Global Country Risk Developments

[f-man]

Africa
Algeria	Transparency problems in the international trade sphere increase cross-border trade risk.
Angola	Despite good growth potential, tax reforms look set to increase social instability.
Botswana	The short-term outlook is increasingly uncertain on the back of weakening growth prospects.
Cameroon	Economic growth will remain below potential due to inadequate infrastructure.
Congo, D.R.	Political uncertainty abates a little but security problems persist in the country's restive east.
Cote d’Ivoire	Signs of greater political and economic optimism are beginning to emerge.
Ethiopia	An Ethiopian attack on rebel bases in Eritrea heightens cross-border tensions.
Gabon	Restricted media freedoms and extensive corruption still pose downside risks.
Ghana	Concerns in the fiscal sphere and with inflation could lead to further monetary tightening.
Kenya	The power industry is promised much-needed investment.
Libya	The oil industry continues to expand, but problems with internal stability remain.
Malawi	The president's instransigence towards opponents and donors signals a rise in political and economic risk.
Mauritius	Worries about the euro-zone crisis and domestic political uncertainties overshadow the risk outlook.
Morocco	The central bank's loosening of monetary policy risks increasing inflation.
Mozambique	Short-term economic growth prospects are dampened by problems in the EU and a slowdown in other key export markets.
Namibia	The risk outlook stabilises amid stronger growth.
Nigeria	Commodity exports support economic performance but the security situation is worrying.
Senegal	A peaceful but inconclusive presidential election heads to a second round of voting.
Sierra Leone	Despite strong activity in the iron-ore sector, potential investors face difficulties.
South Africa	A fragile outlook undermines the risk environment.
Sudan	Border disputes with South Sudan continue to seriously undermine the risk outlook.
Tanzania	Significant economic imbalances continue to cloud the risk outlook.
Tunisia	Political tensions are rising as criticism of the ruling party grows.
Uganda	The economy undergoes a quarterly contraction, led by the industrial sector.
Zambia	The outlook is threatened by political tensions.
Zimbabwe	Rumours about President Mugabe's health re-ignite the succession debate.
Asia Pacific
Afghanistan	Severe security threats dominate the risk outlook.
Australia	The economy will only grow moderately at best in 2012.
Bangladesh	With inflation undermining domestic demand and export growth weak, the economy will suffer a mild slowdown in 2012.
Cambodia	The economy showed signs consistent with robust growth in early 2012.
China	The economy still shows signs of relatively sluggish growth.
Fiji	The economy is showing signs of a renewed downturn after growing for the first time since 2006.
Hong Kong	Political and business scandals undermine the city-state's clean image.
India	The economy struggles with inflationary pressures, high interest rates and political paralysis.
Indonesia	Half-hearted fuel subsidies lead to a higher fiscal deficit.
Japan	Despite continued signs of improvement, impediments remain to a sharp economic upturn.
Korea (South)	The export-oriented economy registers signs of weakness.
Malaysia	Voter-friendly policies point to looming elections.
Myanmar	Political and economic reforms gather momentum.
Nepal	Serious political and security threats continue to dominate the country's risk outlook.
New Zealand	The economic picture is fragile, but there are grounds for optimism.
Pakistan	The economy stagnates due to ebbing external demand.
Papua New Guinea	Political uncertainty remains elevated in the run up to June's election.
Philippines	Public-private partnership projects are being pushed, but not fast enough.
Singapore	With a technical recession on the way, growth shrinks.
Sri Lanka	The economy has overheated, forcing a tightening of policy.
Taiwan	The risk outlook has stabilised, helped by stronger US demand.
Thailand	The export-oriented economy is not yet clear of the disruption caused by flooding in late 2011.
Vietnam	Tight policy measures contribute to a significant slowdown.
Eastern Europe
Albania	Economic growth slows significantly.
Azerbaijan	The economy struggles with oil production problems, while non-oil growth performs well.
Belarus	Relations with the EU continue to sour.
Bosnia & Herzegovina	The economy is stable but growth has slowed to a crawl.
Bulgaria	High-frequency data suggest a gloomy economic outlook.
Croatia	The economy stagnates amid weak domestic and external demand.
Czech Republic	Austerity measures divide the ruling coalition and threaten to bring down the government.
Estonia	A slowdown in growth will increase the risk of doing business.
Georgia	The short-term outlook stabilises amid strong economic growth.
Hungary	Renewed hope of an IMF financial assistance package improves the outlook.
Kazakhstan	The risk outlook deteriorates amid increasing unrest.
Kyrgyz Republic	The county's dependence on natural resource industries is highlighted once again.
Latvia	The economy cools as the euro-zone crisis escalates.
Lithuania	Better export performance underlines the strong start to the year.
Macedonia	The commercial risk outlook improves amid higher bank lending.
Poland	The government faces demonstrations against proposals to raise the pension age.
Romania	Economic activity slows amid weak external demand.
Russian Federation	Clarity over President Putin's policy stance is the key to the long-term outlook.
