World Bank official said.

July 27, 2009
Fundamentals Drive the 'BRIC' Rebound
Acronyms can often clutter business-speak with clunky jargon. But some distill something unwieldy into a marketer's dream. So it has been with the "BRIC" acronym, created in 2001 by a team led by Jim O'Neill, Goldman Sachs Group's chief economist to mean Brazil, Russia, India and China. The bank fashioned the acronym while making a prediction about the speed of growth of the four biggest emerging markets.

July 27,2009
The Carbon-Capture Challenge
Like a giant in winter, Schwarze Pumpe, a 160-metre-tall power plant near Berlin, breathes out a steady fog of steam and carbon dioxide, making a modest but visible contribution to global warming.

July 26, 2009
Protectionism: The Dog That Barked But Didn't Bite?
The sharp trade contraction during the economic crisis, closely matching the trend in the 1930s, has triggered widespread fears that the world could suffer a re-run of the destructive protectionism of that era.

July 24,2009
Japan Sends U.S. Letter on "Buy American" Worries
Japan has sent a letter of concern to the United States on a bill recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, which contains a provision similar to "Buy American," an official at Japan's foreign ministry said.

July 24, 2009
Germany Calls Carbon Tariffs "Eco-Imperialism"
Germany called a French idea to slap "carbon tariffs" on products from countries that are not trying to cut greenhouse gases a form of "eco-imperialism" and a direct violation of WTO rules.

July 24,2009
China Will Allow More Foreign Firms to Sell Yuan Debt
China’s central bank said it will allow more foreign institutions to sell debt in the country, seeking to boost trade in its bond market and increase the use of the yuan in global finance.

July 23, 2009
ADB Sees Asian Growth Doubling in 2010
The Asian Development Bank released an upbeat report on the region’s emerging economies on Thursday, predicting growth in 2010 would be double that of 2009.

July 23, 2009
IMF Membership Divided on China Currency -Official
IMF member countries generally agree that a stronger Chinese currency would boost consumption but are divided over the extent such a move would contribute to a rebalancing of growth, a senior IMF official said on Thursday.

July 22,2009
Too Early to See Trade Finance Measures Working: WTO
World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy said on Wednesday that it is too early to see if measures to improve trade financing are working.

July 21,2009
Asia’s Export-Reliant Nations May See Economic Recovery ‘Fade’
Asia’s export-dependent nations may see their recoveries falter in the second half of the year as overseas demand remains subdued, economists said.

July 20,2009
Unlikely SDR Allocation Will Affect Inflation -IMF
The International Monetary Fund said on Monday a planned allocation of $250 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights to the fund's 186 member countries is unlikely to have an inflationary impact.

July 20,2009
IMF Plans to Inject $250 Billion Into Global Economy
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is planning to inject $250 billion into the global economy to bolster countries’ reserves as part of measures to combat the world economic crisis.

July 17,2009
Doha Trade Negotiators Wait for America
Leaders of the major economies have called for a new global trade pact next year, but in Geneva negotiators say there is little prospect of a Doha deal until the United States signals clearly it is ready to move.

July 16,2009
U.S. to Get Tough on Trade, Labor Infractions: Kirk
The U.S. government will get tough with governments that don't live up to trade deals, including those with substandard labor practices, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk was set to announce on Thursday.

July 15,2009
Unchecked Global Warming Would ‘Redraw Planet,’ Stern Says
Global warming left unmanaged would “redraw the planet,” and the resulting damage may cost as much as one-fifth of production, Nicholas Stern, the U.K. government’s former chief economist, said in an interview.

July 15,2009
World Trade 'Continues to Fall'
Trade in developed countries continued to fall in the first three months of this year but the rate of decline moderated, the OECD has said.

July 14,2009
OECD Countries Seen Losing 30 Million Jobs 2007-2010
Developed countries are expected to lose nearly 30 million jobs from the end of 2007 through the end of 2010, the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Tuesday.

