So why dont most economists share the worries of so many conservative politicians, headline writers and ordinary citizens? Five reasons. The first is, these are extraordinary times. Im not sure Frydenberg is right in claiming the pandemic is “without doubt, the biggest shock this country has ever faced,” but its certainly one of them. And…
The Treasury is in talks with the UKs largest banks about an industry-wide plan to help tackle the tens of billions of pounds of bad debts expected under the governments light-touch coronavirus bounce back loans scheme. More than 1m of the UKs smallest companies have borrowed 33bn in just two months under the bounce back…
After the immediate virus crisis, he says that if interest rates remain low, the government consistently balances the budget and economic growth is about a trend 2.75 per cent, gross debt-to-GDP could be reduced by 1 percentage points a year. Frydenberg and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann have emphasised that the key to sustainable debt management…
Analysts are warning of a surge in defaults in consumer debt in the US if Congress fails to extend the programme of increased unemployment benefits that was put in place to ease the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Lawmakers are locked in negotiations over further stimulus to replace the pandemic unemployment assistance payments, worth $600…
From Commentary July 24, 2020 July 24, 2020 5 minute read When the Menzies government took office in December 1949, Australias public debt stood at 120 per cent of GDP. By the time Robert Menzies retired, on Australia Day, 1966, that proportion had dropped below 50 per cent. With the Treasurer on Thursday announcing eye-watering…
When will it finally sink in? No-one really cares about the deficit or the national debt, least of all the millions of Australians now facing the very real threat of a long period of unemployment, personal hardship and crisis. As Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Matthias Cormann grimly fronted a media pack in Canberra,…
The nation will be taking a deep breath today as were forced to see some scary numbers that will be compared to scarier times of this countrys life, such as World War II, when Japan bombed Darwin, fought a sea battle on the Coral Sea that laps Townsville and sent a submarine into Sydney Harbour!…
The International Monetary Fund has approved a $7.6 million debt relief to Burundi to help it deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. IMF said the debt relief will help free up the East African country’s resources for public sector health needs including other emergency spending and help mitigate the balance of payments shock…
(Ecofin Agency) – The International Monetary Fund announced in a July 20 statement it has agreed to write off up to$7.6 million of Burundis debt. The move aims to help the country face the coronavirus crisis and the socio-economic challenges that came with it. It is part of the Catastrophe Containment and Relief (CCR) Trust,…
Mohammed al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia’s minister of finance, wears a protective mask as he attends a virtual meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors July 18, 2020. Advocates say they are disappointed the G-20 meeting did not yield as much help for desperately poor nations struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic as hoped for, and…