Good morning from Barbados, where the World Bank has confirmed that this island is growing at 2.7 percent this year and will grow at 3.0 percent in 2027. This is not spectacular. It is also not minus one percent, which is what Jamaica is doing this year. We note the distinction without gloating. The distinction speaks for itself.

THE WORLD BANK REPORT

The World Bank’s latest Caribbean Economic Update projects 2.1 percent growth for the Latin America and Caribbean region, below the 2.4 percent of 2025. The report cites “high borrowing costs, weak external demand, and inflationary pressures from geopolitical uncertainty.” It is a thorough document and largely confirms what anyone with a utility bill already knew.

Guyana’s projected growth of 23.5 percent in 2027 appears in the same report. The World Bank has not explained how to feel about sitting next to that number. We have chosen equanimity.

AIR CANADA NON-STOP COMING TO BARBADOS

Barbados is set to receive its first non-stop Air Canada flight. Details on the specific route and schedule are being finalised, but the announcement reflects continued interest from the Canadian market in this destination. Canadian tourists are among this island’s most reliable visitors: punctual, polite, and possessed of a touching belief that they have found the one Caribbean island that truly understands them.

We welcome them warmly.

CARIFTA UPDATE

T&T’s Jenna Marie Thomas set a national junior record in the Girls 100m Hurdles. Guyana’s Under-16 cricket team wrapped their bilateral series. The regional youth sporting calendar continues regardless of what central banks do with interest rates, which is, one might argue, exactly the point.

A QUIET WEDNESDAY

Barbados is, on this Wednesday, not in a scandal involving Venezuelan gas, a video-recorded death threat, or a secret arbitration payout. We are growing at 2.7 percent, receiving Air Canada, and observing the region with our characteristic composure.

This is the Bajan condition. It is not nothing.

The Bajan Bugle. Measured, informed, and modestly satisfied.