July 14,2009
Geithner Promises to Defend Dollar
Tim Geithner, US treasury secretary, sought to assure Gulf nations on Tuesday about their holdings of treasury bills when he told Saudi business leaders that his country “has a special responsibility to play” in defending the value of the dollar.

July 13, 2009
Economic Crisis Far From Over, WTO Chief Says
The global economic downturn is far from over, and few countries have dismantled the dangerous protectionist barriers they imposed in response to it, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy said on Monday.

July 13, 2009
Trade's Cogs Turn More Smoothly
As global trade shows hints of life, there are increasing signs that strains in trade finance -- the flows of credit that grease the wheels of global commerce -- have eased significantly in recent months.

July 10, 2009
G8 to Commit $20bn for Food Security
The G8 summit will pledge $20bn over three years, $5bn more than initially expected, to boost agricultural investment and fight hunger.

July 9, 2009
Markets Mayhem Puts Spin on Statistics
International trade is the greatest casualty of this economic crisis, and nowhere is this more visible than in the large Asian exporting nations. As consumers stopped buying durable manufactured goods last year, some countries’ exports were cut in half.

July 8,2009
IMF More Upbeat on 2010 Recovery
Worldwide economic growth is expected to recover to 2.5% in 2010, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

July 8, 2009
G8 Plus G5 Agree to Conclude Doha in 2010
G8 leaders plus Brazil, India, China, Mexico and South Africa will agree at a summit on Thursday to conclude the Doha round of world trade talks successfully in 2010, according to a draft communique seen by Reuters.

July 8,2009
White House Unhappy with IMF Limits in US Spending Bill
The Obama administration on Wednesday said it strongly opposed legislation in the U.S. Congress that would restrict its ability to respond to future financial crises through the International Monetary Fund.

July 7,2009
US Wants G8 to Pledge $15 Bln on Food Aid-Draft Text
The United States wants a G8 summit this week to commit $15 billion over a multi-year period for agricultural development in poor countries to fight food insecurity, according to a draft declaration seen by Reuters.

July 7,2009
'Time to Ditch Climate Policies'
An international group of academics is urging world leaders to abandon their current policies on climate change.

July 07, 2009
Economic Downturn Makes Trade Talks a Priority
The economic downturn, along with new leadership in the U.S. and India, is spurring G-8 nations to repair trade talks at their coming summit but Washington remains an obstacle, trade experts say.

July 6,2009
G8 Shifts Focus From Food Aid to Farming
The G8 countries will this week announce a “food security initiative”, committing more than $12bn for agricultural development over the next three years, in a move that signals a further shift from food aid to long-term investments in farming in the developing world.

July 6,2009
Zoellick Plea Over Stimulus Cuts
Now is not the time for rich countries to start pulling back on economic stimulus, Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, has told leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations. He warned this could have devastating consequences for the developing world.

July 6,2009
Trade Assistance Could Reignite Growth, Help the Poor
International trade could ignite and propel a global economic recovery, top United Nations and multilateral lending officials said on Monday.

July 06, 2009
Robert McNamara Dies at Age 93
Robert McNamara, architect of the Vietnam war, died on Monday morning in his home at the age of 93, his wife Diana McNamara told the Associated Press.

July 3,2009
Emerging Markets Take Record Share of World Equity
Developing countries’ share of worldwide equity value climbed to a record as the fastest- growing economies lured investors amid the first global recession since World War II.

July 2, 2009
China to Boost Ties With IMF
China will next week take an important step towards reconciliation with the International Monetary Fund, agreeing to disagree about its controversial currency policy in order to return to good standing in an organization it hopes to influence.

July 2, 2009
Exporters Struggle to Get Trade Loans - WTO's Lamy
Exporters are struggling to get the loans they need to ship their goods, the head of the World Trade Organisation said ahead of a high-level meeting on poor countries' aid-for-trade needs.

