Zambian 2013 Budget Reviewed by Kampamba Shula

On 12 October 2012, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda, MP, announced the 2013 National Budget. Budget highlights and taxation and other changes as contained in the Budget speech and the Zambia Revenue Authority (“ZRA”) publication.

Monday, March 23, 2015

The Inevitable Depreciation of the Zambian Kwacha - Causes, Consequences and Policy

Zambia is mostly a commodity exporting based economy with a lot of business people importing most of their tradables for sale. Hence when the kwacha depreciates the incentive for local business people to raise their prices is high. There is a general view among the public that a “strong” kwacha represents a strong economy. This view while having its merits is flawed...

Friday, March 13, 2015

Strong Dollar - An Inflated Currency in a Deflated Global Economy by Kampamba Shula

With flexible exchange rates and wide-spread abandonment of capital controls the dollar is largely free to move up or down as market forces dictate In this framework it is reasonable to infer that any observed weakening or depreciation of the dollar is most likely the result of a reduced demand for dollars in the foreign exchange market, an increased supply of dollars...

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Oil Price Fall: Supply, Demand and Outlook

Following four years of relative stability at around $105 per barrel (bbl), oil prices have declined sharply since June 2014 and are expected to remain low for a considerable period of time. The drop in prices likely marks the end of the commodity supercycle that began in the early 2000s. The sharp fall in oil prices since June 2014 is a significant but not unprecedented...