Transition to a new investment financing pattern  In the context of structural excess savings over investment, which characterised the period 2000-2013, the structure of investment financing in Algeria during 2008-2014 showed a very high level of self-financing (84 percent), particularly with regard to the Government’s and the national oil company’s investments. Investment in the economy (excluding the hydrocarbon sector) has also been, to a large extent, self-financed (59.7 percent over 2008-2014), while the financial savings of private firms and households have significantly increased. In particular, the years 2010 and 2011 recorded a  BIS central bankers’ speeches  3  substantial increase in self-financing (71.4 percent and 24.1 percent respectively), which contributed to the significant recovery of investments in the non-hydrocarbon sectors. In the meantime, the relative share of medium and long term domestic bank credit in the financing of investments in the productive non-hydrocarbon sectors increased substantially between 2012 and 2014, up from 38.4 percent to 45.2 percent. Reflecting dynamic medium and long term bank financing, credit to the economy recorded strong growth in 2013 (20.3 percent) and 2014 (26.1 percent), following already high growth in 2012 (15.1 percent). Improved credit conditions, together with Government support measures with regard to credit to SMEs, which improved their access to bank credit as of 2010, have contributed to the sustained expansion of overall credits to the private sector, which recorded an average annual growth rate of 19.4 percent over the period 2001–2014.
We must not forget, either, that financial crises of the magnitude of the one in Iceland cast long shadows, and many have faced hardship for a long time afterwards. This underscores the necessity of safeguarding financial stability. The Central Bank’s contribution to this successful outcome is threefold: formulation and implementation of monetary policy; participation in the resurrection of the financial system and the formulation and implementation of financial stability policy; and participation in the development of the capital account liberalisation strategy and the execution of the strategy. I will now turn to these three factors and, as I do so, move to the present day. Inflation subsided in 2009 and 2010 as the inflationary impact of the steep drop in the exchange rate in 2008 tapered off and the exchange rate stabilised in H2/2009 and then began to rise in 2010. Inflation declined steadily until it fell to target in late 2010. As inflation eased, Central Bank interest rates were cut, reaching a low of 3½% early in 2011. Inflation expectations remained above the target, however. In H2/2011 and 2012, inflation rose again following the depreciation of the króna and large contractual wage increases. We know now that monetary policy achieved good results in its response to this situation. The response consisted of interest rate hikes and signalling of further ones to come, but also of more active use of other policy instruments such as foreign exchange market intervention and, later, the special reserve requirement on capital inflows into the bond market and high-yielding deposits.