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United States economic outlook: third quarter of 2024

6 January 2025 | Publication

The United States economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.1% in the third quarter of 2024, above the economy’s long-term growth potential and the 3.0% growth recorded in the second quarter, driven primarily by consumer spending. The resilience of consumer spending has been supported by receding inflation and a robust labour market. Employment has increased for 47 consecutive months, but the labour market is softening. Progress in bringing down inflation has stalled over the past three months, with inflation rising from 2.4% in September 2024 to 2.7% in November. The Federal Reserve cut int…

United States-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments 2024

3 January 2025 | Publication

United States trade in goods slowed in 2023, ending the recovery following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as goods exports and imports declined by 2.2% and 4.9%, respectively. The decrease in merchandise trade contrasts with significant improvements in services trade, as exports and imports of services rose by 8.2% and 4.8%, respectively. Recently, exports of digitally enabled services have considerably outpaced those of other services and goods, underscoring their growing importance in the global market. The relative weight of Latin America and the Caribbean in United States tra…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: first 10 months of 2024

24 December 2024 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean issuers placed US$ 112 billion of bonds in international markets in the first 10 months of 2024. This total was 40% higher than in the same period in 2023. The market remained open to high-yield issuers from the region, but most of the region’s issuances (58%) came from the investment grade sector. After two consecutive years in which sovereign issuances surpassed the 50% mark, corporate bond issuances in the reporting period represented 57% of the total. The region issued US$ 29 billion in green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds in internatio…

United States economic outlook: first half of 2024

14 October 2024 | Publication

The United States economy expanded at an annualized rate of 3.0% in the second quarter of 2024 —more than double the 1.4% GDP growth recorded in the first quarter and well above the economy’s long-term growth potential—, driven primarily by consumer spending. The resilience of consumer spending has been supported by receding inflation and a robust labour market. Inflation slowed to 2.5% in August 2024, the lowest level in more than three years. Employment has increased for 44 consecutive months, but the labour market is softening. The Federal Reserve announced an interest rate cut of 0.50% in …

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: first four months of 2024

25 June 2024 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean issuers placed US$ 53 billion of bonds in international markets in the first four months of 2024. This total was 61.5% higher than in the same period in 2023. The market remained open to high-yield issuers from the region, but most of the region’s issuances (69%) came from the investment grade sector. After two consecutive years in which sovereign issuances surpassed the 50% mark, corporate bond issuances in the reporting period represented 58% of the total. The region issued US$ 13 billion in green, social, sustainability and sustainability linked bonds in interna…

United States economic outlook: 2023 year-in-review and early 2024 developments

30 April 2024 | Publication

United States gross domestic product rose by 2.5% in 2023. The above-potential growth was driven by resilient consumers, supported by a strong labour market and receding inflation. In 2023, 3 million new jobs were added on an annual basis, and the unemployment rate was 3.7% at the end of December. Inflation was reduced by half relative to 2022, declining from an annual rate of 8% in 2022 to 4.1% in 2023. Cognizant of the strength of the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve is nevertheless adopting a “wait and see” approach rather than declaring an immediate end to its monetary tightening cycle, w…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: first 10 months of 2023

28 March 2024 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean bond issuance in international markets totalled US$ 76.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2023, rebounding from the low volumes recorded in 2022. This figure represented a 30% increase compared to the same period in 2022 and was 20% higher than the annual volume. Issuers that have been waiting for lower borrowing costs are gradually returning to the international market, as they anticipate the end to global interest rate hikes while accepting that rates may remain higher for longer. The region issued US$ 23.2 billion in international green, social, sustainability …

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: 2023 year-in-review and early 2024 developments

21 March 2024 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean bond issuance in international markets totalled US$ 89 billion in 2023, 40% higher than the figure recorded in 2022, but still 35% lower than the average annual level in the three-year period from 2019 to 2021. The average coupon on the region’s bonds issued in international markets was 1.65 percentage points higher than in 2022. Indicating a strong start to the year, international bond issuance amounted to US$ 31.19 billion in January 2024, the region’s third-highest monthly total. In 2023, the region issued US$ 31 billion in green, social, sustainability and sust…

Sustainable bond issuances in international markets, 2014–2022: characteristics, trends and greenium in Latin America and the Caribbean

28 December 2023 | Publication

This document examines the evolution of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)’s international issuance of sustainable bonds —green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds (GSSS)— since the region’s first international green bond was issued in December 2014. Reaching a cumulative total international GSSS bond issuance of US$ 100 billion in the 2014-2022 period, four main trends are identified. First, the share of GSSS bonds in the region’s total international bond issuance has increased significantly, jumping from less than 1% in 2018 to 32% in 2022. Second, while initially most…

United States economic outlook: third quarter of 2023

27 December 2023 | Publication

The United States economy expanded by 5.2% in the third quarter of 2023, the fastest pace in nearly two years. Consumer spending was the main driver of economic growth in the quarter, followed by accumulation of private inventories. The third quarter marked the fifth consecutive quarter of growth above the economy’s potential. Labour market growth remained solid, with 2.6 million jobs added from January to November 2023, but is easing. Inflation is also gradually slowing. Despite interest rate hikes in 2022 and in the first half of 2023, the United States economy —supported by a strong job mar…

