International Monetary Fund Annual Report 1996

The Annual Report to the Board of Governors reviews the IMF's activities, policies, and organization, as well as the world economy, with emphasis on balance of payments problems, international and emerging capital markets, fiscal considerations in policymaking, data issues, and the debt situation. As part of the IMF's ongoing efforts to improve transparency in its operations, the 1996 Report continues the expanded coverage of economic developments in selected countries and gives details about policy objectives in member countries using Fund resources. The 1996 Report also provides information on the IMF's new data dissemination standard. Appendices include a report on international reserves, details of the IMF's financial operations, major decisions taken by the Executive Board during the year, communiques of the Interim and Development Committees, a list of Executive Directors and their voting power, capital and administrative budgets and information on staffing, and audited financial statements of all IMF accounts and facilites. Published in September.

This annual report of the IMF Committee on Balance of Payments Statistics discusses the Committee's activities during 1996 and outlines its future work program.

Published since 1950, this authoritative annual reference is based upon a unique IMF database that tracks exchange and trade arrangements for the 187 IMF member countries, along with Hong Kong SAR, Aruba, and Curaçao and St Maarten. The Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions (AREAER) draws together information on exchange measures in place, the structure and setting of exchange rates, arrangements for payments and receipts, procedures for resident and nonresident accounts, controls on capital transactions, and provisions specific to the financial sector. The 52 countries covered in this special supplement have been selected as those where expanded information on the regulatory framework for capital movements was readily available to the IMF. They include countries that participated in a pilot data collection project on the regulatory framework for capital transactions conducted by the IMF in 1996, and member countries of the OECD.

This annual publication is a record of the IMF's Annual Meeting and contains the opening and closing addresses of the Chairman of the Board of Governors, presentation of the Annual Report by the Managing Director, statements of Governors, committee reports, resolutions, and a list of delegates. Usually published in March.

This paper reviews key findings of the IMF’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 1950. The report highlights that the widespread devaluation of currencies that took place in September 1949 was the most far-reaching in any comparable period in recent times. Thirteen members agreed new par values with the IMF, most of them involving a devaluation of approximately 30.5 percent in relation to the U.S. dollar. Six member countries with which the IMF has no agreed par value also depreciated their exchange rates.

This paper reviews key findings of the IMF’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1956. The report highlights that the world payments situation has in fact improved, restrictions have been further relaxed, the transferability of important currencies has been extended, and discrimination, especially that resulting from bilateral arrangements, has had less influence on the direction of trade. Progress in extending multilateral trade and payments has thus been maintained, although during the year there was no addition to the list of IMF members that have established formal convertibility of their currencies.

This paper reviews key findings of the IMF’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1960. The report highlights that the year ended April 1960 showed a continued upswing in world industrial activity and an increase in world trade. Industrial production in 1959 was greater by 10 percent than in the recession year of 1958, and the value of world trade increased by 6 percent, both increases being more or less continuous from about the middle of 1958.

Published since 1950, this authoritative annual reference is based on a unique IMF database that tracks exchange and trade arrangements for 187 IMF member countries, along with Hong Kong SAR, Aruba, and Curadao and Sint Maarten. The Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions (AREAER) draws together information available to the IMF from a number of sources, including during official IMF staff visits to member countries. There is a separate chapter for each of the 189 countries included, and these are presented in a clear, easy-to-read tabular format. A summary table allows for simple cross-country comparisons of key features of their exchange and trade regimes. The report's introduction summarizes recent global trends and developments. It discusses such topical issues as exchange rate arrangements, current or capital transactions, or prudential regulations.The individual country chapters outline exchange measures in place, the structure and setting of exchange rates, arrangements for payments and receipts, procedures for resident and nonresident accounts, mechanisms for import and export payments and receipts, controls on capital transactions, and provisions specific to the financial sector. The report now provides more detailed information on the operations of foreign exchange markets and exchange rate mechanisms and better describes the regulatory framework for current and capital account transactions.