June 30, 2009
Emerging Markets Outlook Is ‘Optimistic,’ Faber Says
The outlook for emerging markets is “far more optimistic” than for developed economies as growth picks up, said investor Marc Faber, who advised investors to buy gold before its eight-year rally.

June 28,2009
G8 Set to Push For a Return to ‘Ethics’
Flawed markets and fundamental weaknesses in the world economic system demand adoption of a “global standard” of norms and principles and a return to ethics in business, according to finance ministers from the Group of Eight club of rich countries.

June 26, 2009
Global Free Trade Accord Seen Helping Environment
A new global free trade accord could help fight climate change by making clean-energy products more widely available, the World Trade Organization and United Nations Environment Program said on Friday.

June 25,2009
World Economy Limps One Step Forward, One Back
The global economy served up a mixture of green shoots and bitter herbs on Thursday, matching comments overnight from the U.S. Federal Reserve that the recession there appeared to be easing, but at no great pace.

June 25, 2009
Major economies Consider Halving World CO2
Major economies including the United States and China are considering setting a goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 when they hold a summit in Italy next month, a draft document showed.

June 24,2009
U.S., Europe File Trade Complaint Against China
The U.S. and the European Union filed separate complaints with the World Trade Organization on Tuesday alleging that China is unfairly benefiting domestic industries by restricting exports of certain raw materials.

June 23, 2009
Rich and Poor Nations Divided Before U.N. Finance Meeting
Rich and poor nations edged closer to a deal on proposals for reforming the global financial system, but diplomats said there would have to be changes if a U.N. conference this week is to adopt them.

June 23, 2009
Tug-of-War over ‘Buy American’
Business groups, trade unions and the US’s trading partners are fighting a tug-of-war over “Buy American” rules as the Obama administration ponders whether to toughen up or neuter the controversial provisions.

June 22,2009
World Bank Warns on Emerging Markets
Leading developed nations are misguided in focusing efforts on restoring demand in their own economies, the World Bank will say on Monday.

June 22,2009
A Recipe for Reviving Doha
With this week's meeting of the trade ministers of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and next month's G-8 summit, skeptics are already saying we are jumping back on the World Trade Organization "merry-go-round" for another futile run at a world trade deal. Some point to what they see as irreconcilable differences on the substance of the negotiations, saying that if a deal were in the offing it would have been achieved by now. The elements of the package already agreed offer everyone substantial gains. To re-ignite the Doha round, we need to give an idea of what a final deal might look like, and create a shared, solid perception by all WTO members that this is not an open-ended process.

June 19,2009
We Need Greater Global Governance
Fingering the villain in the banking crisis of 2008 turns out to be tougher than it looks. Was it the banker with the skewed incentives and the poor grasp of risk? Was it the over-indebted consumer with the 125% mortgage? Was it the politicians and regulators who failed to see the risks in both?

June 19,2009
Decline in World Economy Moderating- IMF's Lipsky
The International Monetary Fund is likely to revise up its 2010 growth forecast for the world economy with signs that the rate of decline in global output has moderated, a senior IMF official said on Friday.

June 18,2009
U.S. Congress Vote Marks Big Step For IMF Reform, Funding
Approval by the U.S. Congress of a package of measures related to the IMF gives a big boost to international funding to combat the global economic crisis and marks a significant step forward in reforming the 185-member intergovernmental institution that has taken a central role in channeling assistance to countries hit by the financial turmoil.

June 18,2009
World Bank Raises China GDP Forecast
A sustainable recovery is not yet assured in China despite the government’s large fiscal stimulus package and Beijing may have little room for additional measures this year, the World Bank said yesterday.

June 17, 2009
WTO Chief Hopes to Conclude Doha Round in 2010
The head of the World Trade Organization is hopeful long-running trade talks can be wrapped up next year.

June 16,2009
U.S. House Clears $106 Billion War Funding, Senate Next
The House of Representatives on Tuesday narrowly backed a $106 billion bill to pay for the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and extend billions in new credit to the International Monetary Fund.

