Pricing Reform Progress: Evidence from Sovereign Spreads and Consensus Forecasts

Investors reward reform progress. Econometric results suggest that holistic reforms, fiscal spending discipline, and monetary policy credibility are associated with a tightening of Qatar’s external sovereign credit spreads. In particular, investors may view fiscal spending discipline as an integral part of Qatar’s holistic reform and economic diversification. Greater broad-based reform progress also boosts the resilience of sovereign credit spreads to external shocks. The findings support fiscal and monetary policy reforms as part of the broader reform agenda in a holistic manner, as planned under the Third National Development Strategy.