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COUNTRY INSIGHTS

​For the first time during the COVID 19 pandemic, economic activity shows positive year-on-year growth
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · In Brief · 31 Mar 2021

In February 2021, for the first time the Monthly Index of Economic Activity shows positive year-on-year growth, compared to the situation just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth rate was 1.1% in Feb 2021 compared to situation in 2020. The most dynamic economic activities have b...

Russian venture capital market fell sharply 2020
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 31 Mar 2021

Data from Dsight showed that in 2020 venture capital investment fell from USD 869 million to USD 703 million. This is put down to the pandemic and the search for safer investments. The number of deals was up 14% YoY. There were more startups as well. Q3 and Q4 were much better than Q2 2020.Invest...

​Pre-ECQ developments
PHILIPPINES · In Brief · 31 Mar 2021

The following data released this week show a mildly improving economic picture before the surge in covid19 cases that led to the current lockdown.Government yesterday released February’s Labor Force Survey showing over 2.1 million of the nation’s working age population returning to the labor mark...

The ANC under President Ramaphosa moves to clean house – finally
SOUTH AFRICA · Report · 31 Mar 2021

Corruption has had a profoundly negative impact on South Africa’s economy and society. At the same time, the country’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has been guilty of a myriad of corrupt practices, both at the local and national levels. Notably, government finances have d...

All charged up and ready to go
INDONESIA · Report · 31 Mar 2021

Recently Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia published a report on the Indonesian electric vehicle industry that underscored its confidence in the Indonesian government's support for the industry, from nickel production for batteries to the prospects of Indonesia's becoming part of the global product...

China sending more goods via Russia than ever before
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 30 Mar 2021

On March 27 the Financial Times reported that China is increasingly transporting its products to the EU via Russia and Central Asia. This is due to the increased cost of seaborne transport. Over 2 000 freight trains from China crossed Russia in January and February 2021. That is a 100% YoY increa...

Fear the wolf and the shepherd
COLOMBIA · Report · 30 Mar 2021

These are times of flawed fiscal calculations, in which projections’ failure to match subsequent reality are having negative consequences. The 2020 budget was heavily under-executed, with more than COP 41 trillion (about 4 pp of GDP) of budgeted monies left undeployed. This is a very poor perform...

Partial reopening to start around mid-April
HUNGARY · In Brief · 30 Mar 2021

Cabinet minister Gulyás has made the following announcements on Covid restrictions:- Existing restrictions, including a night curfew, the closure of most shops and services, except for basic ones, the closure of schools and kindegartens and the prohibition of public gatherings of size, will be al...

Chile: The electoral calendar gets Covid
CHILE · In Brief · 29 Mar 2021

Although Chile is one of the world’s top countries in terms of vaccination, with almost 40% of the population having received at least one dose, the country is in the midst of a second wave of Covid-19 infections. This has led to increasing pressure to reconsider holding the mega-election (for ma...

Economics: Strong demand abroad but a weak homefront
MEXICO · Report · 29 Mar 2021

Economic results published during March tended to confirm the growing consensus that Mexico’s 2021 economic prospects are looking slightly better, with much of that improvement a reflection of the brighter US outlook that can be expected to spill over on multiple fronts, ranging from increased de...

A successful first step for the bill to defend dollarization
ECUADOR · In Brief · 29 Mar 2021 · 1 response

After three failed attempts, the Administrative Committee of the National Assembly accepted the bill and passed it to the Economic Commission, from where, if approved in this second stage, it will pass to the plenary session.The new version of the law replaces one Board of Directors with two Boar...

Politics: Voter preferences remain unclear
MEXICO · Report · 29 Mar 2021

This week candidates can begin campaigning for the June 6 elections at a time when the general context has been trending against the current administration and the partial electoral coalition it is taking into the midterm contests for the lower chamber of Congress. And just in time for the occasi...

Pressure for more emergency aid and other weekly topics
BRAZIL POLITICS · Report · 29 Mar 2021

President Jair Bolsonaro leads the first meeting of the National Coordination Committee for the Pandemic Response. The new Public Tender Law should be sanctioned on Thursday. Wednesday is the deadline for the functioning of the Joint Committee on Tax Reform. This week's Talking Points: ...

Monetary Policy: the Risks Ahead
BRAZIL ECONOMICS · Report · 29 Mar 2021

In the last Inflation Report, the Central Bank detailed the reasons it decided to start the “monetary normalization” with an increase of 75 basis points in the SELIC rate, to be followed by another hike of the same magnitude. Although recognizing that the inflation of 5.2% in the 12 months throug...

​Lockdown watch
PHILIPPINES · In Brief · 29 Mar 2021

Metro Manila and 4 surrounding provinces (“NCR plus”) went into the most stringent lockdown classification (“ECQ”[1]) today that will last a week. Checkpoints have been set up, a long curfew (6pm to 5am) imposed and only one person per household allowed to go out for essential procurements. The l...

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