Economy of Iceland – china Fine-brick texture – china Stone texture
History
Main article: Economic history of Iceland
Geography and resources
Iceland occupies a land area of 103,000 square kilometers. It has a 4,790 kilometer coastline and a 200 nautical mile (370.4 km) exclusive economic zone extending over 758,000 square kilometers of water. Approximately 20% of Iceland’s land is arable, since the island’s terrain is mostly mountainous and volcanic.
Iceland has few proven mineral resources. In the past, deposits of sulphur have been mined, and diatomite (skeletal algae) was extracted from lake Mvatn until recently. That plant has now been closed for environmental reasons. The only natural resource conversion in Iceland is the manufacture of cement. Concrete is widely used as building material, including for all types of residential housing.
By harnessing the abundant hydroelectric and geothermal power sources, Iceland’s renewable energy industry provides over 70% of all the nation’s primary energy – proportionally more than any other country – with 99.9% of Iceland’s electricity being generated from renewables. The Icelandic Parliament decided in 1998 to convert vehicle and fishing fleets to hydrogen fuel and consequently Iceland expects to be energy-independent, using 100% renewable energy, by 2050. As part of this program, the country opened the world’s first public hydrogen filling station in 2003. As of 2007, it has about 40 hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road, second only to the U.S. state of California.
By far the largest of the many Icelandic hydroelectric power stations is Krahnjkavirkjun (690 MW), which is being constructed in the area north of Vatnajkull. Other stations include Brfell (270 MW), Hrauneyjarfoss (210 MW), Sigalda (150 MW), Blanda (150 MW), and more. Iceland has explored the feasibility of exporting hydroelectric energy via submarine cable to mainland Europe and also actively seeks to expand its power-intensive industries, including aluminium and ferro-silicon smelting plants.
Currency and monetary policy
Main article: Icelandic krna
The currency of Iceland is the krna (plural: krnur), issued exclusively by the Central Bank of Iceland since the bank’s founding in 1961. The exchange rate in 2008 was 78 krnur to the United States dollar, down from 97.43 in 2001. Iceland’s Krona went from 60 to the dollar in November 2007 to 147 to the dollar in November 2008.
Monetary policy is carried out by the Central Bank of Iceland, which maintains a 2.5% inflation target rate, adopted in March 2001.
During the 1970s the oil shocks (1973 and 1979 energy crisis) hit Iceland hard. Inflation rose to 43% in 1974 and 59% in 1980, falling to 15% in 1987 but rising to 30% in 1988. Iceland experienced moderately strong GDP growth (3% on average) from 1995 to 2004. Growth slowed between 2000 and 2002, but the economy expanded by 4.3% in 2003 and grew by 6.2% in 2004. Growth in 2005 exceeded 6%. Inflation averaged merely 1.5% from 1993-94, and only 1.7% from 1994-95. Inflation over 2006 topped at 8.6%, with a rate of 6.9% as of January 2007. Standard & Poor’s reduced their rating for Iceland to AA- from A+ (long term) in December 2006, following a loosening of fiscal policy by the Icelandic government ahead of the 2007 elections. Foreign debt has risen to more than five times the value of its GDP, and Iceland’s Central Bank has raised short-term interest rates to nearly 15% in 2007. Due to the plunging currency against the euro and dollar, in 2008 inflation is speculated to currently be at 20-25%.
Imports and exports
Iceland’s economy is highly export-driven. Marine products account for the majority of goods exports. Other important exports include aluminum, ferro-silicon alloys, machinery and electronic equipment for the fishing industry, software, and woollen goods. Most of Iceland’s exports go to the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, the United States, and Japan. The 2005 value of Iceland’s exports was $3.215 billion f.o.b.
The main imports are machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs and textiles. Cement is Iceland’s most imported product. The total 2005 value of imports was $4.582 billion. Iceland’s primary import partner is Germany, with 12.6%, followed by the United States, Norway, and Denmark. Most agricultural products are subject to high tariffs; the import of some products, such as uncooked meat, is greatly restricted for phyto-sanitary reasons.
Iceland’s relatively liberal trading policy has been strengthened by accession to the European Economic Area in 1993 and by the Uruguay Round, which also brought significantly improved market access for Iceland’s exports, particularly seafood products. However, the agricultural sector remains heavily subsidized and protected; some tariffs range as high as 700%.
The fishing industry is one of the most important industries. It provides 70% of export income and employs 6.0% of the workforce; therefore, the state of the economy remains sensitive to world prices for fish products.
Transportation
Economic agreements and policies
Iceland became a full European Free Trade Association member in 1970 and entered into a free trade agreement with the European Community in 1973. Under the agreement on a European Economic Area, effective January 1, 1994, there is basically free cross-border movement of capital, labor, goods, and services between Iceland, Norway, and the EU countries. However, the government of Iceland remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders’ concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland also has bilateral free trade agreements with several countries outside the EEA. The most extensive of these is the Hoyvk Agreement between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, this agreement goes even further than the EEA agreement by establishing free trade in agricultural products between the nations. Iceland has a free trade agreement with Mexico on November 27, 2000.
