Spain showed strong growth performance marked by robust job creation and a solid fiscal position. Executive Directors supported the National Reform Program (NRP), which focuses on improving productivity, market flexibility, and competitiveness. They commended the appreciable fiscal surplus,...

The demand pressures associated with the large terms-of-trade gains are reflected in a fast real appreciation of the ruble, although more of this has come through nominal appreciation during the last year. The risks to the outlook are evenly balanced and depend mostly on oil price developments....

Conceptual ambiguities and statistical weaknesses hamper the assessment of external competitiveness. The term competitiveness, while applied extensively, is often imprecisely defined, which can result in analytical errors and mistaken policy advice. Furthermore, aggregate statistical measures of...

The Australian legal and regulatory framework for securities markets exhibits a high level of compliance with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Principles. A few remaining concerns need to be resolved, including some identified in the 2006 assessment. Australian...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

GDP growth is likely to remain strong, although narrowly driven by a mining investment boom, increasing the economy’s vulnerability to terms of trade shocks. Outside the mining sector, growth is expected to be slow with still weak consumer confidence and a strong exchange rate weighing on...