WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The percentage of global investment that goes to developing countries should triple in the next two decades as emerging economies catch up to richer nations and become more integrated into financial markets, the World Bank predicted in a report on Thursday.

These nations and their comparatively younger and bigger populations are also set to become the largest sources of capital, with China and India turning into the world’s two biggest investors by 2030, the global development lender said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The percentage of global investment that goes to developing countries should triple in the next two decades as emerging economies catch up to richer nations and become more integrated into financial markets, the World Bank predicted in a report on Thursday.

These nations and their comparatively younger and bigger populations are also set to become the largest sources of capital, with China and India turning into the world’s two biggest investors by 2030, the global development lender said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States posted its biggest monthly budget surplus in five years in April, the Treasury Department said on Friday, adding that revenues are running at a record high so far this year thanks to higher taxes and an improving economy.

The April surplus was $113 billion, about $6 billion higher than economists’ expectations and the highest surplus since April 2008, according to the Treasury. The surplus in April 2012 was $59 billion.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) – The International Monetary
Fund is not currently planning a new visit to Egypt to discuss
the country’s $4.8 billion loan program as it awaits new
economic data and reform plans from the government, the Fund’s
spokesman said on Thursday.

“Staff are working actively with Egyptian authorities from
headquarters,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters.

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – The United States will focus
on ways Europe can boost demand and on Japan’s aggressive
monetary policy during upcoming meetings of the Group of Seven
finance ministers and central bankers, a U.S. Treasury official
said on Wednesday.

The U.S. agenda for the G7 gathering, to be held in Britain
this week, mirrors the agenda Washington brought to recent Group
of 20 meetings, with an emphasis on the need for reviving growth
in the euro zone, which has slipped back into recession.

By Anna Yukhananov

(Reuters) – Dysfunction in Washington is one of the biggest drags on the U.S. economy, undermining confidence and crimping growth, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Tuesday.

“One of the most significant speed bumps for growth is coming straight from Washington, where some political leaders continue to generate one manufactured crisis after the next,” Lew said in remarks prepared for delivery at the City Club of Cleveland.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Greece has made progress in reducing government debt and improving its competitiveness, but needs to follow through on structural reforms to ensure its economy recovers, the IMF said on Monday after a mission visit to the country.

The International Monetary Fund, one of the indebted euro zone country’s international lenders, said Greece must do more to fight its ‘notorious’ tax evasion and open up labor competition to ensure the burden of austerity does not fall disproportionately on wage-earners and pensioners.

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) – The International Monetary
Fund’s executive board on Wednesday approved a $932.2 million
four-year lending agreement with Jamaica meant to help the
Caribbean country start to reduce its heavy debt burden.

The money will complement about $510 million in planned
funds from both the World Bank and the Inter-American
Development Bank, which together will bring Jamaica’s loan
package to nearly $2 billion. Jamaica will get $207 million in
IMF funds immediately.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Twenty of the world’s most troubled countries have made progress in efforts that range from reducing poverty to improving the education of girls and cutting down on the deaths of women in childbirth, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

The improvement is a big shift from just a few years ago for the 20 fragile and conflict-hit states.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Treasury Department said on Wednesday it might be able to sell less long-term debt in the future if the budget deficit continues to come down.

In its quarterly debt refunding announcement, the Treasury did hold the sizes of its longer-dated debt sales steady this quarter. It said on Wednesday that it would trim issuance of short-term bills to take into account a drop in its borrowing needs, which is expected to persist until the end of June.