June 15,2009
Obama's IMF Boost Exacts Heavy Toll
Congress is this week expected to approve Barack Obama's request for an extra $108bn for the International Monetary Fund, but it will come at a political price after weeks of grandstanding, messy compromise and horse-trading.

June 15,2009
Leaders Gather for Shanghai Talks
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders are gathering in Russia for the ninth Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit.

June 15,2009
Citi in $1.25bn tie-up With IFC to Unblock World Trade Flows
Attempts to unblock world trade flows still jammed by the credit crunch have been backed by Citigroup, which today unveils a $1.25bn (£760m) funding tie-up with the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank.

June 13,2009
IMF Asked to Aid G-8 With Exit Strategies For Crisis Policies
Amid signs that the global economic crisis is stabilizing, the Group of Eight (G-8) advanced economies has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to do the necessary analytical work to help governments prepare “exit strategies” to unwind the huge stimulus packages that have been deployed to combat the crisis.

June 12,2009
China Faces WTO Action on Raw Materials
The European Union and the US are preparing to take China to the World Trade Organisation over allegations that Beijing grants raw materials to domestic manufacturers at below-market prices, according to people familiar with the matter.

June 12,2009
G-8 Finance Official Discuss Banking Rules
Finance officials from the Group of Eight countries face rifts at their summit Friday over the scope of global banking rules and how to exit massive government-stimulus efforts, even as they acknowledge fledgling signs of an improving economy.

June 11,2009
IIF Says Domestic Bailouts Hurt Capital Markets
An international financial industry group warned that concerted international action to fight the global financial crisis, rather than separate rescue plans undertaken by different governments, is urgently needed to protect the global financial system and ensure it can run smoothly.

June 11,2009
As Global Slump is Set to Continue, Poor Countries Need More Help
The world economy is set to contract this year by more than previously estimated, and poor countries will continue to be hit hard by multiple waves of economic stress, said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today.

June 10,2009
U.S. Trade Gap Widens on Softening Exports
The U.S. trade gap widened to $29.2 billion in April as exports weakened again in a reflection of waning global demand, a U.S. government report on Wednesday showed.

June 10,2009
Russia Changes Its WTO Strategy
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Moscow will pull its long-delayed application to join the World Trade Organization and reapply as part of a bloc with neighbors Kazakhstan and Belarus.

June 9,2009
EU Ministers Seek Financial Overhaul
European Union finance ministers sought agreement Tuesday on a major overhaul of their financial system to avoid another banking crisis like the one that has plunged the 27-country bloc into recession.

June 8,2009
Major Economies Are ‘Close to Low Point’
Most of the world’s major economies are now close to the low point of their slowdowns, in a sign that the global recession is easing, according to data published on Monday.

June 8,2009
World Bank: Protectionism Could Kill Green Shoots
World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned on Monday that protectionism could stifle economic recovery.

June 5,2009
Russia Accelerates Push to Join OECD and WTO
Russia on Thursday promised to accelerate its membership bids for two major Western economic institutions, at a time when the global downturn has starved its economy of capital.

June 4,2009
IMF Strengthens Actions to Help Resolve Global Economic Crisis
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will build upon ongoing efforts to respond rapidly and boldly to the needs of its membership during the current global crisis and will continue to mobilize commitments for increased resources, complete the overhaul of the Fund’s lending framework, further strengthen the quality of its surveillance, and consider reforms in the key area of the Fund’s own governance.

June 3,2009
Banks' Powers in Spotlight as IMF Readies Report
Top financial institutions could be held more accountable for the power they wield over world economies in possible new rules to prevent meltdowns like the one that triggered the global recession.

June 2,2009
Geithner Urges Role for China in Recovery
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in a speech here Monday, touched on a contentious subject, urging China to move toward a more flexible exchange-rate regime.

May 31,2009
Global Crisis Forces African Governments to Turn to IMF
Years after graduating from dependence on the International Monetary Fund, many African countries are having to call upon the fund for assistance to cope with a global economic crisis that is not their fault.

