Panama

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, is facing questions over whether he accepted bribes from Italian companies in return for granting contracts to build prisons. While Panama's... 2012-05-07

More than 2mn tourists visited Panama in 2011, bringing US$2.5bn into the economy and establishing the country as a 'tourist hotspot' according to local and international press. The... 2012-05-07

Panama and Colombia announced a new agreement for increased intelligence sharing on March 27. As part of the deal, Colombian security forces will train Panamanian officers in aerial... 2012-04-02

Panama's consumer price index (CPI) increased slightly in February to 6.4% y-o-y from the 6.1% recorded the month prior. We had initially called for inflation to moderate slightly in... 2012-04-02

BMI View: Presidential ambition and heavy handed tactics have eroded the possibility of much-needed reform in Panama for the remainder of President Ricardo Martinelli's term in office.... 2012-04-01

BMI View: Panama's consumer price index (CPI) saw a modest decrease in January, hitting 6.1% y-o-y following the 6.3% recorded in December 2011. This is in line with our previous forecast... 2012-03-04

Panama's stronger than anticipated growth has fuelled high inflation, averaging 5.9% in 2011 on the back of both supply and demand side pressures including robust private consumption... 2012-03-01

BMI View: Given the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation, we expect Panama to continue to reduce its deficits over the medium term, posting shortfalls of 1.8% of GDP in 2012... 2012-01-27

Panama's economic activity index (IMAE) continued to perform strongly in October 2011, growing by 8.4% y-o-y. The index averaged growth of 8.7% y-o-y between January and October. This... 2012-01-10

We see Panama's balance of payments position as precarious in 2012, with a widening current account deficit funded increasingly by short-term financial inflows rather than more stable... 2012-01-10