During the years 2000-2007 the Kazakhstan economy enjoyed an extended period of very rapid growth, with real GDP growth averaging 10 percent annually. The expansion was underpinned by the development of the oil sector, prudent macroeconomic policies, structural reforms, and increased access to global financial markets. As a result, real per capita incomes have doubled since 2000 and social indicators have generally improved. • The global financial turmoil that began last summer had a significant impact on the Kazakhstan economy. Market perceptions of risk on Kazakhstan's assets rose sharply last September and remain relatively elevated. • Economic growth is expected to drop back significantly in the wake of the financial shock, but is still likely to sustain significant growth. The IMF are forecasting GDP growth of 5 percent in 2008 and a modest recovery to 6.25 percent in 2009. • Consumer ...

Africa needs Russia’s money more than Russians do? Grigory Pasko, journalist Если Вы хотите прочитать оригинал данной статьи на русском языке, нажмите сюда. The basic products of nutrition – bread, meat, butter, sugar, fish and vegetables – have increased in price in Russia since the beginning of the year by 4 times more than in the European Union. Such an unpleasant statistic of prices for foodstuffs has been published by Rosstat [the state statistics agency—Trans.] Experts explain the anomalous foodstuffs inflation by the absence of competition on the market, as well as the protectionist protection of domestic producers, whose prices often exceed the world level. “Stab[ilization]fund. And the people.. nothing as usual” (source)

Africa needs Russia’s money more than Russians do? Grigory Pasko, journalist Если Вы хотите прочитать оригинал данной статьи на русском языке, нажмите сюда. The basic products of nutrition – bread, meat, butter, sugar, fish and vegetables – have increased in price in Russia since the beginning of the year by 4 times more than in the European Union. Such an unpleasant statistic of prices for foodstuffs has been published by Rosstat [the state statistics agency—Trans.] Experts explain the anomalous foodstuffs inflation by the absence of competition on the market, as well as the protectionist protection of domestic producers, whose prices often exceed the world level. “Stab[ilization]fund. And the people.. nothing as usual” (source)

Chile's peso climbed to its highest in a decade yesterday on speculation the central bank will raise its benchmark interest rate in a bid to slow inflation, luring money to the country's fixed-income market. The 3.25 percentage-point difference between the Chilean and U.S. benchmark lending rates, at its widest since March 2002, has helped fuel an 11.5 percent increase in the peso this year. That's the biggest gain among a wide group of 26 emerging-market currencies. The peso rose for an eighth day, strengthening 0.5 percent to 445.23 per dollar at 5:04 p.m. New York time, from 447.42 yesterday. It touched 442.69, its strongest level since February 1998. Annual inflation accelerated to an 11-year high of 8.1 percent in February, the state statistics agency said yesterday, while a separate central bank report showed the economy expanded 3.4 percent in January.Policy makers raised ...