Barbados’ Economy Continues to Grow
Discover more from Barbados Underground
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
115 responses to “Barbados’ Economy Continues to Grow”
-
BCCI expects spending to increase
The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is expecting to soon see some tangible results of Barbados’ economy having returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.
BCCI’s president Anthony Branker said that could be reflected by increased spending leading up to the first full Crop Over Festival since 2019.
He said he was still expecting Barbadians to be prudent in their spending due to the high levels of inflation they have been dealing with recently.
His comments came after it was revealed by the Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge that more growth of the economy was projected for the remainder of 2023 due mainly to the recovery of the island’s tourism product to pre-2019 levels, a lower rate of unemployment levels, and an expected increase in consumer activity.
Greenidge yesterday gave that forecast in his first quarterly report since taking up the position as Governor last month.
“The chamber is heartened by the report given by the Governor of the Central Bank. These are positive indicators for the business community as this recovery should lead to increased spending and hence greater commercial activity across all business sectors,” Branker said from Geneva, Switzerland.
He said the good news from the Central Bank boss should also redound to more investment activity in Barbados.
“The report from the Governor would also be a great asset to investors and the chamber looks forward to a very bountiful Crop Over Festival as well,” Branker added.
The president recognised, however, that Barbadians might not rush out on a spending splurge because the country was recovering.
“I think Barbadians understand the pressure that is being transferred upon them from the global situation and will continue to be prudent in their spending,” he said. (BA)Source: Nation
-
GOV: BANK FEES EASE
Stories by Shawn Cumberbatch
shawncumberbatch@nationnews.comBarbadians should be able to open a bank account with no fees attached by June 1.
Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge said all commercial banks operating in Barbados had committed to this.
Greenidge said he was “committed that [bank] fees will be lower in Barbados going forward”, and that the banks were being cooperative on the issue.
He also made it clear that he was not afraid to lead on the issue given his belief that all Barbadians were entitled to have a bank account.
He addressed the matter yesterday during the bank’s first-quarter press conference at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle, his first since taking office on March 1.
“I’ve engaged with the banks at least two [to] three times in meetings since I’ve taken office and… each time the idea of fees were on the table. We have discussed this at length…and this is ongoing work that the Central Bank has been working with the commercial banks on,” he said.
“So, for example, the Central Bank worked with commercial banks and they reduced fees on retail accounts, then last year in 2022 my predecessor . . . issued a directive to the bank to remove fees on large deposits.”
Greenidge added that since his appointment he “engaged the commercial banks and we are working together hand in hand, and they’ve committed, and some have already done it, on broad general things”.
“First, they have committed to providing at least one savings account which carries no maintenance fees, and no transactional fees and everyone has committed to having that available by the first of June. So you can test the waters and let me know if you can’t find an account to have,” he said.
The Governor reported that commercial banks “have been very cooperative” during his discussions with them, and that “in many cases, the banks are doing more than they are actually given credit for in terms of facilitating…digital accounts, etc”.
“But . . . I have committed that [bank] fees will be lower in Barbados going forward, starting with this savings account, that carries no fee, by every bank. But it remains a partnership,…right will be done and we work together,” he said.
“I am not a guy really afraid to…lead, so to speak, on that front because I’m also of the view that every Barbadian is entitled to a bank account, and…I’m also of the view that the purpose of banking is financial intermediation, which is moving savings into investment and not earning fees as your main arm.
“The banks… have given me all of their fee structures over time and we are analysing them to see where we can find common ground,” he said.Source: Nation
-
Improvement in Govt’s fiscal performance
Government’s fiscal performance has improved, says Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge.
In his first quarterly press conference since taking up the post, Greenidge reported yesterday that despite increased spending during its 2022/2023 financial year, Government had a primary balance of $304.2 million.
He also said that while debt increased, the fact that the economy was growing meant that the debt to GDP ratio was falling.
The country’s international reserves also grew, by $446.4 million in the first quarter, to end that period at $3.2 billion, the highest on record, Greenidge added.
