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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |