24.05.2014 Views

Tropical Storm Nicole - Planning Institute of Jamaica

Tropical Storm Nicole - Planning Institute of Jamaica

Tropical Storm Nicole - Planning Institute of Jamaica

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Real value added for the Finance & Insurance Services industry declined by 4.5 per cent in the<br />

period January–June 2010, influenced mainly by: a) lower stock <strong>of</strong> Loans & Advances compared<br />

with the similar period <strong>of</strong> 2009; and b) the negative impact on net interest income <strong>of</strong> the JDX which<br />

was introduced in February 2010.<br />

The growth <strong>of</strong> 2.9 per cent in Hotels & Restaurants/Tourism industry was influenced mainly by the<br />

increase in stopover arrivals during the first three months <strong>of</strong> the year, as the May 2010 Western<br />

Kingston civil unrest had an adverse impact on the tourist industry. The increased expenditure for<br />

damage control to the island should augur well for the industry in terms <strong>of</strong> setting it on a renewed<br />

growth path amidst the negative publicity.<br />

4. The External sector<br />

BOP January – May 2010<br />

For the January - May 2010 period, there was a current account deficit <strong>of</strong> US$193.7 million, an<br />

improvement <strong>of</strong> US$102.3 million compared with the corresponding period <strong>of</strong> 2009. The<br />

contraction in the deficit during the first five months <strong>of</strong> 2010 stemmed from improvements in all<br />

sub-accounts with the exception <strong>of</strong> the goods sub-account.<br />

During the January-May 2010 period, the deficit on the Goods sub-account was US$1.24 billion, a<br />

deterioration <strong>of</strong> US$60.3 million compared with January – May 2009. This increase in the deficit<br />

was attributable to a US$21.3 million decrease in exports and a US$39.0 million growth in imports.<br />

Lower export earnings were influenced mainly by a decline in the value <strong>of</strong> alumina and sugar<br />

exports. The rise in the value <strong>of</strong> imports was associated with a 32.9 per cent expansion in the<br />

mineral fuel imports.<br />

The surplus on the Services sub-account increased to US$441.1 million during January – May 2010<br />

from US$407.0 million in the corresponding 2009 period. This improvement stemmed mainly from<br />

increased inflows in the travel category, due to a growth in touirist arrivals.<br />

The Income sub-account registered a deficit <strong>of</strong> US$185.9 million compared with a deficit <strong>of</strong><br />

US$255.6 million in the corresponding period <strong>of</strong> 2009. This US$69.7 million improvement was due<br />

70

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!