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[QUOTE="Queen, post: 88554, member: 27"]
Jamaica just shaved a year off its hurricane recovery timeline, with the economy now expected to bounce back in two to three years instead of four.

Faster recovery than expected
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[*]Richard Byles said agriculture rebounded quicker than anyone predicted.
[*]Electricity and telecom services also came back stronger than forecast.
[*]Real GDP is projected to contract between 1 and 3 percent this fiscal year.
[*]Growth should return to 1 to 3 percent for 2026/27.
[/LIST]
Tourism took a hit from Melissa
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[*]The current account balance is expected to worsen in the medium term.
[*]Hurricane damage to tourism and higher imports are the main drivers.
[*]Remittances and insurance payouts will help soften the blow.
[*]The balance swung from a 3 percent surplus last year to a narrower outlook now.
[/LIST]
Reserves and banks are holding up
[LIST]
[*]International reserves hit a record US$6.8 billion on February 19.
[*]That’s roughly 155.8 percent of the adequacy benchmark.
[*]Non-performing loans inched up to 2.8 percent but stay well under the 10 percent limit.
[*]Private-sector credit grew 8 percent in 2025, slightly up from the previous year.
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