May 28,2009
World Income Seen To Decline By 3.7%
World income is likely to decline by 3.7 per cent this year on a per capita basis as a result of a global financial crisis that had disproportionately affected livelihoods in the developing world, a team of United Nations economists said on Wednesday.

May 28,2009
US To Host Next G20 World Meeting
The US will host the next G20 summit of world leaders in September, the White House has confirmed.

May 27,2009
EU Outlines Overhaul of Financial Regulation
Legislation to overhaul Europe’s patchy system for supervising banks and insurers, and introduce a new system to help warn against future financial crises will be put forward in the early autumn, top EU officials said on Wednesday.

May 26,2009
UN Postpones Financial Summit Until Late June
The United Nations rescheduled a summit focused on the financial crisis which will attempt to lay down proposals for a new international financial architecture to June 24-26, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

May 21,2009
World Economies Plummet
Steep declines in the economies of three of the U.S.'s biggest trading partners -- Mexico, Japan and Germany -- underscored the severity of the global recession and put pressure on major industrialized nations to revive moribund global trade talks.

May 21,2009
Senate Rejects Move to Cut IMF Contributions
The Senate Thursday decisively rejected an attempt to eliminate $108 billion in U.S. contributions to the International Monetary Fund, but the fate of the funding remains uncertain despite the strong backing of the White House.

May 19,2009
Big-Hitters Side With Obama Over IMF
The Obama administration turned to a group of Republican and Democrat big-hitters on Monday to bolster its attempt to win Congressional approval for more money for the International Monetary Fund.

May 14,2009
New Finance Rules Have Potential to Alter the Path of Global Trade
If this proves to be the moment when the march toward ever-greater globalization and trade ends or slows significantly, look not only to tariffs or buy-American rules or street protests as the causes. Look also to changes now being contemplated in rules for global finance.

May 13,2009
US Backs New Approach to Doha Negotiations
Ron Kirk, the new US trade representative, on Wednesday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to a successful and speedy conclusion to the Doha global trade talks, but said this might require a change in the negotiating approach.

May 5,2009
Don't Forget About Foreign Aid
President Barack Obama's inaugural address included a ringing endorsement of U.S. engagement with the developing world: "To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds."

May 3,2009
ADB Plans $3 Billion Crisis Fund
The Asian Development Bank is planning to launch a $3 billion loan facility to help its "developing member countries cope with the crisis," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said Saturday, amid lingering uncertainty over when and how the financial crisis will end.

April 30, 2009
China's Stimulus Spurs U.S. Business
China's efforts to quickly pump up its economy are providing a much-needed boost for U.S. businesses as well.

April 29,2009
Food Scare Sparks Developing World Land Rush: Think Tank
High food prices fueled a land-buying spree in developing nations, particularly in Africa, by countries and private investors wanting to assure food supplies for themselves, a think tank said on Wednesday.

April 28, 2009
World Bank Demands Poverty Action
The head of the World Bank has warned of a "human catastrophe" in the world's poorest countries unless more is done to tackle the global economic crisis.

April 28,2009
Free Trade: Not So Bad
The economy is as bad as it’s been since the Great Depression, the International Monetary Fund tells us. Protectionism is on the rise, the World Trade Organization warns.

April 26,2009
IMF Says Existing Stimulus Could Suffice
The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Saturday that if countries are successful in cleansing their financial systems, the fiscal stimulus already implemented for 2009 “may be enough”.

April 22,2009
Lagarde to Push EU to Give IMF More Than $100 Billion
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is lobbying her European Union counterparts to increase the region’s extra contribution to the International Monetary Fund beyond the $100 billion initially pledged, an aide to Lagarde said.

April 21,2009
Asian EMs See Glimmer Of Hope
The outlook for share, currency and bond markets in emerging Asia is “less bleak” than for those in other regions, the Asian Development Bank said on Tuesday.