This time the Bank decided to encourage the decline in further longer-term interest rates by purchasing longterm government bonds and corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of about one to two years. Moreover, to reduce risk premiums, the Bank will examine the purchases of ETFs and J-REITs.
The outlook for tourism, Barbados’ main foreign exchange earner, has improved. Arrivals have picked up from the UK, Barbados’ most important source of visitors, and airlift from the US and Canada, also important markets for us, will increase significantly in the coming winter season.