Lennox Elvy

Economist and Financial Analyst

[Wayne Chen @wcchen]

161 years ago today on 24 Oct 1865, Paul Bogle, #Jamaican Baptist deacon and activist, hanged at Morant Bay court house. Had led the people who marched for justice and fair treatment; sparked mass rebellion; captured, tried, sentenced to death by Colonial Government which had declared martial law. Lest we forget our hero’s sacrifice. #Jamaica #Caribbean
https://t.co/2MwemWxxiN

[Simon Johnson @guruintraining_]

Congratulations 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

This is amazing.

[Lennox Elvy @1979lennox]

@cee_suella

[Wayne Chen @wcchen]

Jamaica’s bankers, and the rest of us, like stability. The numbers, despite alarming news headlines, seem to agree. The system-wide ratio of non-performing loans has hovered between 2.4% and 2.9% for nearly a decade, even as total lending swelled and mortgages alone roughly doubled between 2019 and 2025. By the crude arithmetic of credit risk, that ought to have been impossible. Rapid loan growth usually outpaces underwriting discipline; defaults typically follow with a lag. That they have not suggests either unusual prudence or unusual luck.

Some of it is genuine policy craft. The Bank of Jamaica’s 2017 shift to forward-looking, IFRS 9-style provisioning forced lenders to reserve against losses before they materialised, not after. Coverage ratios have topped 100% every year since, insulating balance sheets from a shock that has, so far, not arrived.

Yet the composition beneath the headline number is shifting in a way that deserves more scrutiny. Consumer-loan delinquencies are rising; credit-card and microloan borrowers are visibly straining, even as mortgage arrears have eased, because banks have quietly reallocated toward secured, property-backed lending.

That is prudent from an institutional standpoint, but it also means the stable headline ratio increasingly masks divergent fortunes: asset-owning households consolidating credit quality, while thinner-margin borrowers absorb the strain of high living costs and elevated rates.

This is not yet a bellwether of economic regression. It is, however, an early signal that Jamaica’s credit resilience is becoming more unevenly distributed, a distinction policymakers should not conflate with health across the board. #Jamaica #Caribbean
https://t.co/4oBcpNsgmz

[Mia Amor Mottley @miaamormottley]

Jamaica has lost one of its great builders of sport, and the Caribbean has lost a man whose work gave all of us reason to stand taller.

Stephen “Franno” Francis helped turn talent into discipline, promise into excellence, and Caribbean speed into a language the world could not ignore. We saw the athletes flying down the track, carrying Jamaica and the region with them. Behind those moments were the early mornings, the hard truths, the science, the standards and the belief of a coach who helped make greatness possible.

Barbados, too, felt his hand through our own Sada Williams, whose journey at MVP helped carry her to historic heights for our country. For so many boys and girls across the Caribbean, his work proved that small islands can still shake the world.

On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, I extend deepest condolences to his family, the MVP family, his athletes, the people of Jamaica, and all across the Caribbean who mourn him with gratitude.

May he rest in peace, and may his legacy continue to run in every young athlete who dares to believe.

[Jamaica Defence Force @JDFSoldier]

WELCOME GHANA ARMED FORCES

A fifty-four (54) member Engineer Contingent from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) arrived in Jamaica last evening to assist Jamaica in its recovery and rebuilding efforts following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

[Rolling Stone @RollingStone]

Jimmy Cliff, the soulful reggae legend who helped spread the genre’s reach from Jamaica to the world with "The Harder They Come," "Many Rivers to Cross" and much more, has died at the age of 81.

Story: https://t.co/iKVGH61DSZ

[Keenan Falconer @keenanfalconer]

Jamaica has the rare opportunity for a fast economic recovery from Hurricane Melissa. Sharing my Op-ED in today’s Gleaner here. https://t.co/3jz21vXEct

[JPS @myJPSonline]

#JPSOperationRestoration Update - 64% of customers restored & counting.

