Economy | - Part 85

Moody’s downgrades Ghana’s sovereign rating to B3; outlook negative

Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded Ghana’s issuer and senior unsecured rating by one notch to B3 from B2. The outlook on the rating is negative. The key drivers of today’s rating action are the following: 1) Deteriorating debt dynamics as reflected by an increasing debt burden due to large fiscal imbalances and a sharp weakening of the country’s national currency, combined with reduced debt affordability stemming from a high cost of funding in the…

Moody’s ASIA PACIFIC Economic Outlook

Posted on by The Editorial Team

China’s data for the first two months of the year were fairly dismal. Most activity indicators suggest that there are large downward pressures on the economy, which means that the government will need to ease measures if it is to keep the economy growing close to its target. Industrial production grew just 6.8% y/y in the first two months of the year, down from a 7.9% increase in December. This was due to further weakness…

Egypt’s current account hits deficit of $2.9 bln in Oct-Dec quarter

Posted on by The Editorial Team

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s current account deficit widened to $2.9 billion in the three months to December from $1.4 billion in the same period the previous year, according to Reuters calculations. The deficit stood at $4.3 billion in the first half of the fiscal year which began on July 1, compared with a deficit of $866 million in the same period a year before, the central bank said on Thursday. The deficit was driven by…

Nigerian Economy and Financial Market: After Elections… What Next?

Posted on by The Editorial Team

After Elections …What Next? Nigeria’s macroeconomic scene in recent times has been laden with issues surrounding the domestic polity in anticipation of the upcoming elections in March and April. Election campaigns are getting more intense with no one actually sure of which of the two major political parties will carry the day. Falling oil prices still continues to pressure the fiscal stability of government whilst Naira stability is continually tensed on the back of falling external…

Tunisia to start economic rescue plan, sees 7 pct growth in 5 years

Posted on by The Editorial Team

TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s new government will launch an emergency economic plan that includes reforms in subsidies and social funds to revive growth to a projected 7 per cent in five years, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said.Tunisia has been praised as an example of compromise politics and democratic transition since overthrowing autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben AliÂ in a 2011 uprising, holding free elections and drafting a new constitution.But the North African country faces pressure from…

Rwanda Upgraded To ‘B+’ On Diminishing External Financing Risks; Outlook Stable

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Overview • Risks to Rwanda’s external financing are reducing owing to stable donor flows and the government’s ability to access the capital markets. • Real GDP growth rates have rebounded to more than 6.0% in 2014 from the 2013 low of 4.6%, and we project 7% GDP growth for Rwanda in 2015-2018. Fiscal consolidation is on track, and deficits are narrowing. • We are raising our long-term ratings on Rwanda to ‘B+’ from ‘B’ and…

Nigeria: Weakening Economic Outlook Driven by Low Oil Prices

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Introduction The recent sharp drop in oil prices is taking a heavy toll on Nigeria, the sixth largest net exporter of oil in the world. In 2015, economic activity is projected to slow and the fiscal and current accounts are expected to deteriorate. Although Nigeria has some room to live with higher fiscal and current account deficits in the short term, the economy has limited fiscal and external buffers (low levels of the Excess Crude…

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