Suchergebnisse

We examine export and import prices for Russian commodities relative to world prices during 2002—2011 across aggregated and disaggregated commodity groups. We also propose an aggregated export price competitiveness index as a tool of monitoring quality dynamics and a composite price competitiveness rating by commodity groups.

This paper conducts an assessment of external price competitiveness for Mozambique. A variety of indicators suggest that Mozambique has recently lost external price competitiveness with respect to its major trading partners. Consistent with these indicators, an exchange rate assessment indicates that the metical is overvalued by 26 to 41 percent in real effective terms. If sustained, an overvaluation of this magnitude has the potential to retard economic growth and jeopardize external stability, calling for an adjustment of monetary policy to gradually restore external price competitiveness

A country's price competitiveness is generally proxied by the real effective exchange rate of its currency. In this article we present a novel three-market breakdown (domestic, euro-area and non-euro area markets) of this measure, with an application to the four main euro-area countries. Price-competitiveness developments are indeed found to be heterogeneous across markets, thereby confirming the usefulness of this decomposition. In particular, we find that in the 1999–2018 period only Germany recorded comparable (large) gains in both euro and non-euro area markets. France posted a larger gain, and Spain marked a smaller loss, in euro-area markets; conversely, Italy's mild improvement was greater in non-euro area markets. Finally, competitiveness in the domestic market and that in non-euro area markets are found to be the main, equally important, drivers of overall developments since 1999 in Italy and in Germany.

This paper assesses The Gambia's competitiveness. A variety of econometrics techniques and survey based indicators suggest that recently, The Gambia has lost its competitiveness compared to the comparator countries. The econometrics techniques employed shows that the dalasi appreciated by 3 to 6 percentage points in real terms. However, these rates are broadly inline with fundamentals and there is zero misalignment. Survey based indicators suggested that The Gambia lagged behind in access to credit, tax rates, and protect investors and national work ethnics. The Gambian authorities need to implement serious reform on tax policies; introduce legislation to promote public private partnership and revamp the public sector.