The center-right government plans to continue its generally neo-liberal policies of reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatising state-owned industries.
Manufacturing
The presence of abundant electrical power due to Iceland’s geothermal energy sources has led to the growth of the manufacturing sector. Power-intensive industries, which are the largest components of the manufacturing sector, produce mainly for export. Manufactured products constituted 36% of all merchandise exports, an increase from the 1997 figure of 22%. Power-intensive products’s share of merchandise exports is 21%, compared to 12% in 1997.
Aluminium
Alcoa’s aluminium plant in Reyarfjrur, Iceland
Aluminium smelting is the most important power-intensive industry in Iceland. There are currently two plants in operation, with one under construction and two in the planning stage.
Alcan owns a plant in Straumsvk near the town of Hafnarfjrur which has been in operation since 1969. Its initial capacity was 33,000 metric tons per year (mtpy) but has since been expanded several times and now has a capacity of 180,000 mtpy. Alcan is studying the feasibiliy of expanding the plant to a capacity of 460,000 mtpy; negotiations are already underway with the power companies Landsvirkjun (the national power company) and Orkuveita Reykjavkur, although it is yet unclear if the municipality of Hafnarfjrur will allow such an expansion, but the inhabitants of Hafnafjrur are going to vote whether they want to expand the aluminium smelting or not.
The second plant started operations in 1998 and is operated by Norurl, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Century Aluminium Company. It is located in Grundartangi in Western Iceland near the town of Akranes. Its current capacity is 220,000 mtpy but an expansion to 260,000 mtpy is already underway and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2007.
United States-based aluminum manufacturer Alcoa has become a major investor in Iceland and has a major plant under construction near the town of Reyarfjrdur. The plant, known as Fjaral (or “aluminum of the fjords”) has a capacity of 322,000 mtpy and was completed in 2007. To power the plant, Landsvirkjun built Krahnjukar, a 630-megawatt hydropower station. This is an astonishing figure, as prior to this development, the entire nation of Iceland’s power usage was in the 300-megawatt range.
According to Alcoa, construction of Fjaral entailed no human displacement, no impact on endangered species, and no danger to commercial fisheries; there will also be no significant effect on reindeer, bird and seal populations. However, the project drew considerable opposition from environmentalist groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, which called on Alcoa to abandon the plan to build Fjaral. In addition, Icelandic singer Bjrk was a notable early opponent to the plan; protesting the proposed construction, the singer’s mother, Hildur Rna Hauksdttir, went on a hunger strike in 2002.
Alcoa is also conducting a feasibility study on the possibility of building a second plant in Iceland near Hsavk. That plant would have a 250,000 mtpy capacity and be powered entirely by geothermal power. If the decision is made to build the plant, construction would not start before 2010.
Norurl has signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase electricity for its own aluminum reduction project in Helguvk. The agreement was reached between Norurl and two Icelandic geothermal power producers, Hitaveita Suurnesja and Orkuveita Reykjavkur. The power supplied will initially support aluminum production of 150,000 mtpy, which will eventually grow to support 250,000 mtpy.
If all of the currently proposed expansions and new plants are constructed, the total production capacity of the Icelandic aluminum industry will rise to 1,542,000 mtpy, compared to the current capacity of 400,000 mtpy.
Medical products and pharmaceuticals
Iceland is an exporter of medical products, including prosthetics, diagnostic equipment, and medical software; the 2003 value of these exports was 13.5 billion krnur.
Actavis, a generic drug manufacturer, purchased U.S.-based Amide Pharmaceuticals in 2005 for between $500 and $600 million, as well as the generics business of Alpharma Inc.; Actavis had 2005 sales of 551 million and a net profit of 81 million. Its shares are traded on the Icelandic Stock Exchange and the company is part of the ICEX-15 index.
deCODE genetics, a worldwide leader in the field of biotechnology is also based in Iceland.
Finance
See also: 20082009 Icelandic financial crisis
Banks
Main article: List of banks in Iceland
The Icelandic banking system played a central role in the financial crisis. The banks expanded aggressively overseas following financial deregulation, acquiring assets far in excess of the country’s GDP and therefore of the government’s capacity to rescue them in the event of a run. All three major banks, Landsbanki, Kauping Bank and Glitnir went into administration in early October 2008. The Althing granted the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority sweeping powers over banks as its financial system tottered and its currency plunged. Speculation continues about the financial health of the other banks. All of the major banks were publicly listed on Kauphll slands (the Iceland Stock Exchange), though each was either wholly state-owned or merged with previously state-owned banks in the past.
Stock market
Because of the persistent inflation, historical reliance on fish production and the long-standing public ownership of the commercial banks, equity markets were slow to develop. Kauphll slands, the Iceland Stock Exchange (better known as ICEX), was created in 1985. Trading in Icelandic T-Bonds began in 1986 and trading in equities commenced in 1990. All domestic trading in Icelandic equities, bonds and mutual funds takes place on the ICEX.
