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8 Mar 21
Kenya’s credit rating has been downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor's, despite the country having recently agreed a deal with the International Monetary Fund aimed at reducing its debt...
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25 Feb 21
The world’s richest countries borrowed a record $18trn from the markets in 2020, an OECD report into Covid-19’s effect on debt has found.
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19 Feb 21
Bolivia’s central bank has returned a loan of nearly $350m plus interest to the International Monetary Fund, claiming it had been improperly negotiated by the previous government.
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19 Feb 21
Covid-19 led public debt to a record high in 2020, as governments borrowed three times as much as they did the previous year while trying to fight the virus.
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18 Feb 21
Several countries in Latin America “will find it challenging” to reduce their deficit enough to get their debt back on a sustainable footing, according to ratings agency Fitch.
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5 Feb 21
Covid-19 has led Ethiopia seeking relief on its large public debts as it tries to make fiscal space to deal with the crisis.
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4 Feb 21
Covid-19 spending and lower revenues have weakened German states’ finances and forced them into debt, according to the latest government figures and analysis from ratings agency Fitch.
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18 Jan 21
Canada will use “whatever fiscal firepower” is needed in its fight against the effects of Covid-19, but only in the short term, prime minister Justin Trudeau has said.
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12 Jan 21
Can governments relax about the need to repay their Covid-19 borrowing? Calum Rutter explores the arguments for and against Modern Monetary Theory in the context of the pandemic.
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15 Dec 20
The global debt crisis is making it difficult for development banks to help countries through the pandemic, with money going to creditors rather than public services, the World Bank’s managing...
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11 Dec 20
The Zambian government is seeking a financing arrangement with the International Monetary Fund to support its reform efforts after defaulting on a debt payment last month.
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10 Dec 20
High debt among Chinese local governments poses a “key risk” during the country’s recovery from Covid-19, ratings agency Fitch has said, although the outlook for the sector remains stable.
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1 Dec 20
Sweden’s central bank has imposed sustainability criteria on a SEK200bn (US$23bn) extension to its quantitative easing programme.
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23 Nov 20
Two ratings agencies have downgraded South Africa’s credit rating further into junk status, in a “painful” move that will increase the country’s borrowing costs and likely lead to spending cuts or...
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20 Nov 20
Germany should not let its rising debt stop it from taking “vigorous policy action” to mitigate the economic effects of Covid-19, the IMF has said after a visit to the country.
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13 Nov 20
A framework to help highly indebted developing countries through the Covid-19 crisis has been agreed by G20 finance ministers, but campaigners have said it fails to create a permanent solution to the...
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10 Nov 20
US president-elect Joe Biden faces some of the worst economic conditions in 70 years, ratings agency Moody’s has warned.
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3 Nov 20
France must begin establishing its medium-term fiscal plans to ensure they are ready in time to help the country recover from Covid-19, the IMF has said.
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29 Oct 20
Government debt is set to rise for the next five years in South Africa, but officials hope to keep public finances sustainable by slashing the deficit, the country’s finance minister said while...
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23 Oct 20
The Omani Sultan has approved a medium-term fiscal plan in the hope of balancing the country’s public finances and decreasing its dependence on oil revenue.
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20 Oct 20
Sudan can seek relief on its $60bn of external debt after its removal from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism, the country’s prime minister has said.
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15 Oct 20
The South Sudanese government is preparing to take out a loan to inject money “into the market”, hoping to fight rampant inflation plaguing the economy.
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13 Oct 20
The world’s poorest countries were at risk of debt crises even before Covid-19, with their debts climbing to the highest ever levels in 2019.
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9 Oct 20
Richer countries need to increase public investment to revive the global economy from its worst crash in recent times, the IMF has said.
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6 Oct 20
The next Australian budget will see the government take on record amounts of debt, with treasurer Josh Frydenberg saying he wants to support businesses to keep people in jobs during and after the...
8 Mar 21Kenya’s credit rating has been downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor's, despite the country having recently agreed a deal with the International Monetary Fund aimed at reducing its debt...
25 Feb 21The world’s richest countries borrowed a record $18trn from the markets in 2020, an OECD report into Covid-19’s effect on debt has found.
19 Feb 21Bolivia’s central bank has returned a loan of nearly $350m plus interest to the International Monetary Fund, claiming it had been improperly negotiated by the previous government.
19 Feb 21Covid-19 led public debt to a record high in 2020, as governments borrowed three times as much as they did the previous year while trying to fight the virus.
18 Feb 21Several countries in Latin America “will find it challenging” to reduce their deficit enough to get their debt back on a sustainable footing, according to ratings agency Fitch.
5 Feb 21Covid-19 has led Ethiopia seeking relief on its large public debts as it tries to make fiscal space to deal with the crisis.
4 Feb 21Covid-19 spending and lower revenues have weakened German states’ finances and forced them into debt, according to the latest government figures and analysis from ratings agency Fitch.
18 Jan 21Canada will use “whatever fiscal firepower” is needed in its fight against the effects of Covid-19, but only in the short term, prime minister Justin Trudeau has said.
12 Jan 21Can governments relax about the need to repay their Covid-19 borrowing? Calum Rutter explores the arguments for and against Modern Monetary Theory in the context of the pandemic.
15 Dec 20The global debt crisis is making it difficult for development banks to help countries through the pandemic, with money going to creditors rather than public services, the World Bank’s managing...
11 Dec 20The Zambian government is seeking a financing arrangement with the International Monetary Fund to support its reform efforts after defaulting on a debt payment last month.
10 Dec 20High debt among Chinese local governments poses a “key risk” during the country’s recovery from Covid-19, ratings agency Fitch has said, although the outlook for the sector remains stable.
1 Dec 20Sweden’s central bank has imposed sustainability criteria on a SEK200bn (US$23bn) extension to its quantitative easing programme.
23 Nov 20Two ratings agencies have downgraded South Africa’s credit rating further into junk status, in a “painful” move that will increase the country’s borrowing costs and likely lead to spending cuts or...
13 Nov 20A framework to help highly indebted developing countries through the Covid-19 crisis has been agreed by G20 finance ministers, but campaigners have said it fails to create a permanent solution to the...![Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the two main candidates for president in the 2020 US election [image: Shutterstock]](https://www.publicfinancefocus.org/sites/default/files/styles/pf_square/public/trump-biden-shutterstock_1724296963.jpg?itok=4JmS23o7 "Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the two main candidates for president in the 2020 US election [image: Shutterstock]")
10 Nov 20US president-elect Joe Biden faces some of the worst economic conditions in 70 years, ratings agency Moody’s has warned.
3 Nov 20France must begin establishing its medium-term fiscal plans to ensure they are ready in time to help the country recover from Covid-19, the IMF has said.
29 Oct 20Government debt is set to rise for the next five years in South Africa, but officials hope to keep public finances sustainable by slashing the deficit, the country’s finance minister said while...
23 Oct 20The Omani Sultan has approved a medium-term fiscal plan in the hope of balancing the country’s public finances and decreasing its dependence on oil revenue.
20 Oct 20Sudan can seek relief on its $60bn of external debt after its removal from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism, the country’s prime minister has said.
15 Oct 20The South Sudanese government is preparing to take out a loan to inject money “into the market”, hoping to fight rampant inflation plaguing the economy.
9 Oct 20Richer countries need to increase public investment to revive the global economy from its worst crash in recent times, the IMF has said.
6 Oct 20The next Australian budget will see the government take on record amounts of debt, with treasurer Josh Frydenberg saying he wants to support businesses to keep people in jobs during and after the...