Commenting on Government’s fiscal operations, the Governor said that “at the end of fiscal year 2022/23, Government revenues surpassed the fiscal year 2021/22 outcome as collections benefited from the pick up in economic activity, higher imports, the expansion in prices and the earnings from the pandemic levy”.
“The expenditure outturn was sustained by additional outlays to cover public sector wage increases, welfare payments and support for the operations of various state-owned entities,” he stated.
Spending
“Despite the increases in spending, the primary balance ended the period at $304.2 million (2.5 per cent of GDP), which allowed the Government to not only meet the fiscal target set under the BERT-2022 IMF-supported programme, but also to prepay $74.8 million of the Series B bonds to 5 407 individuals, who each received up to $17 500.”
Government’s improved revenue intake was led by a $138.2 million “additional uptick in value added tax receipts (up 15.6 per cent)”, which reflected improvements in economic activity along with increases in the value of imported goods.
During the financial year, public spending increased $250.8 million, “mainly due to large increases in interest expenses”, the Central Bank Governor said.
Regarding debt, he stated: “For the fiscal year ending March 2023, Government’s gross financing needs increased by $52.6 million when compared to the previous fiscal year, to reach $951.3 million. However, as a per cent of GDP, Government’s gross financing needs were actually lower by 0.9 of a percentage point in the current fiscal year, reflecting the pick up in real economic activity.
“The debt stock was 119.6 per cent of GDP at the end of fiscal year 2022/23 compared to 131.3 per cent of GDP in fiscal year 2021/22. The improvement in the ratio was driven by the continued economic recovery, as there was an expansion in the debt stock of roughly $1 billion stemming from inflows from multilateral institutions, the new sales of domestic securities and the booking of recently identified legacy domestic arrears,” Greenidge noted.Source: Nation
-
92 990 arrivals an ‘underestimation’
Barbados’ tourism industry continues to rebound, but Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge believes the real performance and that of the wider economy, is not currently being fully reflected in the visitor arrival statistics.
The Central Bank reported in its first-quarter economic review yesterday that “tourism activity continued to improve, with arrivals increasing by 92 990 in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the corresponding quarter one year earlier, which represents roughly 78 per cent of the pre-COVID 2019 levels”.
However, the bank said the 92 990 figure was an underestimation and that “the Government is currently working to resolve a discrepancy in the tourism arrivals data, which has been occurring since October 2019”.
Asked to elaborate on this during his first quarterly press conference since taking office on March 1, Greenidge said “what we’re seeing is that there’s a discrepancy in the statistics and it’s on the downside”.
There are a number of agencies involved in the collection of tourism statistics, including the Immigration Department, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Barbados Statistical Service and the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA).
The Governor said he led a meeting involving the Chief Immigration Officer, the head of BTMI, GAIA Inc. and others and that “our preliminary results suggest that on average, this is using, for example, November data, that our arrivals are actually roughly 6 000 more than we actually baked into our numbers”.
“That work is ongoing and we are working with Barbados Statistical Service, they are involved in it too, and we hope to be able at least by the next quarter to have a more accurate revised number. But I should stress that’s on the downside, the number is likely to be higher than what we [have] currently. So you could even look at these estimates [6 000 more arrivals] as being conservative so to speak,” he explained.
Greenidge said this development suggested that the economy “is doing better now than we are even estimating”.
“Why…we stress these sorts of things is because you can’t make good policy unless you have good data. You need to understand where we are in order to appreciate and make plans for where we need to go. In particular, we may be saying that our ratios are a certain level but even better, and that would mean. . . improvements in other areas,” he added.
The near 93 000 visitors Barbados welcomed between January and March were mainly from the United Kingdom, followed by the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, the Central Bank reported.
(SC)Source: Nation
-
The only real question to answer is has the absolute number that defines the GDP returned to what it was pre-covid?
Another question of less importance would be how long will it take before the economy returns to its former “glory”?
-
Wait a minute…..these are indeed historical moments…..every credit rating agency and lender including IMF…WARNED these clowns, DBLP tagteam….REPEATEDLY over MANY YEARS……..to DIVERSIFY the economy away from tourism, that should be secondary because of the SHORT 4 month shelf life…widen the tax bracket and income generating nets for the remaining 8 months to stabilize the economy and make it more mobile ……..and they absolutely REFUSED…
WHY? keeping a Slave society TRAPPED is much more money generating FOR THEM ONLY…in their career goals of THEFTS and corruption..and wannabe nobility…..as opposed to utilizing the THOUSANDS of viable ways to generating LASTING cashflow to benefit the WHOLE island…but they DONT WANT THAT…….old habits of THIEVES and degenerates are hard to break..
-
Without even reading any of the above we will venture that that socalled growth is recorded in relationship to the Covid massive declines.
What magic are unscientific modern economics. They are yet to learn how to substract!
-
By modern we mean neo-classical of course.
-
We slso warned them for YEARS…they do not have a closeup and personal relationship with SIMPLE MATH…
What pretenders….who have no clue that NUMBERS give a startling GLANCE into REALITY and tells ITS OWN STORY..
.but how would they know, DISCONNECTED as they are…
-
Should “Barbados” have a name change..
Deep research into why your name is your name:
Etymology
The name “Barbados” is from either the Portuguese term os barbados or the Spanish equivalent, los barbados, both meaning “the bearded ones”. It is unclear whether “bearded” refers to the long, hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree (Ficus citrifolia), a species of banyan indigenous to the island, or to the allegedly bearded Caribs who once inhabited the island, or, more fancifully, to a visual impression of a beard formed by the sea foam that sprays over the outlying coral reefs. In 1519, a map produced by the Genoese mapmaker Visconte Maggiolo showed and named Barbados in its correct position. Furthermore, the island of Barbuda in the Leewards is very similar in name and was once named “Las Barbudas” by the Spanish.The original name for Barbados in the Pre-Columbian era was Ichirouganaim, according to accounts by descendants of the indigenous Arawakan-speaking tribes in other regional areas, with possible translations including “Red land with white teeth” or “Redstone island with teeth outside (reefs)” or simply “Teeth”.
Colloquially, Barbadians refer to their home island as “Bim” or other nicknames associated with Barbados, including “Bimshire”. The origin is uncertain, but several theories exist. The National Cultural Foundation of Barbados says that “Bim” was a word commonly used by slaves, and that it derives from the Igbo term bém from bé mụ́ meaning “my home, kindred, kind”; the Igbo phoneme in the Igbo orthography is very close to The name could have arisen due to the relatively large percentage of Igbo slaves from modern-day southeastern Nigeria arriving in Barbados in the 18th century. The words “Bim” and “Bimshire” are recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary and Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionaries. Another possible source for “Bim” is reported to be in the Agricultural Reporter of 25 April 1868, where the Rev. N. Greenidge (father of one of the island’s most famous scholars, Abel Hendy Jones Greenidge) suggested that Bimshire was “introduced by an old planter listing it as a county of England”. Expressly named were “Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Bimshire”. Lastly, in the Daily Argosy (of Demerara, i.e. Guyana) of 1652, there is a reference to Bim as a possible corruption of “Byam”, the name of a Royalist leader against the Parliamentarians. That source suggested the followers of Byam became known as “Bims” and that this became a word for all Barbadians
-
Dont know how it could make PERFECT SENSE…to dummies…to keep the island under a kaleidescope of STAGNATION for 8 MONTHS annually for the last half century, then push their talking heads before microphones to declare growth..
.no country can get consistent growth from merely 4 MONTHS of economic activity…..and spurts here and there from offshore services and scams..
but they know the Slaves would swallow that crap and beg for more because it sounds so sweet…
-
The neoliberal economics of Mia Mottley are no different than a religion, her religion!
For they continue to be premised on more and more outrageous forms of magical thinking.
A magical thinking demanded by religion, that for instance, the wearing of a crucifix gives protection. And Mia Mottley wears one!
The magical thinking that White people will give you money for a green economy or a blue economy or a White economy without taking effective ownership, or at least control, of an underlying asset. Wokeism!
The magical thinking that you could create growth from a baseline of Covid economic devastation, and with a straight face, enter such an abomination into the political cathedral as sanctified, sanctimoniously!
-
The Black nobilities seem to be very much in play. STILL, according to certain reveals….
so the wannabes think they can weasel their way in by using Pope White Dress as an anchor…maybe they also have plans to sit on the vatican board…
..frauds and hypocrites always see an opening in some crevice somewhere….cursed with and by opportunism..
-
See Pacha…we keep looking at the Whites and others……but there are any number of Black Shadows going backward for the last 3,000 years..
…totally unrelated in status and stature to their cousins the traitor bloodlines….am sure there are those coveting that obscured environment with every breath they take…
That truism of existence hits home the further back you go and study history from that timeline…
-
Waru
And amid all the recent confusion the Anglo Saxons, within the City of London, as enclave within the wider city, are moving heaven and earth to maintain at least a semblance of power.A power derived from that faction’s control of the money system. So all we’ve been seeing, from Brexit, to the constantly changing PM, to the wilful destruction of continental European economies by the Nato- Russian War, to the reckless provision of depleted uranium munitions, the efforts to deny Scottish independence and on and on, are aimed at the consolidation of power within the City of London.
Socalled king Charles cannot even there go unless permission is given by the lord mayor!
Even the history of the Anglo-Saxons is interesting. Arrival within the isles about 2000 years ago after the Roman conquest but intent on displacing what we today call Scots and Irish. Hadrian’s wall was such a defence, erected to keep them out!
So yes, there are forces at work, playing real games, while we’re left to talk foolishness about economy, which we all know is ignorance! But highly acceptable to most.
-
@ Pacha
Enuff of the fancy language to make your point…Are you saying that this new GoCB sounds ominously like the one before him,… and the oneS before him…
..ALL of them talking shiite about how well the ‘economy’ is doing, and is PROJECTED to do in coming months, ….
when even Lorenzo and ac can see with their eyes (and their empty wallets) that our ass is grass…?Pointing at a lotta shiite graphs that look like mumbo jumbo.. and drawing illogical conclusions THAT HAVE ALL TURNED OUT TO BE JOBBY.
The question then is…. how come the so-called ‘Press’ continue to report these quarterly plays as serious business? …. when a simple analysis of past projections can so easily show it to be shaving cream…?
The answer…
“Forward, the Brass Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the 360 thousand.brass bowls to right of them,
brass bowls to left of them,
faggots and fannies in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the 360 thousand. -
“while we’re left to talk foolishness about economy, which we all know is ignorance! But highly acceptable to most.”
Their comfort zones, at the very bottom distilling utter nonsense..the fact that they were more than willing to enable evil against someone who looks like them…tells us everything we need to know..bad luck for them, GOOD always trumps evil doings of that type….how many movies and books based on true events have we seen and read on that topic, but these criminal frauds still believed they would triumpth.
…while real things are happening elsewhere which produces much more enlightenment….but their roles are meant to distract the likeminded.
Things are coming at us, at such a fast and furious clip, i find myself saying daily things like, not getting involved in that, not commenting on that, completely stripping down everything and redefining per newly set rules of engagement…i see very clearly ahead, most things will no longer generate comments.
Good news, writers will have a brand new frontier in which to operate…and most are quite capable of rising to that challenge..
-
Bushie
Yes!
So much so that this writer does not read, does not listen, does not even want to known what these idiots will say or do or not do about anything.They are not of any interest. So much so that an AI machine would be better instead of this stupid game playing by this prime minister and those before.
Didn’t even know that a new man or woman was on the job! Neither he nor she will make a difference. Therefore, we can safely project what these idiots are doing without wasting the time to get into their vacuous minds. A disposition which brings sadness of course.
-
Down to Brasstacks on VOB
Walter Blackman just made an interesting comment re GoCB statement.
-
It surely dont take long to see the trainwreck, shipwreck, planewreck that they ALL turned Barbados into that no one eith intelligence should want to become trapped in..
…that includes the handiwork of the very ignorant supporters/followers of both parasitic parties….enabling corrupt thieves, liars and setup artists comes with a very steep price…not one of them can say they did not know….they just love pretending to be blind.
But since certain reveals, those whom i know at a personal level….pulled back from all the misplaced admiration they had for pretenders/wannabes, now that the REAL story, thanks to their rumor mongering gossips who started due to whatever was promised them, the TRUTH ended up out there EXPOSING THEM…..so some good is coming out of this. ..ironically by their own hands…meant to cause chaos and confusion …but BACKFIRED….beautifully…
….i did not see that one coming and could not make it up..
-
GoCB intended audience is IMF, World Bank, IDB. The locals are just invited the fill the room and if they play their role they may get invited to events with food.
-
Pacha…people dont listen…especially when they are filled with hatred for each other for no other reason than they are selfhating and ignorant.
I spoke to Douglas Trotman some years ago, and that conversation put certain things in motion because i just had to see for myself…..by the time my first book was written it all exploded to the surface…
…good thing it was approached in that manner so traitors can reveal themselves…and man did they ever…
..unfortunately i also warned Douglas Trotman about his safety, although he knew certain things. ..
But Karma and Retribution ARE BOTH REAL…and are BOTH MARCHING…just like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are riding.
Am now on my second book, and the title alone gave haters heartburn…while they themselves can get NO FURTHER…not interested in how they feel now, but know well enuff how they look and are perceived by others, it’s nothing complimenary. They are very wrong if they believe they werent being watch closely for the last 5-6 years… to see what they were really up to, their mission of destruction… They should know HOW they found themselves in that situation, cause i dont and it dont interest me either.
-
What did he say Hants.
-
Ask the people like the taxi driver and beach/sea operators
-
From what am reading, any new constitution will be null and void anyway.
….puppets and minions will NEVER have full control.
Pacha…that is dem bizness to let pretenders and WANNABES fool them and LURE them into a sense of false security…
……am sure you came across the same information…or soon will.
-
I know you and some others will figure it out…
“*** *** has its own “constitution,” a word carefully chosen with the purpose of replacing the constitutions of the nations.”
So let the brainwashed, indoctrinated fools who love to belch out bout their “patriots” and the lotta Slave shite that leak out of them after copying everything deceitful politicians say, and they carry on with so smartly, that word, given to them to parrot and mimick, like everything else foolhardy they do so well, is now obsolete..
Imagine, am the one, along with some others, who warned and warned, get to tell them that…..but they dont have to mind me, they can wait and see.
We are the witnesses.
-
Economics Theories
Poor Side Of Town
How can you tell me how much you miss me.
When the last time I saw you, you wouldn’t even kiss me.
Now that rich guy you’ve been seein’.
He must have put you down.
So welcome back baby.
Back to the poor side of town.GDP growth is growth for some but not all
GDP = private consumption + gross private investment
+ government investment + government spending
+ (exports – imports)
and this figure is frequently cited to assess the nation’s standard of living.
So won’t you come and sit by me in these old dusty clothes
-
@ David,
he said the number of tourist arrivals is not a good indicator of a recovery.It is how much money the tourists spend.
-
@Hants
Thanks. The Governor did allude to vaguely to that fact when he pointed to uptick in related activities but was stingy on statistics!
-
LMFAO at the BU intelligentsia.
-
“he said the number of tourist arrivals is not a good indicator of a recovery.It is how much money the tourists spend.”
Since coming to office, the current government has been making this point about spend v numbers. Go listen to Keri Symmonds the first tourism minister. What was the GOCB last role? Ah gone, leh Waru pollute the blog bout who she warned.🤣
-
Justin and Mia
-
I int gotta work too hard anymore, wunna done do all the work FOR YEARS of making yaselves look exactly like who and what ya are…the ICING soon come…lol
How is the world stage these days…
-
@Hants
Mia gone international.
-
I think the Gov should use the word recovery instead of growth when speaking to current economic activity. As the Gov has confirmed this winter season was 78% of the precovid season, hence one is really not in growth but recovery in real terms. One can speak of growth after we have surpassed precovid activity. The news on our recovery is however still good news. As for the growth in foreign reserves, what was the corresponding increase in foreign borrowing for the said period? In other words did our net reserves after borrowing Fx reflect an EARNED growth?
Secondly what was the “error” in recording our arrivals and why have we only heard about it now? I thought arrivals wer based on entry figures provided by the sea and airport, what are we missing here? I can tell you April arrivals went quiet over the last 2 weeks so it will be intersting to see what April will end up at.
-
We wonder whether the people of Barbados, especially the elites, media, etc know that the IMF and the World Bank basically operate out of the Defence Department of the United States. There are many scholars, classical economists, writing about this. Hybrid warfare, by other means?
That the United States sees these as extensions of empire. Has anybody here ever read a book called “economic hitman”. Are the elites in Barbados, not satisfied with the revolving door between the CB and the IMF, and others, presumes that the direct hire of such a factotum from the IMF could ever prioritize national “sovereignty” over and above the interests of empire?
OSA was right!
-
@John A
Agree with you because the baseline measure is pre pandemic. What we have done is to recover to that position. It makes for positive messaging to use growth.
-
The other point the governor stressed yesterday is his narrative about collaborating with commercial banks to foster an appetite for investment.
-
Another observation was his reluctance towards the end of the Q&A to be specific about what projects are in the pipeline to feed projected growth. He should be in a position to list government projects at a minimum.
-
The number of tourist arrival is ONLY an indicator of recovery in the tourism sector . Under the last Ds government we were having records arrivals yearly but no growth.
The Bs now are picking more from pockets with the airport and room taxes
-
The IMF has been giving large loans to Ukraine. A country with up to 50 percent GDP declines over the last year.
A country torn up. Has no ability to repay. But acts as a cat’s paw to achieve strategic military aims.
Proving the point that the IMF is a military-security organization.
-
No answer…the fowls gone silent, who ever heard of that…dont worry, my rumors are BIGGER, JUICIER SWEETER and totally TRUE…and spread like WILDFIRE across the island in the last few weeks….lawd….
…dey shouda tell the population who they worked for as an EMPLOYEE for nearly 30 YEARS…instead of hiding it, pretending and LYING…
Not you, those organizations would have to lower the bar to ZERO to let you in…ah dont think they are looking for errand boys, even if ya got experience…
-
@ David
What was the revenue from tourism this first quarter compared to the same quarter of 2019, was that listed anywhere? I cant remember seeing it but I really only glanced through the report. I asked because if revenue was below 78% in 2023 to 2019 then we really have not recovered there either.
-
Pacha…the level of deceit, disrespect and insult shown to the people on the island with those lies and pretense is nothing short of mindboggling…
Was watching a video on that topic earlier…and these frauds pretending to be leaders are horrifically dangerous.
Had the same players not come out and expose the roles of these wannabes as their employees, no one would ever know. Given what i now know am thrilled they can no longer hide..or blame Empire for their personal crimes against others.. that we all know are MANY…
-
@John A
See p5 of the CBB text report, there is a comparative.
-
From the CBB report (I had problem cutting the final piece?)
“The Barbados economy has recovered following the slump caused by the COVID pandemic. For the first quarter of 2023, the economy grew by 6.4 percent, its eighth consecutive quarter of expansion. The economy is now larger in size than in 2019, in terms of nominal value (including the effects of inflation)…..”
-
Trudeau is the opposite of his father. The very opposite. He has no stature within the “international” community. See Xi, a real player, denigrating Trudeau like he were a school boy after he disclosed all the details of a personal conversation between the two. At home Trudeau is not well rated.
Mottley, on the other hand is a giant shiiite talker but with the insistence of a feckless population has become the force of dictatorship at home. While Trudeau has moved Canada nearest to dictatorship, especially around Covid. This running here, running there, talking shiiite and being laughed at for pushing her head your her ass can’t reach is about to wane
Between the two of them, they fail to muster a footnote in this epoch’s historical record, we’ll wager. In other words nonentities.
-
Governments do little for tourism growth
On the plus side tourism businesses aren’t going bankrupt and things should pick up again
-
ALL THIS NONSENSE ABOUT GROWTH WHILST PRICES ARE HIGHER FOR FOOD AND BASIC COMMODITIES WHILST PEOPLE MONEY PURCHASING POWER HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.
THE 2X3 ISLAND BLACK PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BE MISLEAD AND BAMBOOZLED.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.