Morocco

We are forecasting a jump in Morocco's import bill to US$33.17bn in 2008, up from last year's US$29.10. Further upside risks stem from sustained high prices of food (although the... 2008-06-20

Widespread strike action poses a downside risk to our political risk ratings, although our core scenario is for negotiations between the government and unions to continue, avoiding... 2008-06-03

Morocco has accepted millions of dollars in gifts from Gulf allies as rising commodity prices push up the government's subsidy bill and stir labour unrest. The UAE is to pay US$300mn... 2008-06-02

The Moroccan dirham appreciated by 5.57% against the dollar during the first five months of 2008 and stood at MAD7.3373/US$ at the time of writing. However, we continue to forecast... 2008-06-02

As the official launch of the Union for the Mediterranean draws closer, we reiterate our view that the Arab-Israeli conflict will hinder any meaningful political integration, although... 2008-05-29

High commodity prices are a major risk factor for North Africa - not only have we increased our year-end inflation forecasts across the board, we also anticipate above-target budget... 2008-04-25

The assessment by a UN mediator that Western Saharan independence is unrealistic lends weight to Morocco's position in ongoing negotiations, although a final accord still looks some... 2008-04-25

Morocco's trade unions have rejected government proposals on changes to the minimum wage, claiming that they do not go far enough to compensate the rising cost of living. The state... 2008-04-25

We are forecasting a widening of Morocco's trade deficit to US$16.8bn in 2008 from US$14.5bn last year.

The latest round of talks on the future of Western Sahara ended without any further progress. The talks, held near New York City in mid-March, achieved little except an agreement... 2008-04-08