IMF more pessimistic worsens growth forecasts for euro area in 2019

N Update of the World Economic Outlook (WEO), compared with the global economic forecast released today, the IMF now forecasts that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Eurozone will increase by under 0.3 percentage point in

The IMF has also worsened the estimate for 2018 by forecasting eurozone GDP growth of 1.8% for the whole of the euro area. Year, compared with 2% in October.

] In 2020, the institution headed by Christine Lagarde maintained a growth forecast of 1.7% in all economies of the euro zone

The IMF explains that " growth rates have decreased in many economies ", particularly in Germany, due to weak private consumption, weak industrial production following the introduction of new pollutant emission standards for vehicles and moderate external demand.

low domestic debt and higher financing costs, interest rates on public debt remain high and the economy of France because of the negative impact of the protests and the fall in production industrial.

The Fund therefore expects a 1.3% expansion of the German economy in 2019, which corresponds to minus 0.6 percentage points compared to the October forecast (1.9% ), and also revised the forecast for 2018 to 1.5% The IMF also revised down the growth of the Italian economy to 0.6% in 2019 and 1% last year, less 0.4 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively.

With regard to the French economy, the Fund expects growth of 1.5% in 2019 and, for the previous year, 0.1 percentage point less than forecast in both years. case.

For the United Kingdom, the IMF maintained an expansion of 1.5% of GDP in 2019 and increased by 0.1 percentage point the growth estimate for 2020, to 1.6%, despite the fact that there is a "significant uncertainty" with respect to these forecasts, which presupposes that an agreement will be found for the UK's exit from the European Union this year and that & # 39; 39, there will be a gradual transition to the new regime