Direction of Trade Statistics - September 2016

This December 2016 quarterly issue of Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS) provides, for about 160 countries, tables with current data (or estimates) on the value of imports from and exports to their most important trading partners. In addition, similar summary tables for the world, industrial countries, and developing countries are included. The availability of partner data makes it possible to include in direction of trade statistics (DOTS) estimates for current months not only for countries less current or frequent in their reporting but also for countries for which data are not obtainable from other sources. Country pages include lines for all partner countries that have been reported, estimated, or extrapolated. As a result of reporting and processing lags, trade data for a given period are often released before all customs documents for the period have been processed.

International Financial Statistics, September 2016

This October 2016 issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. This issue presents countries newly reporting monetary data for Rwanda using the standardized report forms. Exchange rates in IFS are classified into three broad categories, reflecting the role of the authorities in determining the rates and/or the multiplicity of the exchange rates in a country. Although the method of calculating the US dollar/SDR exchange rate has remained the same, the currencies’ number and weight have changed over time. Their amount in the SDR basket is reviewed every five years. When a country joins the IMF, it is assigned a quota that fits into the structure of existing quotas. Quotas are considered in the light of the member’s economic characteristics and considering quotas of similar countries.

What are Beijing’s objectives towards the developing world and how they have evolved and been pursued over time? Featuring contributions by recognized experts, China Steps Out analyzes and explains China’s strategies in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America, and evaluates their effectiveness. This book explains how other countries perceive and respond to China’s growing engagement and influence. Each chapter is informed by the functionally organized academic literature and addresses a uniform set of questions about Beijing’s strategy. Using a regional approach, the authors are able to make comparisons among regions based on their economic, political, military, and social characteristics, and consider the unique features of Chinese engagement in each region and the developing world as a whole. China Steps Out will be of great interest to students and scholars of Chinese foreign policy, comparative political economy, and international relations.

International Financial Statistics, November 2016

The December 2016 issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. This issue presents countries newly reporting monetary data for Norway using the standardized report forms. In this issue, the following changes have been made: Changes to the group aggregates aligned with those published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO): (1) Move of China, P. R.: Macao (546) out of Emerging and Developing Asia (505) to Advanced Economies (110); (2) Move of Bolivia (218) and Colombia (233) out of Export Earnings: Nonfuel economies (092) to Export Earnings: Fuel economies (080). Removal of China, P. R.: Macao (546), Latvia (941), and Lithuania (946) out of Export Earnings: Nonfuel economies (092). For countries where multiple exchange rates are in effect, Fund staff estimates of weighted average exchange rates are used in many cases.