Jonathan Fortun / Institute of International Finance
Emerging market activity returned to expansion in Jonathan Fortun’s September 2020 growth tracker as trade improved and business surveys recovered. Accommodative monetary policy supported the rebound, but the assessment remained cautious: the initial reopening boost would fade, labor market disruption could restrain consumption, and firms were cutting investment. Purchasing managers’ surveys pointed to further recovery, with considerable uncertainty about differences across regions.
Jonathan Fortun · Sergi Lanau / Institute of International Finance
Foreign withdrawals from local government bonds persisted after the initial pandemic shock. Jonathan Fortun and Sergi Lanau show how some emerging economies offset those losses by borrowing internationally, while others faced a net reduction in foreign funding. Their September 2020 assessment separates local bond flows from governments’ broader access to external finance.
Jonathan Fortun · Robin Brooks / Institute of International Finance
Why did the pandemic imply a deeper global recession than the financial crisis? The September 2020 forecast projected a 3.8% world contraction, compared with 0.4% in 2009, attributing most of the difference to China and India. China lacked an infrastructure stimulus comparable to 2009, while India faced a sharp lockdown contraction rather than its earlier expansion, weakening the outlook for other emerging economies.
Jonathan Fortun · Sergi Lanau / Institute of International Finance
Weak growth can leave emerging markets exposed to contagion even when external financing is not their only vulnerability. This September 2020 assessment identifies limited funding buffers alongside a lack of room for policy support, highlighting Brazil, Mexico and South Africa among economies where those constraints could amplify financial stress.
Examines whether persistent weak demand and unequal financial conditions left more economic slack in eurozone periphery economies than conventional output-gap estimates suggested before the pandemic.
Jonathan Fortun · Sergi Lanau · Yuanliu Hu / Institute of International Finance
Sri Lanka faced a widening current account deficit and difficult external bond repayments in this August 2020 assessment. Jonathan Fortun and coauthors identified substantial financing gaps across several scenarios, arguing that large support from official lenders would probably be needed. They stressed that such assistance could come with demanding adjustment conditions, connecting the external funding shortfall to the policy choices required to address it.
Jonathan Fortun · Sergi Lanau / Institute of International Finance
A partial recovery in services and retail could leave a disproportionate employment shortfall after the initial pandemic shock. Jonathan Fortun and Sergi Lanau used Spanish retail trade to illustrate how labor intensive sectors translate even modest output losses into substantial job losses. Their August 2020 analysis focused on the employment consequences of an incomplete return to normal activity.
Jonathan Fortun · Martín Castellano · Sergi Lanau / Institute of International Finance
Argentina’s debt restructuring could improve external financing prospects if the IMF rolled its exposure into a new program. The August 2020 assessment shifts attention to the remaining fiscal deficit and how to fund it: immediately ending monetary financing would require difficult spending and budget adjustments. Debt relief therefore eased one constraint without resolving the domestic financing challenge.