Capital flows to the emerging countries have been trending upwards since 2003, driven by the significantly greater growth potential of these countries relative to the developed countries. Since spring 2009, indeed, capital inflows have recovered the peaks registered in 2007-2008, when they became so massive that several emerging countries took steps to regulate them more effectively. They exceede... Lire la suite
The monthly index of business failures released by INSEE (France's National Statistical Institute) measures the number of enterprises for which a court-ordered reorganization has been initiated. Although it does not cover all terminations, the index-besides supplying information on business demography-acts as a reliable barometer of the financial health of firms. In particular, it helps to identif... Lire la suite
In 2009, France experienced its deepest recession since World War II, with a GDP contraction of 2.6% (versus 0.9% in 1993). This issue of Trésor-Economics describes the labor-market adjustment during the recent crisis, highlighting the characteristics of the persons most affected.The recession entailed large job losses mainly in the non-farm market sector, where they rose from 183,000 in 2008 to 3... Lire la suite
Living standards in the New Member States of the European Union (NMSs) converged very rapidly towards the average European standard of living over the first decade of the new century. In many countries in the region, such as the Baltic countries and Bulgaria, GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power parities (PPP), which is an indicator for comparing living standards between countries, increas... Lire la suite
Since the first stirrings of spring, the advanced economies have entered a phase of moderate recovery. As expected, the first half of 2010 was more buoyant than the latter half of 2009 for most of the world's leading economies, for the eurozone especially. The pickup in activity since summer 2009 rested largely on the recovery in global trade, and in particular on growth in trade with China and em... Lire la suite
From a macroeconomic standpoint, the 2000s witnessed a significant rise in global imbalances. Between 1998 and 2007, the total of G20 current account deficits and surpluses rose by nearly two trillion dollars. These imbalances have contributed to the seriousness of the economic crisis.At the September 2009 Pittsburgh Summit, the G20 heads of state decided to create a "Framework for Strong, Sustain... Lire la suite
Germany's unemployment rate hardly budged during the crisis: it was 7.3% in 2008 and 7.5% in 2009. This contrasts sharply with what happened in the other large countries of the euro zone - increases from 11.4% to 18.0% in Spain, from 7.8% to 9.4% in France, from 6.8% to 7.8% in Italy - and it occurred even though output in Germany declined by far more than the euro zone average. Three factors shed... Lire la suite
The National Bureau of Economic Research has dated the end of America's "Great Recession" to June 2009, but the very nature of the current U.S. recovery remains uncertain. Growth is fragile; the situation on the labor market remains poor; and any improvement will depend on the strength of economic activity and the job content of the recovery. Historically, throughout the post-war period until the... Lire la suite
The decline in industrial employment has affected France like many of the developed economies. It can be pictured in the light of three concomitant trends over the period 1980-2007, namely the decline in industrial employment, a fall in this sector's contribution to GDP and, in parallel, strong growth in the market services sector.French industrial employment fell from 5.3 to 3.4 million jobs over... Lire la suite
Getting gradually a more balanced Chinese growth by fostering consumption is instrumental in achieving global economic stability. Il would help in lowering gradually China's current account surpluses and reducing global imbalances.The stabilisation of China's working population between now and 2015, coupled with the drying up of much of the pool of rural migrants (mainly men aged 18-30), are expec... Lire la suite