Both the government-intervened Listin Diario and the El Caribe are reporting that the economic consulting firm of Grant Thornton continues to be worried about the economic future of the Dominican Republic. As stated in the Listin Diario, GT feels that there are certain inalterable factors that keep the economy down. Among these factors are the high interest rates that operate in the internal market, volatility of the exchange market, the increase in the Consumer Price Index, and the strong upward tendency of oil prices. The Grant Thornton team also is worrying about the possibility of political turmoil as a result of the election-no matter who wins-given the polarization of the political factions. The report also points out that the risk management firms are very weary on the sovereign debt, even as the government is giving signals that a debt restructuring is not in play because it would create a poor credit image of the country, and limit the access that the DR has to capital markets. The G-T Report does say that in the last weeks the price of the Dominican debt has gotten better, due, in part, to a certain stability on the economic scene.