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News

Press Release: Joint IMF-RFAs press release on the 9th High-level RFA Dialogue

The 9th High-level Regional Financing Arrangements (RFAs) Dialogue was held on 23 October 2024 in Washington DC at a time when the global economic outlook is improving but remains weak amid a complex geoeconomic environment and elevated policy uncertainty. The heightened volatility observed in global financial markets over the summer rearmed the importance of having a strong Global Financial Safety Net, including eective collaboration between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and RFAs, to safeguard against external risks.

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Press Release: Joint IMF-RFAs press release on the 9th High-level RFA Dialogue

The 9th High-level Regional Financing Arrangements (RFAs) Dialogue was held on 23 October 2024 in Washington DC at a time when the global economic outlook is improving but remains weak amid a complex geoeconomic environment and elevated policy uncertainty. The heightened volatility observed in global financial markets over the summer rearmed the importance of having a strong Global Financial Safety Net, including eective collaboration between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and RFAs, to safeguard against external risks.

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FLARblog | Determinants of Financial Hedging Strategies Among Commodity Producers in Latin America: Identifying the Key Drivers

The extractive sector holds great relevance for the macro-financial stability of Latin America. In most economies in the region, significant commercial and financial inflows originate from the extractive industry, and a portion of government income relies on the well-being of these companies, sourced either from the taxes paid by these entities or from the profits generated when the state owns a share of their assets.

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New Working Paper | Determinants of Financial Hedging Strategies among Commodity Producer Firms in Latin America

This study examines the determinants of hedging practices among commodity-producing companies in Latin America, given the economic significance of the extractive sector in the region. Key factors identified include firm size, leverage, and commodity prices. Additionally, exchange rate exposure and the acquisition of US dollar-denominated debt influence hedging activities, along with access to international markets. Ownership type is also relevant, as state-owned firms, particularly in the oil sector, are more likely to hedge to reduce revenue volatility.

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Working paper in academic journal | High Frequency Monitoring of Credit Creation: A New Tool for Central Banks in Emerging Market Economies

This study utilizes weekly datasets on loan growth in Colombia to develop a daily indicator of credit expansion using a two-step machine learning approach. Initially, employing Random Forests (RF), missing data in the raw credit indicator is filled using high frequency indicators like spreads, interest rates, and stock market returns.

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New Working Paper | Climate Growth at Risk in the Global South

The objective of this working paper was to examine the effect of climate uncertainty shocks on the distribution of economic growth rates across Latin American and Caribbean countries from 1970 to 2022. It provides novel indicators for volatility, asymmetry, and kurtosis shocks based on daily temperature data at the country level.

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Press Release: 8th Joint RFAs Research Seminar

The 8th Joint Regional Financing Arrangements (RFAs) Research Seminar starts today May 16 in Luxembourg. The two-day hybrid seminar will examine the economic and financial risks associated with global fragmentation. This event is organised jointly by the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), and Latin American Reserve Fund (FLAR).

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