BGK agrees with IMF report: "Infrastructure investment is a key priority for the CESEE region to accelerate convergence toward the EU15" - Canada NewsWire | Canada News Media
BGK agrees with IMF report: "Infrastructure investment is a key priority for the CESEE region to accelerate convergence toward the EU15" – Canada NewsWire
WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 16, 2020 /CNW/ — Infrastructure investment is a key priority for Countries in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe (CESEE) to accelerate the convergence of the living standards toward the level of the more advance European countries, the EU15 – says the IMF report published on 28th Sep 2020. IMF highlights the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF) as an initiative with the “aim to address infrastructure needs in CESEE.”
The report estimates that closing 50% of the infrastructure gap until 2030 would require an annual investment of 3-8% of GDP. Attracting private investors should be an important step towards achieving this ambitious challenge.
To engage investors, the state development bank of Poland, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), took the initiative to establish the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF). In the report, the IMF mentions the Three Seas Fund as one of “the several initiatives aim to address infrastructure needs in CESEE”.
“The Three Seas Fund is the economic dimension of the Three Seas Initiative. The Fund is the most important financial undertaking in Central and Eastern Europe. We set a clear goal for the Fund – financial support for infrastructure investments in the region. Such support is especially important these days as economies struggle with the effects of the COVID pandemic. The initiator and co-founder of the Fund is the Polish development bank BGK. We established the Fund together with our partners from the Romanian development bank EximBank” – says Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, the 3SIIF Supervisory Board Chairperson and BGK President.
The Three Seas Fund’s main objective is to invest in transport, energy and digital infrastructure on the north-south axis in the Three Seas countries and to offset the regional development differences in the European Union. The Fund is a commercial and market-driven initiative that will grant a diversified investment and an attractive return.
The IMF team also state that, if done right, infrastructure investment could yield significant dividends in the region. More and better public investment can help repair the economic damage of the pandemic, raise potential output, and speed income convergence with the EU15.
“At this time of economic slowdown, its benefits could be even larger. We estimate that for each percent of GDP spent on infrastructure, the output could rise by 0,5-0,75% in the short run and by 2-2,5% in the long run” – the report reads.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