From legislation to implementation: building a new industrial policy in the United States

21 December 2023 | Publication

This document examines the implementation strategies and execution challenges of three major pieces of legislation that were signed into law in the United States in late 2021 and in 2022. Together they provide more than US$ 2 trillion in authorized funding and incentives for up to ten years to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, accelerate the transition to a green economy, and strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry while promoting job growth, workforce development, and equity. The scale of these laws, given the level of funding required, their complexity, given the multiplicity of g…

United States-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments 2023

10 November 2023 | Publication

United States trade in goods fell by 3.9% year-on-year in the first six months of 2023, ending a recovery that started in 2021. This was a result of goods exports declining by almost 1% and goods imports by 6.3%. In contrast, in 2022, United States services trade reached a record high, with US$ 697 billion in imports and US$ 929 billion in exports. United States-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments provides an overview of selected developments in trade relations between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean. In light of the global focus on the climate crisis and t…

United States economic outlook: first half of 2023

5 October 2023 | Publication

The United States economy expanded by 2.0% and 2.1% in the first and second quarters of 2023, respectively, driven mainly by consumer spending in the first half of the year. The second quarter marked the fourth consecutive quarter of growth near or above the economy’s potential. Labour market growth remained solid, with 1.9 million jobs added in the first eight months of 2023, but is moderating. Inflation is also gradually decelerating. Despite interest rate hikes in 2022 and in the first half of 2023, the United States economy —supported by a strong job market and retreating inflation— remain…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: first half of 2023

9 August 2023 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean bond activity in international markets recovered strongly towards the end of the first half of 2023, with a total of US$ 50 billion placed in the period. This figure was 9% higher than in the year-earlier period and 158% higher than in the second half of 2022. Decelerating inflation and currency appreciation supported the upturn in bond activity, as did the pause in increases in the benchmark interest rate decided by the United States Federal Reserve at its meeting on 13 and 14 June following 10 consecutive hikes. There was a flurry of new bond issuances in the las…

United States economic outlook: 2022 year-in-review and early 2023 developments

28 April 2023 | Publication

The United States economy grew by 2.1% in 2022. Consumer spending was the main driver of growth. The economic outlook improved in the second half of 2022, following two quarters of negative growth, and this momentum has carried over into early 2023. The labour market was strong in 2022 and continued to show strength in early 2023. Inflation rose to 8% in 2022, the highest annual level in four decades, but slowed to 5% in March 2023. The Federal Reserve approved nine interest rate increases between March 2022 and March 2023 to tame inflation. March 2023 saw heightened market stress owing to ban…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: 2022 year-in-review and early 2023 developments

2 March 2023 | Publication

Latin American and Caribbean issuers placed US$ 64 billion in bonds on international bond markets in 2022, the smallest annual amount since 2008. In January 2023, sovereign and corporate bond issuers from the region placed almost US$ 17 billion in international bonds, a sizable improvement from the last few months of 2022, but a weaker January issuance than in previous years. The region’s international bond issuance of green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked (GSSS) bonds followed the broader market trend of declining bond activity owing to worsening macroeconomic conditions. Th…

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: A slowdown in 2022

14 December 2022 | Publication

Against a backdrop of tightening global financing conditions and higher global borrowing costs, Latin American and Caribbean issuers placed US$ 58.5 billion in bonds on international markets from January to October 2022, around 60% less than in the same period of 2021, with an average coupon almost 1.5% higher. The region’s international issuance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) bonds followed the broader market downturn in bond activity, particularly in the corporate sector, owing to worse macroeconomic conditions; however, it showed some resilience, slowing less markedly than ov…

United States economic outlook: Inflation trends post COVID-19

23 November 2022 | Publication

The United States has witnessed historic inflation since the economy began to reopen in 2021 following the lockdowns triggered by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The United States economic outlook: inflation trends post COVID-19 looks at the forces behind this surge in prices and the trade-offs and risks for the policy response. The report examines inflation trends and drivers, as well as labour market trends since the economy reopened; economic policies implemented by the United States in response to the pandemic, and more recently to inflation; and the possible impact of these p…

A Call to Action to Boost Women’s Leadership and Parity Democracy in the Americas

8 November 2022 | Publication

International and regional organizations, with special emphasis on those comprising the Inter-American Task Force on Women’s Leadership, as well as the feminist and women’s movement, have highlighted that the presence of women in key decision-making spaces is essential to ensuring that the response and recovery from these crises are sustainable and do not deepen pre-existing gaps1. They have also stressed that the achievement of women’s rights and the participation of women in decision-making processes are fundamental to democratic governance. The aspiration is to achieve a “parity democracy” …

China and Latin America and the Caribbean: Exports competition in the United States market

27 October 2022 | Publication

This paper uses an augmented gravity trade model to examine the impact of Chinese exports to the United States on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) exports to the same market over the last two decades. The analysis relies on a sample of 33 LAC countries and trade data disaggregated to the 10- digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) level. The results show that the impact of Chinese exports on US imports from LAC is negative and statistically significant across model specifications and levels of aggregation in the trade data. In addition, the model suggests that after accounting for such exp…

156 search results. Displaying 20 per page.