The Unassuming Economist

From the IMF’s latest report on Bulgaria:

“Credit growth has picked up. Both consumer and mortgage loan growth has been buoyant, accompanied by strong housing price increases (averaging 7.5 percent y/y since 2016). Credit to corporates has also been recovering and reached 5.4 percent y/y in 2018, the highest level since 2013, while credit standards have slightly tightened or remained unchanged recently. But non-financial corporate debt remains high among the new member states (NMS)—notwithstanding a marked decline from 106 percent of GDP in 2008 to 80 percent of GDP in 2017. Overall credit-to-GDP ratio remains below the historical trend, with the ratio substantially below the peak reached in 2010.”