Topic
Writing on fiscal risk, budget strategy, public debt sustainability, and the medium-term fiscal frameworks that anchor Caribbean economies.
11 pieces on this topic
Bridgetown Brief
Within six days, the Central Bank of Barbados made two announcements that say more about the economy than either one does on its own. Fiscal discipline without credit access is austerity by another name; with it, it is a strategy that can hold.
Bridgetown Brief
Fitch says Barbados’ fiscal trajectory is improving. It also says the tourism base underneath is not. Cruise arrivals are up 9.6 per cent; stay-overs only 3.3. Volume has outpaced value. When Fitch flags tourism, it is flagging the ground everything else is standing on.
Bridgetown Brief
On 16 April 2026, ahead of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters that “even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade.” The next day, the Fund’s World Economic Outlook confirmed the shape.
Everyone confidently claims to offer foresight, despite relying on lagging data. Corporate profits, GDP figures, and “the economy feels fine” headlines usually arrive after markets have already moved. If you’re trying to understand risk before it shows up in your portfolio, you need a weekly checklist centred
Three central banks, three slightly different stories: The US Federal Reserve has just cut rates again, taking the federal funds rate down to 3.5–3.75 per cent. Inflation is running at roughly 3 per cent, core PCE is in the high-2s, unemployment has drifted up to about 4.5 per cent.
Over the past quarter, the US agreed to purchase a 9.9% stake in Intel as part of a CHIPS-linked package, with additional options tied to programme milestones. The Department of Defence committed to a convertible-preferred and warrant package in MP Materials that, if fully converted and exercised, would equate.
In today’s fast-paced, competitive business environment, data has emerged as a company’s most valuable asset. The ability to analyse and interpret data has transformed how businesses operate, strategise, and grow. With the rise of big data, companies now have access to unprecedented amounts of information.
The turn of the 21st century marked significant economic challenges and opportunities for Barbados, necessitating strategic decisions that have significantly shaped its economic landscape. Among these, the Barbados National Bank (BNB) sale to Republic Bank Limited (RBTT) in 2003 and substantial investments in tourism infrastructure.
In this pivotal age where climatic flux constitutes a dire peril to our natural and economic terrains, monetary governance and ecological prudence have ascended to unparalleled prominence. Strategic fiscal tools can carve beneficial environmental impacts and bolster against climatological fiscal perils.
Delving into the delicate equilibrium of American fiscal affairs is to navigate a precarious economic stratum of indebtedness and savings. The ensuing examination casts a stark light upon the disturbing patterns of savings deficit, debt accumulation, and economic vulnerability permeating U.S. households.
To achieve consistent and sustainable economic growth, Barbados and other Caribbean countries could adopt a multifaceted approach that carefully balances capital and infrastructure projects with the country’s financial constraints and the need to manage debt prudently. Short-term Tourism Enhancement Immediately boost the tourism sector by upgrading tourism infrastructure.