Assessing Prospects

Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher

01 February 2005

Michael Rowe reports on the discussions taking place at this year's annual Coface risk conference held in Paris.

Will slowdown in world economic growth increase credit and country risks over the course of 2005? Will oil prices continue to rocket skywards, and if so what will be the repercussions for international trade? Will financial markets support world growth or threaten the US and the world with recession? Is Europe doomed to grow more slowly than the US? And what are the economic growth and trading prospects for countries and regions in Asia and Africa? These were some of the major issues raised at the annual country risk conference organized by French credit insurer Coface in Paris on 25 January.

Coface chairman Francois David believes that the likely slowdown in world economic growth over the course of this year should not greatly increase credit risks unless there are major perturbations due to volatility in the price of oil and the exchange rate of the dollar. He considers that oil...

You must be logged in to view this page. If you are already a registered user please log in. Alternatively, you can request a free trial or subscribe.

Already have an account?

Subscribers have unlimited access to all current and archive content. Start your subscription today - click on the button below.

Free trial

Taking a free trial will give you access to the latest news and analysis for two days (excluding some surveys and articles). Start your free trial today.