Serbia	A slowdown in growth could threaten the public finances.
Slovak Republic	The risk outlook continues to deteriorate.
Slovenia	The April 2012 budget is awaited as the deficit hits 6.4% of GDP in 2011.
Tajikistan	The authorities block access to social and media networks amid fears of growing unrest.
Turkmenistan	In a heavily rigged poll Berdymukhammedov secures another term of office.
Ukraine	The government hopes to attract much-needed foreign investment to help bridge its funding gaps.
Uzbekistan	Rising tensions with Tajikistan could threaten the vital agricultural sector.
Middle East
Bahrain	The economy struggles to recover as the banking industry's assets shrink.
Egypt	A vital agreement with the IMF remains to be concluded, keeping risk levels elevated.
Iran	D&B downgrades Iran's country risk rating in the face of further international sanctions.
Iraq	After a period of relative calm, internal stability is again weakened by terrorist attacks.
Israel	The economic growth outlook for 2012 improves.
Jordan	Economic and political tensions undermine the risk outlook.
Kuwait	A buoyant oil sector will underpin stronger growth prospects.
Lebanon	Stronger economic growth forecasts rest on some fragile assumptions.
Oman	The banking sector leads the recovery.
Qatar	The country's banks seek to raise funds through bond issues.
Saudi Arabia	Stock market swings highlight investor skittishness.
Syria	Acceptance of the peace plan is revealed as a tactical move and the conflict continues.
UAE	Debt overhang overshadows positive economic developments.
Yemen	The humanitarian crisis deepens as political tensions persist.
The Americas
Argentina	D&B downgrades Argentina's country risk rating amid concerns over increased business risk.
Bolivia	The overall risk profile weakens due to escalating social unrest.
Brazil	The government and central bank expand stimulus measures as economic activity remains muted.
Canada	The job market displays healthy signs of growth.
Chile	Socioeconomic unrest intensifies as the government comes under pressure to tap its sovereign wealth funds.
Colombia	The pace of growth is set to moderate amid a weaker global backdrop.
Costa Rica	A landmark tax package is in the hands of the Supreme Court.
Cuba	The risk outlook is dominated by wide-ranging reforms to stimulate investment and ease the country's accounts.
Dominican Republic	A new deal with the IMF fails to materialise ahead of May's presidential election.
Ecuador	Buoyant activity in the oil sector fuels economic growth.
El Salvador	Recent elections may see the ruling party lose office.
Guatemala	Congress approves a tax reform aimed at improving the country's fiscal position.
Honduras	The short-term economic outlook stabilises on the back of improved global prospects.
Jamaica	Another deal with the IMF is under negotiation.
Mexico	Uncertainty over the parliamentary election outcome could harm the economy.
Nicaragua	The independence of the central bank comes into question as the governor resigns.
Panama	Extremely rapid economic growth feeds into labour shortages and inflation pressures.
Paraguay	Continued adverse weather conditions raise the prospect of a recession.
Peru	An ambitious investment plan seeks to sustain high economic growth and promote private investment.
Trinidad & Tobago	The economy continues to limp along but headline inflation has jumped.
USA	The fragility of the recovery is again underlined by weak job growth.
Uruguay	The country's risk outlook remains stable.
Venezuela	An increase in the minimum wage undermines the economy's competitiveness.
Western Europe
Austria	After contracting at end-2011, the economy shows signs of stabilising.
Belgium	The economy displays further signs of weakness in early 2012.
Cyprus	The outlook deteriorates as the economy contracts.
Denmark	With the country already in recession, the deteriorating Euroland economy weighs on the outlook.
Finland	A major austerity plan is announced as the short-term economic outlook remains negative.
France	The presidential election outcome hits financial markets' confidence over the euro-zone crisis.
Germany	The economic outlook remains fragile despite a strengthening of business confidence.
Greece	The country's risk outlook deteriorates as political instability increases.
Iceland	The economy continues to recover despite persistent inflationary pressures.
Ireland	The weakening Euroland economy drags the country into recession.
Italy	Economic activity continues to shrinks as austerity bites.
Luxembourg	Following a sharp downturn in late 2011, the economy looks weaker.
Malta	Real GDP growth for 2012 is downgraded as domestic and external demand weaken.
Netherlands	The economy shows further signs of weakness after falling into recession in late 2011.
Norway	Exports continue to drive economic growth.
Portugal	External factors and fiscal consolidation drag down economic growth.
Spain	Recession hits amid low corporate profitability.
Sweden	The risk outlook remains clouded as weak foreign demand hurts exports.
Switzerland	The short-term economic outlook improves as the economy shows signs of stabilising.
Turkey	Although the economy continues to grow, downside risks to growth remain strong.
United Kingdom	The budget does little to stimulate economic growth in the medium term.

 

[Pharaoh]

Of course, what's defined as sluggish growth in China would be considered an economic boom in the USA.

Oh good! No warnings about North Korea's currency.