Our teams are making progress in every parish, with 81% of major health facilities back online. Still a ways to go, but we're committed to bringing everyone back!

Full updates at https://t.co/NfOQuQ1pl2

[Usain St. Leo Bolt @usainbolt]

J A M A I C A,

You all gave me the chance to represent you on the world stage — to wear our colours with pride, show the world the strength, resilience, and the heart of our people. Everything I’ve achieved started right here at home. 🙏🏾

Now, as so many of our children, brothers and sisters face the hardships caused by Hurricane Melissa, please know — We are right here with YOU. 💪🏾💔

We are STANDING together, REBUILDING together, and reminding the world that JAMAICANS never leave each other behind. 🇯🇲❤️

We’ve faced many a storms before, and every single time, we RISE again — STRONGER, UNITED and full of FAITH.

Stay STRONG, stay safe, and know we will RISE TOGETHER 🙏🏿

#JamaicaStrong #OneLove #TogetherWeRise #OneJamaica 🇯🇲💚💛🖤 💛💚🖤🇯🇲

[Annaliesa E Lindsay @annaliesalin]

PSA

Very Important. Safety First

[Keenan Falconer @keenanfalconer]

UPDATE: Jamaica will receive J$3.4B from its Excess Rainfall Policy with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF). This is on top of the J$11 billion from Jamaica’s Tropical Cyclone policy with CCRIF.

[Jamaica Observer @JamaicaObserver]

The day after Hurricane Melissa left her traumatised, Washington DC resident Michelle Yarboough cautiously emerged from the Airbnb in St James where she was staying and asked a stranger if she could charge her phone.

She received a lot more help than she ever expected. Lavern Jenkins took her in, and Yarboough watched as the family helped...
https://t.co/P3puK7cavR

[Jamaica Defence Force @JDFSoldier]

Reposted from @portauthorityja

Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line [RCCL] delivered critical relief supplies during a call by Rhapsody of the Seas at the Historic Falmouth Port, highlighting RCCL’s long-standing commitment to Jamaica.

[Jamaica Defence Force @JDFSoldier]

MORE HELP IS COMING FOR JAMAICA

Two vessels from the Dominican Republic docked at our ports earlier today carrying relief supplies for Jamaicans.

The support by our defence partners have been tremendous since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

[Dr Khia Josina Duncan @KhiaJosina]

The field hospital is up in Black River. Thank you @SamaritansPurse and JDF

[NWC Jamaica @NWCjam]

#NWCNewstream | Customers across north eastern parishes are now experiencing restoration of their water supply, as several NWC facilities resume operations. The National Water Commission is pleased to report that to date, over twenty-five facilities have been restored.

[Samaritan's Purse @SamaritansPurse]

Nearly 1 week since Hurricane Melissa made landfall onto the island of Jamaica. We are grateful to God for allowing us to send...

💡 3950 solar lights
💧 4660 household water filters
🏠 1001 tarp rolls and 5005 tarp pieces
⛽ 9100 Jerry Cans
🪚 80 chainsaw kits
🧼 816 hygiene kits
🚰 4 community water filtration systems, each one capable of providing clean water for up to 10,000 people a day

Our team of disaster specialists are actively distributing these supplies in communities where the need is great.

The Lord has been gracious in providing strong relationships with the local church built through years of partnership with Operation Christmas Child, and we are now coordinating and working alongside our more than 250 strong church partner network.

⛪ 🙏 Please keep these local churches in your prayers as we work together to best serve their communities.

➡️ Learn more and support these efforts: https://t.co/mWC3BM22bF

[Nationwide90FM @NationwideRadio]

Over 200 tanker trucks have been deployed across the island by Petrojam Limited to supply fuel since its reopening last Thursday. That's according to communications manager at Petrojam Limited, Elon Parkinson.

READ MORE HERE: https://t.co/8M9mBd5UNR