Libya

BMI View: Our rosy economic outlook for the short and medium term is somewhat tempered by the multiple downside risks we see to Libya's business environment.

Having briefly dipped into negative territory in September 2009, consumer price inflation came in at 1.5% y-o-y in November. We expect price pressures to remain relatively subdued... 2010-01-04

Two Swiss businessmen, Rachid Hamdani and Max Goeldi, who had been detained in Libya since July 2008, were sentenced to 16 months in prison for immigration offences in December 2009.... 2010-01-04

Libya's human rights record remains extremely poor, but recent events illustrate a growing willingness by the Qadhafi regime to allow and acknowledge criticism.

Libya has agreed to cooperate more closely with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on issues such as organised crime, money laundering and human trafficking. Under the agreement,... 2009-11-20

We are forecasting the OPEC Basket to average US$83/bbl in 2010, up from US$60/bbl in 2009. This bodes well for Libya's finances going forward, although we caution that a 'double... 2009-11-19

As part of the ongoing fallout from the controversial release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, Libya has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens. According... 2009-10-26

Upward revisions to our oil price forecasts have resulted in changes to our current account projections. We now see the surplus coming in at 20.0% of GDP in 2009, rising to 35.8%... 2009-10-23

The renouncement of violence by Libya's most notorious Islamist militant group, and the subsequent release of several of its members, is a political coup for the Libyan government.... 2009-10-20

FDI receipts remained robust in 2008 and while the global downturn may have depressed inflows in 2009, we believe that North Africa is well poised to enjoy the recovery when it comes.... 2009-09-29