IMF loan rumblings continue: There is a direction within the government to tap the International Monetary Fund for a funding facility by the end of the year and the issue was discussed during this week’s meeting of the cabinet economic group, a source told Al Shorouk. The issue in question is whether to begin implementing a policy of devaluation and phasing out subsidies immediately, or to wait until the year’s end and bet on the arrival of pledged funding from the Gulf Cooperation Council and World Bank, the newspaper reports. The government is reportedly following the same playbook as previous years, saying seeking an IMF loan is not just for the financial support, but that it would act as a stamp of approval on the government’s economic policy, potentially unlocking new investments and additional sources of financing.