Economy

BMI View: The accession of a new leadership structure in Cuba has sparked excitement that a 45-year old trade embargo with the US may be lifted and Cuba may move toward market liberalisation.... 2008-03-06

BMI View: Barbados' banking system has been judged by the IMF to be both stable and resilient to outside shocks as a result of its ongoing liberalisation programme. While the... 2008-02-19

BMI View: An initiative proposed by Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, which would slash Puerto Rico's 7% sales tax by more than a half, could have serious repercussions for an economy... 2008-02-13

BMI View: In 2008, the government is expecting to spend up to GYD3.3bn on various forms of tax relief and social spending. From January 2008, the government has increased the income... 2008-02-11

BMI View: At 7.6% y-o-y in December, consumer price inflation finished 2007 just shy of our 7.8% forecast and well above the government target of 7.0%. Encouragingly, core inflation... 2008-02-11

BMI View: Puerto Rico's unemployment rate ended 2007 at 11.2%, slightly above our own forecast of 10.8%. This marked the highest rate in ten years, underpinning the widespread effects... 2008-02-11

Headline inflation in the Dominican Republic edged higher in December, bringing the end-year figure to 8.9% y-o-y, as food prices and energy costs translated into higher consumer... 2008-02-11

BMI View: According to preliminary government figures, long-stay tourist arrivals grew by around 2.6% y-o-y, down from 3.7% y-o-y in the January-November period in 2006. Higher... 2008-02-08

BMI View: At 7.6%, consumer price inflation in 2007 came within touching distance of our 7.8% forecast. Looking ahead, we are confident that the monetary authorities will remain... 2008-02-06

Our decision to revise down Jamaica's end-2007 real GDP growth forecast following the August hurricane, from 2.9% to 1.2%, looks to be paying off. Q307 recorded growth of just 0.44%... 2008-02-05