Tag Archives: Forecast

Modest Growth Amidst Growing Polarization in Europe and Central Asia

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Article published on http://www.worldbank.org

BUCHAREST, November 22, 2016 – There will be a modest increase in GDP growth in 2016 Imagefor countries in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region. Low oil and other commodity prices in the eastern half of the region, a decline in investment rates in the European Union, and ongoing structural challenges in all countries are hampering growth in the region and contributing to an increase in populism and polarization, says the latest World Bank ECA Economic Update.

According to the report, launched today in Bucharest, Romania, the region is expected to grow a modest 1.6 percent in 2016 – up slightly from 1.4 percent in 2015 – but declines in both incomes and consumption will likely mitigate this modest growth. This trend is projected to continue into 2017 and 2018, with growth forecast at 1.5 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. Continue reading →

Modernizing weather forecasts and disaster planning to save lives

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Article published on http://www.worldbank.org, August 9th, 2016.
By Lisa Finneran

Is it hot outside? Should I bring an umbrella?© Angela Gentile/World Bank

Most of us don’t think much beyond these questions when we check the weather report on a typical day. But weather information plays a much more critical role than providing intel on whether to take an umbrella or use sunscreen. It can help manage the effects of climate change, prevent economic losses and save lives when extreme weather hits.

During the second IDA18 replenishment meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, I visited the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology’s Multi-Hazard Early Warning Center to see how funding from IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest, is helping the country modernize its systems for observing and forecasting weather through the Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management Project.

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World Bank Raises 2016 Oil Price Forecast, Revises Down Agriculture Price Projections

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Posted 26 April, 2016logo-wb-header-en

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2016— Amid improving market sentiment and a weakening dollar, the World Bank is raising its 2016 forecast for crude oil prices to $41 per barrel from $37 per barrel in its latest Commodity Markets Outlook, as an oversupply in markets is expected to recede.

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