The ICEX has used electronic trading systems since its creation. Since 2000, SAXESS, the joint trading system of the NOREX alliance, has been used. There are currently two equities markets on the ICEX. The Main Market is the larger and better known of the two. The Alternative Market is a less regulated over-the-counter market. Because of the small size of the market, trading is illiquid in comparison with larger markets. A variety of firms across all sectors of the Icelandic economy are listed on the ICEX.
The most important stock market index is the ICEX 15.
Other financial markets
Historically, investors tended to be reticent to hold Icelandic bonds because of the persistence of high inflation and the volatility of the Krna. What did exist was largely limited to bonds offered by the central government. The bond market on the ICEX has boomed in recent years, however, largely because of the resale of mortgages as housing bonds.
A mutual fund market exists on the ICEX in theory, but no funds are currently listed. A small derivatives market formerly existed, but was closed in 1999 because of illiquidity.
Growth
Iceland’s economy had been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the 1990s, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services were taking place. The tourism sector was also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale-watching. However, in 2008, the Icelandic economy entered a deep recession in correspondence to the global financial crisis. There is even speculation that Iceland is now entering an economic depression, making it the first economy of the developed world to plunge into depression due to the global recession of 2008. The IMF predicts the GDP of Iceland will contract by 10% for year 2009.
See also
Economy of Europe
Notes
^ http://www.sedlabanki.is/?PageID=179
^ Source: Statistics Iceland.
^ Iceland: One of the worlds most free economies, Invest in Iceland Agency
^ Human Development Index
^ Human Development Report 2007/2008 – Inequality measures, ratio of richest 10% to poorest 10%
^ “The Economy of Iceland”. The Central Bank of Iceland. http://www.sedlabanki.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?itemid=3363. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ Gross energy consumption by source 19872005, Statistics Iceland, accessed 2007-05-14
^ Presentation to the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, Icelandic Ministry of Industry and Commerce & Ministry for Foreign Affairs, published January 2005, accessed 2007-05-14
^ Powering The Plains, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, published 2003, accessed 2007-05-14
^ http://www.helium.com/tm/284636/early-professor-bragi-rnason
^ “Notes and Coin”. Central Bank of Iceland. http://www.sedlabanki.is/?PageID=187. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
^ a b c d “The World Factbook – Iceland – Economy”. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.html. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
^ “The Economy of Iceland”. The Central Bank of Iceland. p. 9. http://www.sedlabanki.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?itemid=3363. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ http://www.sedlabanki.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?itemid=4904
^ http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9516621
^ a b “Country Commercial Guide – Iceland”. United States Commercial Service. http://www.buyusa.gov/iceland/en/86.html#_section4. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
^ “Economy of Iceland”. Central Bank of Iceland. p. 23. http://www.sedlabanki.is/lisalib/getfile.aspx?itemid=3363. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Vibtarstkkun Norurls fltt”. Norurl. April 3, 2006. http://nordural.is/default.asp?sid_id=1878&tre_rod=001. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Fjaral Overview”. Alcoa Aluminum. http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/alcoa_iceland/fjardaal_background.asp. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Bjork’s mother on hunger strike”. BBC News. October 17, 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2336349.stm. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Alcoa, Government of Iceland and Municipality of Hsavk Sign Memorandum of Understanding”. Alcoa. May 17, 2006. http://www.alcoa.com/iceland/en/news/whats_new/2006/2006_05_mou.asp. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Century Aluminum Company Icelandic Subsidiary Signs Energy MOU for Helguvik Greenfield Smelter”. Nordural. June 2, 2006. http://www.nordural.is/Default.asp?Sid_Id=1879&tId=2&Tre_Rod=002. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Iceland Export Directory – Medical, Cosmetic, Health Technology in Iceland”. Iceland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade. http://www.icelandexport.is/icelandexport2/english/industry%5Fsectors%5Fin%5Ficeland/medical%2D%5Fcosmetic%2D%5Fhealth%5Ftechnology%5Fin%5Ficeland/. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Amide Pharmaceutical, Inc. Company Profile”. Yahoo! Finance. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/108/108825.html. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Stock price”. Actavis. http://www.actavis.com/Investors/stockinfo.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ “Corporate Fact Sheet”. Actavis. http://www.actavis.com/Investors/corporatefactsheet.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-22.
^ Iceland takes over 2nd biggest bank, Russia hovers, eleconomista.es (7 October 2008)
^ http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4883097.ece
^ Iceland scowls at UK after crisis, BBC, December 16, 2008.
External links
OECD’s Iceland country Web site
OECD Economic Survey of Iceland
Icelandic Bureau of Statistics
Iceland Stock Exchange (ICEX)
Integrated financial services in Iceland
Iceland Country Exports Profile
Exploding Range Rovers Tell Iceland’s Story NPR, March 19 2009
Wall Street on the Tundra by Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair, April 2009 issue
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Categories: Economy of Iceland | World Trade Organization member economies | OECD member economies | European Free Trade AssociationHidden categories: Wikipedia articles in need of updating
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