The Institute of International Finance, Inc.

Greg Fager

Director

Asia/Pacific

Bio

Gregory B. Fager is the Director of the Asia/Pacific Department at the Institute of International Finance, Inc., Washington, D.C. He joined the Institute in 1984. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Fager was a Vice President in the Country Risk Management Division at the First National Bank of Chicago.

Education

He received a Ph.D. in Economics from Georgetown University and was a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.

Publications

Korea: The Reluctant Rate Cut

May 23, 2013
- Authors: Greg Fager, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Korea
- Publication Type: Research Note
Slow growth, low inflation and weak external demand finally prompted the central bank to cut the policy rate after a seven-month hiatus. The latest monetary action is likely to be too little and too late to revive the economy.
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Korea: Difficult Start for the New President

March 12, 2013
- Authors: Greg Fager, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Korea
- Publication Type: Research Note
The honeymoon most newly-elected candidates enjoy on first taking office has eluded President Park Geun-hye. Financial markets are taking the latest developments in stride, but the current impasse in the National Assembly and renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula threaten to hamper the government’s plan to revive the moribund economy.
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Philippines: Fiscal Control Remains

February 22, 2013
- Authors: Greg Fager, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Philippines
- Publication Type: Research Note
Last year’s boost in public expenditures helped spur domestic demand and revive the economy. The ability to use the budget as a discretionary policy tool is a dramatic change from the past and reflects the government’s success in reducing public debt to 50% of GDP.
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Korea: The Next President

December 14, 2012
- Authors: Greg Fager, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Korea
- Publication Type: Research Note
The presidential election that will be held on December 19 will set the course of economic policy for the next five years. The centerpiece of the campaign is “economic democratization,” which calls for redressing the wealth gap and controlling the market power and influence of the large family-owned companies.
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Emerging Asia Regional Report

October 05, 2012
- Authors: Greg Fager, Bejoy Das Gupta, Feng Guo, Dane Mahoney, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Asia/Pacific
- Publication Type: Research Note
The leading emerging markets in Asia have demonstrated considerable resilience to adverse global conditions. The region escaped the debilitating strains left by the global financial crisis, while the favorable fundamentals in most of the economies provide a cushion for the future.
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Korea: Policy Favors Stability

August 23, 2012
- Authors: Greg Fager, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: Korea
- Publication Type: Research Note
With slow global growth hampering exports and high household debt discouraging consumption, real GDP growth is set fall to 1.5% this year from 3.6% in 2011. The government’s reluctance to stimulate domestic demand over the near term should bolster economic and financial stability over the medium term.
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China: The New Balance of Payments Dynamics

June 14, 2012
- Authors: Greg Fager, Feng Guo, Kevin Sanker, Payne Simpson
- Related Countries and Regions: China
- Publication Type: Research Note
An expanding domestic economy and a slackening in external demand helped foster adjustment of the current account balance, while the sharp increase in capital flows during the past several years underscores the move toward currency convertibility and the growing openness of the economy.
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